Mikumi National park
Mikumi national park is located 300km west of Dar es Salaam along the Dar-Mbeya highway. It is the fourth-biggest national park in Tanzania and is one of the most popular parks in Tanzania. This area was gazetted as a national park in 1964.
Mikumi national park is bordered by Selous Game Reserve to the south, Udzungwa and together form a unique ecosystem in southern Tanzania. It also neighbors the Udzungwa Mountains and the Ulugura mountains.
It is situated between Oluguna Mountains and the Lumango and covers an area of about 3230 square kilometers. Mikumi national park is the most open national park to the city of Dar es Salaam and they are connected by a highway. Due to its connection to Dar es Salaam and the abundance of wildlife in this area, Mikumi national park is a well-known safari destination and a perfect stopover point for a short wildlife safari.
This national park was named Mikumi, which means Palm trees, after a village located on its western border with Dar es Salaam.
Just like the Serengeti, Mikumi national park is covered by vast plains dotted by baobab trees, acacia, tamarinds, and some rare palms and the southern part of the park is covered by gentle foothills and vast miombo woodland.
Mikumi national park is home to a number of wildlife such as Africa’s BIG 5 as well as some unique animals such as the Sable antelope, African hunting dog, Lichtenstein’s hartebeest, blue wildebeest, among others and other wildlife such as elephants, zebras, impalas, elands, kudu, black antelopes, baboons, wildebeests, buffaloes, among others which can easily be spotted due to the vegetation cover of this area.
It also inhabits more than 400 different bird species such as the Secretary birds, African Fish Eagles, Lilac-breasted Rollers, Open-Billed storks, Yellow-Billed storks, Ground Hornbill, Kingfisher, Bee-eaters, Vultures, and Raptors, among others.
Activities in Mikumi National Park
Game drives
This is one of the most done activities in Mikumi National Park. These game drives are done throughout the day that is; in the morning, afternoon, and evening game drives, and sometimes night game drives that give you an opportunity to spot some nocturnal animals. These game drives are carried out using an open rooftop 4×4 safari vehicle during which you explore the park’s different trails and view a variety of wildlife.
These game drives are mainly conducted in the Mkata flood plains which is highly infested with lions, and leopards. Other wildlife spotted in Mikumi national park include buffaloes, elephants, zebras, wild dogs, waterbucks, wildebeests, hartebeests, giraffes, sable antelopes, impalas, warthogs, yellow baboons, among others. While on these game drives, be on the lookout for the Hippo pool you will see a large herd of hippos.
Guided nature walk
Nature walks in Mikumi national park are conducted through specific trails within such as the Yuma Hills, Kikoboga trail, and Mikumi wildlife resort trail. These walks are carried out within the short savannah grasslands and the Miombo forest vegetation and gives tourists an opportunity to have an up-close encounter with nature. This activity is mainly carried out during the dry season in the company of an armed ranger guide for safety purposes and is only restricted to adults.
Bird watching
Mikumi national park is one of the best birding destinations in Tanzania being home to about 400 bird species both native birds and migratory birds. The migratory birds can mainly be seen in this park during the months between November and April since it’s around this time of year that migratory birds visit this area. Birds in Mikumi national park include the yellow-throated long claw, open-billed stork, Zanzibar red bishop, purple breasted roller, malachite kingfisher, bateleurs eagle, marabou stork, among others.
The best place for watching the water birds in Mikumi national park is at the Hippo pool.
Cultural visits
Mikumi national park is encompassed by unique cultures organized under the Chilunga cultural tourism. Cultural visits in this park take you through the villages neighboring this park and during this you will interact with the locals in these villages and get to understand their daily ways of life, their cultures as well as traditions. You will also get to try out their local foods and take part in their traditional dances. Tourists may also visit the local markets and purchase some gifts or souvenirs during these visits.
Best time to visit Mikumi national park
Mikumi national park can be visited throughout out the year depending on a traveler’s preference that is; the best time to visit Mikumi national park for a wildlife experience is during the dry season and this runs from June through to October. This is because during this time of year the vegetation is scarce, the trails are dry, and the animals are gathered around water sources such as the Mkata river hence are easily spotted. While for a bird watching experience, the best time to visit Mikumi national park is during the wet season. It is during this time of year that the migratory birds are in this area.
How to get to Mikumi national park
Mikumi national park can be accessed by both road transfer and air transfer.
By air, domestic flights are used from either Selous, Zanzibar, Ruaha, Dar es Salaam, or Arusha to Kikoboga Airstrip.
By road, Mikumi national park can be accessed through different routes such as from Dar es Salaam to the national park which takes about 4 to 5 hours, from Dodoma or Ruaha to the national park which takes roughly 5 hours and from Arusha to the national park which takes approximately 9 hours.
Accommodation near Mikumi national park
Whilst visiting Mikumi national park, there is a variety of accommodation to choose from ranging from Camping, Budget accommodation, Mid-range accommodation, and Luxury accommodation. Budget accommodation include; Mikumi resort, Mantis lodge Mikumi, Vamos hotel, Tan-Swiss lodge, among others. Mid-range accommodation include; Mikumi safari lodge, Mikumi Adventure lodge, Angalia tented camp, Camp Bastian Mikumi, among others. Luxury accommodation include; Mikumi wildlife camp, Stanley’s Kopje, Udzungwa Falls lodge, Vuma hill tented camp, among others.