Mikumi National Park

Mikumi National Park, an expansive faunal reserve covering approximately 1,165 square kilometers (450 square miles), is conveniently accessible from Dar-es-Salaam, requiring just a straightforward three-and-a-half-hour drive. Alternatively, it can be reached from Iringa, a distance of 217 kilometers (135 miles) along the Iringa-Morogoro road.
Nestled 294 kilometers (183 miles) from Dar-es-Salaam along the well-paved main road to Iringa, Mikumi National Park unfolds its scenic beauty. The landscape transitions from picturesque wooded hills forming a border to the Mkata River floodplains—one of the primary sections of the park, teeming with numerous elephants and buffalo. The terrain also features areas of brachystegia woodlands, interspersed with glades and intermittent watercourses, providing a diverse habitat for game animals and birds.

Among the frequently encountered mammals are lions, hippos, Masai giraffes, common zebras, impalas, warthogs, and wildebeests. While less common, the park is also home to greater kudus, black rhinoceroses, cheetahs, leopards, common waterbucks, Bohor reedbucks, Lichtenstein's hartebeests, and sable antelopes.

Mikumi National Park boasts an incredibly varied birdlife, featuring many colorful and intriguing species not typically found in the more northern parks. Notable avian inhabitants include the White-backed Night Heron, Dickinson's Kestrel in the brachystegia woodlands, Bronze-winged Courser, Delalande's Green Pigeon, Violet-crested Turaco, Brown-Necked Parrot, Recquet-tailed Roller, Boehm's Bee-eater, Pale-billed Hornbill, Spotted-throated Woodpecker, Angola Rock Thrush, White-headed Black Chat, White-breasted Cuckoo Shrike, Ashy Starling, and Shelley's Double-collared Sunbird, which frequents the red-flowered Loranthus parasitic on brachystegia trees. Whether by road from Dar-es-Salaam or Iringa, Mikumi National Park promises a rich and diverse safari experience for wildlife enthusiasts and birdwatchers alike.

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