Upcoming tourist attractions in East Africa

Grasshopper-1
Grasshopper-1

Distributed in the Eastern and Southern Highlands of Tanzania, the Eastern Arc Mountains are the other, underdeveloped tourist attractive sites rich with nature.

Nature reserves in Tanzania decorate the Eastern Arc Mountains with beautiful, green forests with blossoming flowers, insects, birds, small mammals, reptiles, and scenery set to attract nature-loving tourists.

The Uluguru Nature Reserve is one among the tourist attractive sites under development by its unique natural attractions, mostly montane animals, birds, and insects with different but attractive colors.

The Uluguru Nature Reserve is located in the Uluguru range of mountains in Morogoro, similar to the Andes Mountains in South America. Montane animals, birds, and insects are tourist attractions available in Tanzania, but not fully developed to attract global holidaymakers.

The star attraction of the reserve is the Uluguru grasshopper – Cyphocerastis uluguruensis โ€“ dubbed โ€œDecember Ninthโ€ after Tanzania Independence Day.

The grasshopper was given the name โ€œDecember Ninthโ€ because it has the same colors as the flag of Tanzania. However, it is not known whether this grasshopper species existed before Tanzania became independent from Britain on December 9, 1961.

Some residents of the Uluguru ranges believe that the designers of the Tanzanian national flag copied the colors from the grasshopper, only seen in their area.

Uluguru Nature Reserve conservator, Cuthbert Mafupa, said the reserve has been attracting visitors from across the world because of its unique flora and fauna such as the flying frogs, three-horned and one-horned chameleons, St. Pauline flowers, various species of songbirds, and the โ€œfloating grassโ€ used as stepping stones to wade through the fresh-water springs flowing on the mountain slopes.

The Uluguru range is part of the Eastern Arc Mountains, a chain of ancient forested mountains stretching from Kenya to Malawi through Eastern Tanzania, rising to 2,630 meters above sea level at its highest point.

Unique species of animals and plants thrive in these isolated massifs, including more than 500 endemic plant species and numerous animals.

The Eastern Arc Mountains are listed as a global biodiversity hotspot by the WorldWide Fund for Nature.

Facing threat from human pressure, Eastern Arc Mountains have the few remaining species of birds and some primates in danger from extinction.

Conservation International ranks the Eastern Arc Mountains together with the East African coastal forests as the 24 most important biodiversity hotspots globally for plant endemism.

The Eastern Arc mountains are rich with flora and fauna contained in only 5,000 square kilometers of highly-fragmented and isolated forests, commonly known as โ€œThe Galapagos of Africa.โ€

Birdlife, natural forests, waterfalls, and natural scenery are unbeatable tourist attractions easily found on the Eastern Arc Mountains, covering a large geographical area of eastern Tanzania. Their cool weather is exceptional.

In the southern highland regions of Tanzania, the Eastern Arc Mountains are made up of Uporoto, Kipengere and Livingstone ranges, and Africaโ€™s new tourist jewel under tourism development.

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Avatar of Apolinari Tairo - eTN Tanzania

Apolinari Tairo - eTN Tanzania

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