Mikumi National Park

Mikumi National Park covers about 3,230 square kilometres of southern Tanzania, roughly 280 kilometres west of Dar es Salaam, and the main highway to Iringa runs straight through it. To the south it adjoins the Selous ecosystem, and with the Udzungwa Mountains to the south-west it forms part of a much larger wild area.

The centre of the park is the Mkata floodplain, an open grassland ringed by hills that has earned Mikumi the nickname of a small Serengeti. Elephant, giraffe, zebra, buffalo, wildebeest, eland and impala graze the plains, lions often rest near the waterholes, and hippos crowd the Hippo Pools. More than 400 bird species have been recorded.

Because it is so easy to reach, Mikumi works as a short safari from Dar es Salaam or Zanzibar, even over two days, and pairs well with Nyerere, Ruaha or the forest walks of Udzungwa. The dry season from June to October is best for game, when the plains dry out and animals stay close to water; the green season brings migrant birds.