Mikumi National Park Tanzania

Location & Overview

Within its 3230 sq km, positioned between Uguru Mountains to the north and the lumango Mountains to the southeast, the Mikumi National Park obtains a good impression of the African animal world. This relatively small National park lies 300 km west of Dar-es-salaam and it’s the closest park to the capital. Its proximity to Dar es Salaam and the amount of wildlife that live within its borders makes Mikumi National Park a popular option for weekend visitors from the city, or for business visitors who don’t have long to spend on an extended safari.

Mikumi National Park wildlife

The park hosts populations of buffalo, giraffe, elephant, lion, Zebra, leopard, crocodiles among others. The open horizons and abundant wildlife of the Mkata Floodplain, the popular centrepiece of Mikumi national park, draw frequent comparisons to the more famous Serengeti Plains.
There is a rich variety bird species and more than 400 bird species have been recorded, with such colorful common residents as the lilac-breasted roller, yellow-throated long claw and bateleur eagle joined by a host of European migrants during the rainy season.

Hippo pools provide close access to the mud-loving beasts, and bird-watching along the waterways is particularly rewarding. Hippos are the star attraction of the pair of pools situated 5km north of the main entrance gate, supported by an ever-changing cast of water birds.
Lions survey their grassy kingdom – and the zebra, wildebeest, impala and buffalo herds that migrate across it – from the flattened tops of termite mounds, or sometimes, during the rains, from perches high in the trees. Giraffes forage in the isolated acacia stands that fringe the Mkata River, islets of shade favored also by Mikumi’s elephants.

When to go; The National Park is accessible throughout the whole year.

Getting There

A good surfaced road connects Mikumi to Dar es Salaam via Morogoro, a roughly 4 hour drive.
There are also road net work connections to Udzungwa, Ruaha and Selous. Local buses run from Dar to park Headquarters where game drives are scheduled. . Charter flight from Dar es Salaam, Arusha or Selous

What to do

Game drives and expert-guided walks.

Criss-crossed by a good circuit of game-viewing roads, the Mkata Floodplain is perhaps the most reliable place in Tanzania for sightings of the powerful eland, the world’s largest antelope. The equally impressive greater kudu and sable antelope haunt the miombo-covered foothills of the mountains that rise from the park’s borders.