Southern Highlands Safari - 2. Kisolanza, the Udzungwa Mountains National Park and the Kilombero River Big 4

After a successful Ruaha National Park visit (despite the uncomfortable accommodation) we moved on to Kisolanza - The Old Farm House for the next three nights.  It is a working farm with cabins and camping facilities about an hour south of Iringa.  Due to COVID, lack of tourists and the fact that we were apparently their first Australian guests, we were given an upgrade to one of their top cabins.  After the insects and dodgy electrical fittings of the Ruaha cottage we were treated to a spacious cabin full of comfy chairs, antique lamps, rugs, satellite TV and a bath.  Jenny was most amused one evening to find me relaxing in the bath with a whisky and Miles Davis playing on my iPod.  We didn't ask for the fire to be lit but it was nice to have the option.  Needless to say the grounds were lovely and full of birds.  We shared the dining room one evening with the German ambassador and her husband.

Our luxurious accommodation at Kisolanza - Old Farm House.

The first night we were there we were having dinner and a group of four people trouped in.  The dining room was quite dark apart from the candles on each table but as we were leaving I realised our co-diners were our friends Per Holmen and Selvine from Kili Golf and Abdul - one of our local Arusha birding mates.  They had a South African friend with them and were birding hard to see the local special species.

While Jenny relaxed on our first day, Stanley and I ventured out for some birding.  In the morning we wandered along a river nearby.  We had been told by Neil Baker that it was a good spot for Coppery-tailed Coucal but we failed to find any and locals we asked advised us that they were hunted and eaten.  Compensation came in the form of Montane Widowbirds in full breeding plumage, Western and African Marsh Harriers, African Reed Warbler, Brown-headed Apalis and Kurrichane Thrush.  After lunch we headed further afield to the Kiponzelo Swamp.  We failed to find the location Neil had suggested but did walk down to another section of, mostly dry, swamp and were rewarded with Copper Sunbirds, a Black-bellied Bustard, Purple Heron, Flappet Lark and Reichenow's Seedeater.  Back at the Farm House I added Purple-crested Turaco and Southern Yellow White-eye and Western Miombo Sunbird.

A native orchid - possibly Orthochilus mechowii) - growing in the grounds of the Old Farm House.

Next morning Jenny and I walked down to the farm irrigation dam which was partially covered with lilypads.  Our target was Whyte's Barbet which Per and co had seen the day before.  We failed again but did see Yellow-billed Duck, Lesser Jacana, European Bee-eater, Black-collared Barbet and Pale Flycatcher.  After the walk we followed the others as they headed up into the tea plantation country for some forest birds.  They were staying for a couple of nights at Mufindi Highlands Lodge and we joined them in a walk around the lodge grounds for a few nice birds: White-backed Duck, African Green Pigeon, Little Grebe, Mountain Buzzard, Southern Fiscal, Slender-billed Starling, Cape Robin-Chat, Whinchat, Forest Double-collared Sunbird and Yellow-browed Seedeater.  We had planned to visit some forest remnants nearby but heavy rain cut short our visit.

Forest Double-collared Sunbird on an Agapanthus in the garden at Mufindi Highlands Lodge

Yellow-browed Seedeater, Mufindi Highlands Lodge

A sodden Mountain Buzzard, Mufindi Highlands

Next we moved on to the Udzungwa Mountains and stayed for three nights at Hondo Hondo Camp.  This was a pleasant site, bordering the national park with nice, comfy safari tents and camping facilities and we had it to ourselves.  We enjoyed watching the antics of the families of Yellow Baboons and Pied Colobus monkeys in the grounds.  Yellow Baboons appear quite placid compared to the Olive Baboons we are more familiar with.  Interesting birds around the camp were Trumpeter Hornbill, White-eared Barbet, Green-backed Tinkerbird, Retz's Helmetshrike, Common Square-tailed Drongo, Magpie Mannikin.  Heard but sadly not seen were Livingstone's Turaco and African Barred Owlet. 

Yellow Baboons along the Hondo Hondo Camp nature trail

Yellow Baboon in the restaurant clearing

The local race of Angola Pied Colobus in the forest at Hondo Hondo Lodge

The population of Udzungwa (or Iringa) Red Colobus is now down to about 500 individuals.  This one was along the trail to Sanje Waterfall.

Across the highway from the camp was a huge floodplain largely given over to sugarcane and rice farming.  It was highly evocative of the Innisfail/Tully region of north Queensland.  We explored this region by car one afternoon and saw Blue-spotted Wood Dove, Wood Sandpiper, Black-chested Snake Eagle, Martial Eagle, Booted Eagle, Palm-nut Vulture, Blue-cheeked Bee-eater, Zanzibar Red Bishop and Orange-breasted Waxbill.

We devoted a day to a walk in the national park.  The Udzungwa Mountains is part of the Eastern Arc Mountains that extend from here in an anti-clockwise arc through the Ulugurus, the Ukagurus and terminating in the Usumbaras east of Kilimanjaro.  These discontinuous ranges are home to a host of endemic bird, reptile, amphibian and mammal species.  We dipped our toes in by doing the Sanje Falls day walk.  The forest was magnificent but birds were scarce with Half-collared Kingfisher, Shelley's Greenbul, Livingstone's Flycatcher,  Red-capped Robin-Chat, Olive Sunbird and Dark-backed Weaver the highlights.  We did see the local Angola

The view over the Kilombero Valley canefields and villages.

Stanley at the top pool of the Sanje Waterfalls

Pied Colobus and the endemic Udzungwa Red Colobus monkeys however.  Jenny and was enjoying a swim in one of the pools when our young NP guide (who it turned out couldn't swim) got into difficulties and had to be rescued by Jenny and the other guide.  Were were glad to be back at the camp for a beer before dinner but pulled up quite well the next day when we moved on to the dusty town of Ifakara on the Kilombero River.

Kilombero Weaver

Kilombero Cisticola

White-tailed Cisticola

The Kilombero River here is home to four special species - three endemic to this region and one that is easiest to find here.  The endemics are the Kilombero Weaver, the Kilombero Cisticola and the White-tailed Cisticola.  The other is the Coppery-tailed Coucal which we had missed at Kisolanza a few days earlier.  Interestingly the Weaver has only recently been named and the two cisticolas are still to be named officially.  We stayed one night at the rather disappointing Mbega Resort.  The first room they put us in had no water and no toilet seat.  We have never complained about a room before but did this time!  Dinner was OK but breakfast was dismal. Find somewhere else - anywhere else.

Water Thick-knees

Coppery-tailed Coucal

A Grey heron with local boatmen.

We spent the day at the river upstream from the impressive new bridge.  In the morning we walked the bank and ticked off the Weaver and the two Cisticolas as well as White-faced Whistling Duck, Water Thick-knee, Giant Kingfisher, White-necked Raven and Lesser Swamp Warbler.  In the afternoon we took a dugout boat trip up the river and found the Coppery-tailed Coucal along with Goliath Heron and Purple heron.  So we achieved the Kilombero Big 4!

Next: 3. Mikumi National Park.