By Farzad Khataslou – Art in Tanzania tourism intern
Mikumi National Park is a favourite safari destination for Art in Tanzania volunteers and interns. It is an easily accessible and reasonably priced trip. Being only a 2-day trip, it is often combined with one extra day at the Udzungwa Rainforest.
About Mikumi National Park
Size: 3,230 sq km (1,250 sq miles), the fourth-largest national 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. Additionally, road connections to the Udzungwa Rainforest, Ruaha, and Selous.
About Mikumi National Park
Mikumi National Park, located near Morogoro, Tanzania, was established in 1964. The landscape of Mikumi is often compared to that of the Serengeti. The road that crosses the park divides it into two areas with partially distinct environments. The alluvial plain of the Mkata River basin characterises the area to the north-west. The vegetation of this area consists of savannah dotted with acacia, baobab, tamarind, and some rare palms. In this area, located farthest from the road, are spectacular rock formations of the mountains Rubeho and Uluguru. The southeast part of the park is less rich in wildlife and not very accessible.
The fauna includes many species characteristic of the African savannah. The changes in seeing a lion climb a tree trunk are larger than in Manyara (famous for being one of the few places where lions exhibit this behaviour). The park contains a subspecies of giraffe that biologists consider the link between the Masai giraffe and the reticulated or Somali giraffe. Other animals in the park include elephants, zebras, impalas, elands, kudus, black antelopes, baboons, wildebeests, and buffaloes. Approximately 5 km north of the park, there are two artificial pools inhabited by hippos. More than 400 different species of birds also inhabit the park.
Us. The best time to visit the park is during the dry season, from May to November, when the warm weather and stunning scenery make it a once-in-a-lifetime experience in Tanzania.
Mikumi is Tanzania’s fourth-largest national park. It’s also the most accessible from Dar es Salaam. With guaranteed wildlife sightings, it makes an ideal safari destination for those without much time. Since the completion of the paved road connecting the park gate to Dar es Salaam, Mikumi National Park has been slated to become a major tourist destination in Tanzania.
The Mikumi belongs to Tanzania’s circuit of wildlife parks, which are less visited by international tourists and better protected from an environmental perspective. Most of the routes that cross the Mikumi proceed in the direction of the Ruaha National Park and the Selous.
Located between the Uluguru Mountains and the Lumango range, Mikumi is Tanzania’s fourth national park and is only a few hours’ drive from Tanzania’s largest city. The park has a wide variety of wildlife that can be easily spotted and well acclimatised to game viewing. Its proximity to Dar es Salaam and the amount of wildlife that live within its borders make Mikumi National Park a popular option for weekend visits from the city, or for business visitors who don’t have to spend a long time on an extended safari itinerary.
Most visitors come to Mik’mi National Park to spot the ‘Big Five’ (cheetah, lion, elephant, buffalo, and rhino). Hippo pools provide close access to the mud-loving beasts, and birdwatching along the waterways is particularly rewarding. Mikumi National Park borders the Selous Game Reserve and Udzungwa National Park, forming a diverse and enjoyable safari circuit.
The open horizons and abundant wildlife of the Mkata Floodplain, the popular centrepiece 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 river, where Mikumi’ sikumi’s find shade.
Criss-crossed by an exemplary circuit of game-viewing roads, the Mkata Floodplain is perhaps the most reliable place in Tanzania to spot the powerful eland, the world’s largest antelope. The equally impressive greater kudu and sable antelope haunt the miombo-covered slopes of the mountains that rise from the park’s borders.
More than 400 bird species have been recorded, with such colourful familiar residents as the lilac-breasted roller, yellow-throated long claw 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.
Mikumi is one of the most reliable places in the world for sightings of the eland, the world’s largest antelope. The equally impressive greater kudu and sable antelope can be found in the miombo woodland-covered parks of the Mokgwaranee, from the park’s borders. The Lichtenstein’s hartebeest is one of the more unusual antelopes found here.
The Dry season, from June to October, is the best time for wildlife viewing in the park. Wildlife is easier to spot because the vegetation is thinner, and animals gather around predictable water sources, such as the Mkata River, the hippo pool, and other waterholes. At the end of the Dry season, from September to October, these waterholes are almost constantly visited by large herds of buffalo and elephants, as well as other wildlife.
References:
- “Tanzania National Parks Corporate Information”. Tanzania Parks. TANAPA. Archived from the original on 20 December 2015. R “retrieved 22 December 015.
- ^ Jump up to: a b c “Mikumi National Park”. Tanzania Tourism. Archived from the original on 7 May 201 and retrieved 15 May 2017.
- ^ Collett, Leah; Hawkins, Dawn; ho, Charles; Marwa, William; Norton, Guy (December 2007). A description and evaluation of Malundwe Mountain forest in Mikumi National Park, Tanzania. 6th Tanzania Wildlife Research Institute (TAWIRI) Scientific Conference. Arusha, Tanzania. Retrieved 8 October 2019.
- Mikumi National Park is a wildlife location in Tanzania, Africa … https://www.wildlifeworldwide.com
- Wikiepedia
- https://www.tanzaniatourism.go.tz ›
