Mikumi
National Park is located on 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
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 centerpiece 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.
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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 the 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.
What to do
Game drives and guided walks. Visit nearby Udzungwa
or travel on to Selous or Ruaha.
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