Background Information
Swirls of opaque mist hide the
advancing dawn. The first shafts
of sun colour the fluffy grass
heads rippling across the plain
in a russet halo. A herd of
zebras, confident in their
camouflage at this predatory
hour, pose like ballerinas,
heads aligned and stripes
merging in flowing motion.
Mikumi National Park abuts the
northern border of Africa's
biggest game reserve - the
Selous – and is transected by
the surfaced road between Dar es
Salaam and Iringa. It is thus
the most accessible part of a
75,000 square kilometre (47,000
square mile) tract of wilderness
that stretches east almost as
far as the Indian Ocean.
The
open horizons and abundant
wildlife of the Mkata
Floodplain, the popular
centrepiece of Mikumi, draw
frequent comparisons to the more
famous Serengeti Plains.
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 favoured
also by Mikumi's elephants.
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.
More than 400 bird species have
been recorded, with such
colourful common residents as
the lilac-breasted roller,
yellow-throated longclaw and
bateleur eagle joined by a host
of European migrants during the
rainy season. Hippos are the
star attraction of the pair of
pools situated 5km north of thd
main entrance gate, supported by
an ever-changing cast of
waterbirds.
About Mikumi National Park
Size: 3,230 sq km (1,250 sq
miles), the fourth-largest park
in Tanzania, and part of a much
larger ecosystem centred on the
uniquely vast Selous Game
Reserve.
Location: 283 km (175 miles)
west of Dar es Salaam, north of
Selous, and en route to Ruaha,
Udzungwa and (for the intrepid)
Katavi.
How
to get there
A
good surfaced road connects
Mikumi to Dar es Salaam via
Morogoro, a roughly 4 hour
drive.
Also road connections to
Udzungwa, Ruaha and (dry season
only) Selous.
Charter flight from Dar es
Salaam, Arusha or Selous. Local
buses run from Dar to park HQ
where game drives can be
arranged.
Activities
Game drives and guided walks.
Visit nearby Udzungwa or travel
on to Selous or Ruaha.
When
to go
Accessible year round.
Accommodation
Two
lodges, two luxury tented camps,
three campsites.
Guest houses in Mikumi town on
the park border.