Mikumi National Park

Mikumi National Park is located south of Dar es Salaam right on the main Morogoro-Iringa Highway with an approximate travel time of 4½ hours and the first national park stop on the Tanzania southern circuit safari. The word comes after a local word for Borassus palm trees referred to as Mikuky.

Mikumi was the name given to the villages created by a tribal chief of Wavindunda community with the name of Mtwahela Kikuwi.

Mikumi was named as National Park in 1967 and currently has an approximate size of 3,230 square kilometers.

Area

3,230 sq km (1,250 sq miles

Getting there
283 km (175 miles) west of Dar es Salaam, north of Selous, and en route to Ruaha, Udzungwa and (for the intrepid) Katavi.

What to do
Game drives and guided walks. Visit nearby Udzungwa or travel on to Selous or Ruaha.

Wildlife
Lions survey their grassy kingdom – and the zebra, wildebeest, impala and buffalo herds that migrate across it. Giraffes forage in the isolated acacia stands that fringe the Mkata River, islets of shade favoured also by Mikumi’s elephants. Hippos are the star attraction of the pair of pools situated 5km north of the main entrance gate.

Birdlife
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.

Best time to Visit
Accessible year round.

Highlights
The open horizons and abundant wildlife of the Mkata Floodplain, the popular centrepiece of Mikumi, draw frequent comparisons to the more famous Serengeti Plains.