Mikumi National Park is a superb park for a weekend getaway visit or as a part of a longer trip on to Udzungwa and Ruaha National Parks. Within 5 minutes of entering the park you will have seen up to 10 species of large mammals. Mikumi is also excellent for bird watching and is classified as an important bird area by the IUCN.
Visitors who stay 2 nights in Mikumi can expect to see lion, large numbers of buffalo, many giraffe and numerous elephants. It is also possible to see leopard and several cats in Mikumi.
Mikumi National Park is now the fourth largest of Tanzania’s parks and is one of the least well known on an international level. Mikumi National Park is easily accessible, located only 300 km from Dar on the Tanzam Highway. Only a small section of the park, about 20% has been developed for tourism and it lies to the north of the highway. South of the road Mikumi shares its border with the Selous Game Reserve, but this largely wooded hilly area remains fairly inaccessible.
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 main feature of Mikum National Park is the extensive Mkata River Flood Plain, comparable to the open grasslands of the Serengeti. The plain is flanked by the Uluguru Mountains to the north, and the Udzungwa Mountains to the south. A typical game drive will reveal elephant, giraffe, zebra, buffalo, warthog, wildebeest and impala all in impressive numbers. There is even the chance to see lion, hyena, jackal and eland. The bird-life at Mikumi is exceptional, with one guest seeing 180 species without leaving his lodge!
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.
What to do
Game drives and guided walks. Visit nearby Udzungwa or travel on to Selous or Ruaha.
When to go
Accessible year round.
For more information on visiting Mikumi National Park contact us directly and our field staff will help you design your own personal Tanzania safari.
