At a glance

Area: 3,230 sq kms

Location: 280 kms west of Dar es Salaam (4 hours by car, 45 minutes by plane), north of Selous and enroute to Ruaha.

Altitude: 500-1,257 m

Vegetation: Miombo woodland on the Mkata River flood plain. The remainder is thorn acacia, ebony shrub, baobab and riverine thicket broken by Borassus palm.

Fauna: Mammals include yellow baboon, vervet monkey, Sykes monkey, lion, elephant, rhino, giraffe, zebra, eland, buffalo, greater kudu, bushbuck, waterbuck and Lichtenstein’s hartebeest.

Birds: the birdlife is abundant and varied with both northern species such as, superb starling and straw-tailed whydah, and southern species such as– Dickinson’s kestrel and Boehm’s bee-eater. 

Overview

Lovely but often underrated, Mikumi is the fourth largest park in Tanzania and lies between the Uluguru Mountains to the northeast, the Rubeho Mountains to the northwest and the Lumango Mountains to the southeast.  

About the park

‘Mikumi’ is the Swahili name for the borassus palm, which grows profusely in this pretty, undulating and wildlife-rich park. Easily accessible, the park is popular with weekend visitors, taking only four hours on a good road from Dar es Salaam.  Bordering the Selous and Udzungwa National Parks and transacted by the Dar es Salaam-Iringa highway, the park landscape is typically woodland interspersed with grassy plains, the most verdant of which is the Mkata River floodplain, which attracts animals all through the year. 

Wildlife

Likely safari sightings include: lions, elands, hartebeests, wildebeests, giraffes, zebras, hippos and elephants. Often known as ‘midget’ Mikumi’s elephants are significantly smaller than those in the other parks; they are also primarily grazers, thus causing significantly less damage to the landscape.  Popular game-viewing areas include ‘Little Serengeti’ an area on the Mkata floodplain north west of the main road and the Hippo Pools, which lie 5km from the main gate.

Birdwatching

The park boasts over 400 species of birds, many of which are migratory. Prized sightings include the violet turaco and the pale-billed hornbill.