Mikumi National Park| Image Travel

Mkata Floodplain:The most prominent feature of the park, the Mkata Floodplain, is a vast grassland that is excellent for wildlife viewing. The landscape is dotted with acacia and baobab trees, creating a classic African safari scene.
Abundant Wildlife:Mikumi offers a high density of wildlife and a great chance to see some of Africa's most iconic animals. While rhinoceros sightings are rare, the park is home to four of the "Big Five": lions, leopards, elephants, and buffalos.
A Birdwatchers Haven: With over 400 recorded bird species, Mikumi is a fantastic destination for birding. Its diverse habitats, including the floodplains, woodlands, and the hippo pools, attract a wide range of avian life. You can spot colorful species like the lilac-breasted roller and yellow-throated longclaw, as well as a variety of migratory birds during the wet season.

Easy Accessibility: Unlike many other remote parks in the southern circuit, Mikumi is highly accessible. It's located just a few hours' drive from Dar es Salaam, making it an ideal destination for short safaris, weekend getaways, or as a convenient stopover on a longer journey to other southern parks like Ruaha and Udzungwa.
Hippo Pools:The park is famous for its hippo pools, particularly near the main entrance, where you can see large numbers of hippos wallowing and interacting in the water
Unique Antelopes:Look out for species like the greater kudu and sable antelope in the park's miombo woodlands.

Mikumi National Park Wildlife Experience

Underrated Mikumi National Park is known for its open horizons and abundant wildlife, especially across the Serengeti-like expanses of the Mkata Floodplain. The hippo pool and Millennium area are particularly popular, with good reason. The Dar–Ruaha road bisects Mikumi and it can get busy during the Dry season. To escape the crowds, the park’s south has a wild wilderness feel, and is known for its elephants and lions.

Located between the Uluguru Mountains and the Lumango range, Mikumi National Park has a wide variety of wildlife that is easy to spot and well acclimatised to game viewing. Its proximity to Dar es Salaam and the amount of wildlife that live within its borders makes Mikumi National Park a popular option for weekend visitors from the city, or for business visitors who don’t have long to spend on an extended safari itinerary.

Best time to visit
The Mikumi National Park

The weather patterns in Mikumi National Park are different compared to those of Nothern Tanzania & Kenya, with the rainy season kicking in from November to May. Mikumi is an all-year-round park that one can visit anytime due to various attractions. However, the best times to visit Mikumi National Park for magnificent wildlife viewing are from June to October, a dry season with the greatest overall concentration of wildlife. For avid bird watchers, the best times to visit the park are during the rainy seasons of November to April.

How to get there

By Air: Mikumi National Park is accessed by air from Dar es Salaam Julius Nyerere International Airport to Kikoboga Airstrip, the only airstrip in Mikumi which serves connecting flights to Nyerere National Park, Ruaha National Park and Zanzibar. Safari Air Link is the only flight that flies to Kikoboga Airstrip in Mikumi National Park. The flight time from Dar es Salaam is approximately 1 hour and 30 minutes.

By Road: Due to its proximity to Dar es Salaam, Mikumi National Park can be accessed for day visits and quick safaris. Nearly all Mikumi safaris start from Dar es Salaam, and guests fly into Julius Nyerere International Airport. The drive time from the airport to the park using Morogoro Road takes approximately 4-5 hours, covering a distance of about 310km. The drive takes the scenic route, where you will glimpse the Udzungwa Mountains.

By Railway: The third option is to travel to Mikumi by train. The journey starts from Dar es Salaam and travels through the park’s interior. Due to the train's slow speed, you will enjoy breathtaking scenery and wildlife along the way.

Mikumi National Park Birdlife

Mikumi has magnificent birdlife, and over 400 species of birds are recorded in the park. The park is one of the top destinations in Tanzania for birdwatching activities and is home to the rare Eleonora’s Falcon, found during December and January. Other species of birds include bee-eaters, raptors, hornbills, Egyptian goose, Red-billed Teal, African black duck, helmeted guinea fowl, scaly francolin, little grebe, Namaqua dove, yellow-throated sandgrouse, fiery-necked nightjar, alpine swift, Jacobine cuckoo, black crake, white-bellied bustard, Great Egret, European night-jar, Hadada ibis, Bateuler, lizard buzzard scarce swift, Livingstone’s Turacogrey go away bird among others.