The highlands comprise a group of plateaus and volcanic mountains, including the
Mbeya Mountains,
Poroto Mountains,
Kipengere Range,
Mount Rungwe,
Kitulo Plateau,
Umalila Mountains, and
Matengo Highlands. The
Ufipa Plateau extends northwest, between
Lake Tanganyika and
Lake Rukwa. The eastern and western branches of the
East African Rift converge in the highlands, and the Western Rift continues south as the valley of Lake Malawi. To the northeast, the Makambako Gap separates the Southern Highlands from the
Eastern Arc Mountains. in the
Poroto Mountains. Mt. Rungwe (2,960 metres), and Mtorwe (2961 m) in the Kipengere Range, are the highest peaks in the highlands. Other peaks include Chaluhangi (2933 m) and Ishinga (2688 m) in the Kipengere Range,
Ngozi (2621 m) in the Poroto Mountains, and Mbeya (2826 m), Loloza (2656 m), and Pungulomo (2273 m) in the Mbeya Mountains. The northern and eastern slopes of the Mbeya Mountains and the eastern portion of the Ufipa Plateau drain into the closed basin of
Lake Rukwa. The
Great Ruaha River, a tributary of the
Rufiji River, drains the eastern slopes of the Mbeya and Kipengere mountains. Rivers flowing into Lake Malawi drain the southern portion of the highlands. The
Songwe River drains the western and southern Umalila Mountains, and forms the boundary between Tanzania and Malawi. The
Kiwira River drains the east slope of the Umalila Mountains, south slope of the Poroto Mountains, and western slope of Mount Rungwe. The Lufilyo River drains the east slope of Mount Rungwe and the Livingstone Forest in Kitulo National Park. A number of smaller streams descend the steep western escarpment of the Kipengere Range and western Matengo Highlands. The
Ruhuhu River drains the southern portion of the Kipengere Range and northern Matengo Highlands. The eastern slopes of the Matengo Highlands drain into the
Ruvuma River. ==Climate==