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.

[1] From the town of Mbeya the range runs south-east and forms part of the eastern escarpment of the East African Rift, extending about 100 km down the north-eastern shore of the lake to the Ruhuhu River.

[3] The northern end is well marked in 8° 50′ S by an escarpment falling to the Usangu Plains, the eastern branch of the East African Rift and the basin of the Great Ruaha River.

Southwards the range terminates in the deep valley of the Ruhuhu River in 10° 30′ S, the first decided break in the highlands that is reached from the north along the east coast of Lake Malawi.

[4] The Nyakyusa, Kisi, and Manda people live along the shore of Lake Nyasa along the southwestern escarpment of the range.

A zone of gneiss runs along the southwestern face of the range overlooking Lake Malawi, in a series of ridges and valleys generally parallel to its axis.

Northeast of Buanyi, as in the eastern half of the range generally, table-topped mountains occur, composed above of horizontally bedded quartzites, sandstones and conglomerates.

[13] Irungu Forest Reserve, 240.32 km2, lies in the northwestern edge of the range, and abuts Kitulo National Park on the south.

[14] Chimala Scarp Forest Reserve, on the northern escarpment of the range overlooking the Usangu Plains lying to the north, was established in 1960 and covers and area of 180.68 km².