MIKUMI NATIONAL PARK

Mikumi National Park, just a few hours drive away from Dar es Salaam is bordering Africa's biggest game reserve - The Selous. Mikumi is the fourth largest national park in Tanzania, and is traversed through its middle by the Tanzam Highway that runs between Morogoro and Iringa. It is part of the much larger Selous ecosystem with some animals (Elephant, Buffaloes and Zebras) migrating to and from the northern part of the reserve into Mikumi National Park. It sits at the intersection of four major vegetation zones and is impressively populated with wildlife of all kinds - including predators – and an excellent birding destination with over 400 species having been recorded here. Mikumi is one of the best places in Tanzania to catch a sighting of the elusive Eland, the world’s largest antelope, or the shy greater kudu and rare sable antelope. The main feature of the park for wildlife is the Mtaka River’s floodplain.

Size: 3,230 sq km.

Location: 283 km west of Dar es Salaam, north of Selous and en route to Ruaha, Udzungwa and Katavi.

How to get there: A good surface road connects Mikumi to Dar es Salaam via Morogoro, a roughly 4 hour drive (depending on the season), approximately 288 km. Also there are road connections to Udzungwa, Ruaha and (dry season only) Selous, as well as Charter flights from Dar es Salaam, Arusha or Selous

What to do: Game drives and guided walks. Visit nearby Udzungwa or travel on to Selous or Ruaha.

When to visit: Accessible year round, but the best time to visit the park is during dry season which is June through February. During rainy season (March through May) some of the park roads are impassable.