The Usambaras rise steeply from the plains of north-eastern Tanzania and form part of the Eastern Arc Mountains, a chain of ancient massifs whose forests have persisted through climatic shifts that cleared most of the surrounding lowlands. The result is a very high level of endemism, comparable in significance to the Udzungwas further south.
The range divides into West and East Usambara. Lushoto, in the west, is the usual base — a former German hill station at around 1,400 metres with a genuinely cool climate. From there a network of trails runs village to village past viewpoints over the Maasai steppe, most notably Irente Viewpoint.
The East Usambaras hold the Amani Nature Reserve, a research forest with exceptional birding and one of the highest concentrations of endemic plants in Africa. The African violet was first collected here.