The Mpanga-Kipengere Game Reserve is a protected area in

Njombe Region Njombe Region (''Mkoa wa Njombe'' in Swahili) is one of Tanzania's 31 administrative regions. The region covers a land area of . The region is comparable in size to the combined land area of the nation state of El Salvador. Njombe Region is bord ...

of the Southern Highlands of

Tanzania Tanzania (; ), officially the United Republic of Tanzania ( sw, Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania), is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It borders Uganda to the north; Kenya to the northeast; Comoro Islands and ...

, East Africa. The reserve covers an area of . The altitude ranges from to . In addition to the preservation of wildlife the reserve is an important catchment for the headwaters of several rivers that feed into the

Great Ruaha River The Great Ruaha River is a river in south-central Tanzania that flows through the Usangu wetlands and the Ruaha National Park east into the Rufiji River. It traverses and marks the borders between Iringa Region, Dodoma Region and Morogoro Region. ...

and provide water for the Usangu wetlands. Since 2005, the protected area is considered a

Lion The lion (''Panthera leo'') is a large Felidae, cat of the genus ''Panthera'' native to Africa and India. It has a muscular, broad-chested body; short, rounded head; round ears; and a hairy tuft at the end of its tail. It is sexually dimorphi ...

Conservation Unit. This reserve is famous by its unique flora and fauna, scenic beauty, cultural heritage in Nyumba Nitu forest and Kimani waterfalls which are very attractive for nature tourism. Endemic species found in Mpanga – Kipengere Game Reserve are Nosed chameleon, marsh widow, Njombe cisticola and Kipengere seedeater, while the rare Fufumka bird has been recorded to live in the reserve. Here more than 17 types of forests can be found, where a great amount of rare birds and butterflies are observed.

Geography

The Mpanga-Kipengere Game Reserve is located at the northern end of the

Kipengere Range The Kipengere Range, also known as the Livingstone Mountains, lies entirely in Njombe Region in southwest Tanzania at the northern end of Lake Nyasa. Near Lake Nyasa they are known as the Kinga Mountains. It is a plateau-like ridge of mountains r ...

(Livingstone mountain range). It lies partly in Makete District and partly in Wanging'ombe District. Tributaries of the Great Ruaha River that originate there include the Mbarali, Mlomboji, Kimani and Ipera rivers, all of which flow basically northwards.

Notes

Eastern miombo woodlands Geography of Njombe Region Protected areas of Tanzania Southern Highlands, Tanzania Southern Rift montane forest–grassland mosaic {{africa-protected-area-stub