MIKUMI NATIONAL PARK
Swirls
of opaque mist hide the advancing dawn. The first shafts
of sun colour the fluffy grass heads rippling across the
plain in a russet halo. A herd of zebras, confident in
their camouflage at this predatory hour, pose like
ballerinas, heads aligned and stripes merging in flowing
motion. Mikumi National Park abuts the northern border
of Africa's biggest game reserve - the Selous – and is
transected by the surfaced road between Dar es Salaam
and Iringa. It is thus the most accessible part of a
75,000 square kilometre (47,000 square mile) tract of
wilderness that stretches east almost as far as the
Indian Ocean.
The open horizons and abundant wildlife of the Mkata
Floodplain, the popular centerpiece 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 Mkata River, islets of shade favoured
also by Mikumi's elephants.
Criss-crossed by a good circuit of game-viewing roads,
the Mkata Floodplain is perhaps the most reliable place
in Tanzania for sightings of the powerful eland, the
world’s largest antelope. The equally impressive greater
kudu and sable antelope haunt the miombo-covered
foothills of the mountains that rise from the park’s
borders. More than 400 bird species have been recorded,
with such colourful common residents as the
lilac-breasted roller, yellow-throated longclaw 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.
About Mikumi National Park
Size: 3,230 sq km (1,250 sq miles), the fourth-largest
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.
What to do : Game drives and guided walks. Visit nearby Udzungwa or
travel on to Selous or Ruaha.
Accommodation:-
- Vuma Hills Tented Camp
- Mikumu Wildlife Camp (Kikoboga)
- Foxes Safari Camp
- Angalia Tented Camp
- Tan-Swiss Lodge
- Gnesis Motel
For more details contact us |
