Mikumi National Park travel guide for your Tanzania Safaris with Superfine. Mikumi National Park is Tanzania’s 4th biggest National Park and is only a 3 to 4-hour drive (about 300 km) away from the vibrant Dar-es-Salaam City. Mikumi lies astride the main route to Zambia and is also en route to the Udzungwa Mountains, Kitulo, and Ruaha National Parks. Mikumi shares its border and ecosystem with the stunning Selous Game Reserve in the South.

Mikumi lies between the Uluguru Mountains and the Lumango ranges. It was designated as a National Park in 1964, and today, this Protected Area sits on a land area of 3230 sq. km. Mikumi features a diverse ecosystem, and those who have been here usually compare it to the Serengeti and Tarangire National Park. This Protected Area shares the name Mikumi with a village which is found on the Western border with Dar-es-Salaam. Mikumi village derives its name from the Palm trees (Borassus spp).

The top attractions in Mikumi National Park

Wildlife to see

Mikumi National Park is endowed with different wildlife species, including the Big 5. The top wildlife that make Mikumi a great destination include sable antelopes, zebras, elephants, buffaloes, hyenas, cheetahs, African hunting dogs, vervet monkeys, Lichtenstein’s hartebeests, blue wildebeest, leopards, lions, and giraffes.

Mikumi also offers refuge to other animals such as warthogs, yellow baboons, colobus monkeys, elands, impalas, greater kudus, and varied reptiles. The reptiles in Mikumi include monitor lizards, Nile crocodiles, pythons, tortoises, turtles, and cobras.

Bird species to spot

At Mikumi National Park alone, there exist over 400 species of birds, including introduced, endangered, and critically endangered species. The birds to spot here include the black-winged kite, Egyptian vulture, African cuckoo-hawk, African harrier-hawk, lappet-faced vulture, hooded vulture, European honey-buzzard, black-chested snake-eagle, bateleur, white-backed vulture, crowned eagle, Ayres’s hawk eagle, lesser spotted eagle, bat hawks, Gabar goshawk, booted eagle, eastern chanting-goshawk, tawny eagle, African mash harrier, little sparrow hawk, pallid harrier, Montagu’s harrier, African scops-owl, African wood-owl, Verreaux’s eagle-owl, spotted eagle-owl, speckled mousebirds, blue-napped mouse bird, crowned hornbill, pale-billed hornbill, African gray hornbill, Abyssinian scimitar bill, open-billed storks, secretary birds, striped kingfishers, malachite kingfishers, half-collared kingfishers, giant kingfishers, woodland kingfishers, European rollers, African hobby, sooty falcon, lanner falcon, yellow-collared lovebird, Meyer’s parrot, red-fronted parrot, brown-necked parrot, peregrine falcon, and Eurasian golden oriole.

Mikumi also holds birds such as black and white shrike flycatchers, eastern black-headed batis, chinspot batis, dark batis, black-throated wattle-eye, brubru, Eastern nicator, flappet larks, northern crombec, moustached grass-warblers, long-billed crombec, yellow-breasted apalis, miombo wren-warbles, white-chinned prinia, red-faced cisticola, yellow-breasted apalis, singing cisticola, green capped eremomela, winding cisticola, pectoral-patch cisticola, wing-snapping cisticola, stout cisticola, mosque swallow, western house-martin, Angola swallow, barn swallow, yellow-bellied greenbul, sombre greenbul, yellow-throated mountain greenbul, black-lored babbler, southern yellow white-eye, Northern pied babbler, arrow-marked babbler, ashy flycatchers, and more.

Floral species

Mikumi National Park protects varied vegetation zones. The Northern sector of the park is comprised of Alluvia plains and are drained by the Mkata River. This section of Mikumi features open savanna grassland and some baobab trees, tamarind trees, palm, and acacia trees. Most of the palm trees exist around the river basin of Mkata. The southern part of Mikumi features miombo woodlands, riverine forests, bush land, lowland forest, acacia, and thickets.

Tourist Activities to do in Mikumi National Park

Guided game drives

Mikumi is home to abundant wildlife and is undoubtedly an iconic destination to explore on a guided game drive. A guided game drive in Mikumi allows you to search for variety of wildlife including the Big five, antelopes, warthogs, giraffes, and many bird species. You can participate on a day or night game viewing session.

Nature walks

Visitors can also embark on a guided nature walking tour. A normal nature walk takes about 3 to 4 hours, and visitors are led by experienced guides. On a nature walk, expect to explore 3 walking trails, including the Mikumi Wildlife Resort trail, Vuma Hills, and Kiboboga. Nature enthusiasts can also explore the savanna and miombo forest vegetation with a chance to spot a range of wildlife.

Birding tours

At Mikumi, you can expect to experience the best guided birding excursion. Diverse bird species can be identified during the guided bird-watching excursion in this Park and include lilac-breasted rollers, Guinea fowl, superb starling, Zanzibar red-bishop, open billed storks, yellow-throated long-claws, bateleur eagles, and many migratory bird species.

Camping tours

Visitors can also experience the most of camping and picnicking excursions in Mikumi National Park. The ideal location for camping is in the Northern section of the park. The campsite has toilets, water, bathrooms, and kitchen, and more. The best picnic sites include Mbuyuni, Millennium, and Mwanambogo.

Cultural tours

In addition to game viewing, there is a chance to explore more about unique cultures and traditions of residents living adjacent to this conservancy area. Visitors can get great entertainment from the locals as they showcase their distinct dances and musical performances.

When to travel to Mikumi National Park

The best time to embark on a dream tour in Mikumi is during the dry season. And this can be any time from June to October. These dry months come with little or no rain and the vegetation cover is thinner. It is also possible to find a range of a huge profusion of wildlife confined along the Mkata River as they take water.

Where to stay in Mikumi on a Tanzania tour

The available lodging options in and around Mikumi National Park include Mikumi Wildlife Camp, Stanley’s Kopje Camp, Tan-Swiss Lodge, Angalia Tented Camp, Voyage Village, Vuma Hill Tented Lodge, and Mikumi Faru Tented Camp.

Getting to Mikumi National Park 

Mikumi National Park is accessible by road or air. By road, you can depart from Dar-es-Salaam to Mikumi, which is about a 4-5 hours’ drive. Or set off from Mikumi town/Morogoro Town and drive a short distance to reach Mikumi. There is also an option of departing from Ruaha National Park or Dodoma, and you will spend about 6 hours getting to Mikumi. By air, domestic flights can be arranged to nearby parks like Ruaha/Selous then you connect to the Park.