Mikumi National Park
Possibly because it is bisected by the surfaced main road to Zambia, Mikumi has never acquired the near-mystical status of more remote counterparts such as Ruaha and Katavi. But the very accessibility of this 3,230 sq km sanctuary – the country’s fourth-largest national park and an extension of the 150,000 sq km Selous-Niassa ecosystem – makes it a thoroughly attractive goal for a self-contained weekender out of Dar es Salaam, or as an initial pit stop on a more extensive safari through southern Tanzania. Those who do make the effort to visit Mikumi can expect to encounter few other tourists and plenty of wildlife – indeed the park’s open horizons and high wildlife concentrations have drawn frequent comparisons to the more famous Serengeti Plains.
Vegetation and habitats
Wildlife
Activities
Getting there
Where to stay
Nearby places of interest
Vegetation and habitats
- The park’s Serengeti-like centrepiece is a grassy acacia-studded floodplain incised by the Mkata River.
- The south of the park supports inaccessible rocky slopes lined with a dense cover of deciduous miombo woodland.
Wildlife
- This Mkata floodplain may not support the wildlife densities associated with the Serengeti Plains, but large herds of giraffe, elephant, buffalo, zebra and various antelope are reliably present.
- The open grassland is a reliable site for Africa’s largest antelope, the skittish eland, while the woodland supports seldom-seen sable antelope and greater kudu.
- Predator sightings are less varied than in some parks, but lions are often seen lazing below shady acacias, spotted hyenas are vociferous by night, and endangered African wild dogs occasionally range across from the Selous.
- The star attraction of the pools situated north of the park headquarters are its resident hippo, usually supported by a varied cast of waterbirds.
- Also conspicuous among park’s the 400-plus bird species are such outsized grassland dwellers as ostrich, ground hornbill, black-bellied bustard and the ungainly marabou stork.
Activities
- The main activity is game drives, ideally following the circuit of dirt roads that runs north from the entrance gate through the Mkata floodplain. They can be undertaken on a self-drive basis or booked as guided activities through the lodges.
- Two guided walking trails of up to 8 hours duration will be particularly rewarding for birders and are best undertaken in the early morning.
- Access is possible all year through, but internal roads sometimes close as a result of flooding between November and April.
- The 285 km drive from Dar es Salaam via Morogoro take around 4 hours, making the park a good weekend break from Dar es Salaam or overnight stop en route to Ruaha.
- Charter flights can be arranged to/from Dar es Salaam, Ruaha and Selous.
- Express coaches can drop passengers at the park headquarters or in Mikumi town, where game drives can sometimes be arranged.
Where to stay
- The park is serviced by two intimate tented camps, both with hilltop settings, as well as a functional midrange lodge alongside the main surfaced road.
- A selection of inexpensive accommodation is available at the junction town of Mikumi, 5km from the park entrance.
Nearby places of interest
- The pedestrian-friendly Udzungwa Mountains National Park is a feasible goal for a day trip from any of Mikumi’s lodges.
Checklist of conspicuous and noteworthy mammals: lion, leopard, spotted hyena, African wild dog, blue wildebeest, Bohor reedbuck, common waterbuck, impala, greater kudu, common eland, sable antelope, bushbuck, common duiker, African elephant, African buffalo, common zebra, hippo, warthog, Maasai giraffe, yellow baboon, vervet monkey.
