MikumiNational Park

Mikumi National Park is the most accessible big-game park in southern Tanzania, a few hours' drive from Dar es Salaam. Its centrepiece, the open Mkata floodplain, is often compared to the Serengeti: lion, elephant, buffalo, giraffe, zebra and wildebeest graze in full view, and hippos wallow in the pools. It is ideal for a short safari from Dar es Salaam or Zanzibar, and a natural partner to hiking in the Udzungwa Mountains or a longer southern circuit.

Established in 1964, Mikumi is one of Tanzania's larger national parks and borders the vast Nyerere National Park (formerly part of the Selous) to the south. Together they form one of the largest protected wildernesses in Africa.

The Mkata floodplain delivers easy, rewarding game viewing on open grassland, while the miombo woodland in the hills shelters species that are harder to find in the north, such as sable antelope and greater kudu. Elephants are common, lions are regularly seen lounging on termite mounds, and the Hippo Pools are a reliable stop at any time of day. More than 400 bird species have been recorded.

Because the Tanzania–Zambia highway crosses the park, Mikumi is reachable by road year-round — a real advantage for travellers with limited time who still want a proper safari.