Sharing a common border and ecosystem with Selous Game Reserve to the south, Mikumi National Park is only three to four hours drive from Dar es Salaam, lying astride the main highway to Zambia, and en route to the National Parks of Udzungwa Mountains, Ruaha and Kitulo. The main feature of the park is the Mikumi flood plain, along with the mountain ranges that border the park on two sides. Open grasslands dominate in the flood plain, eventually merging with the miombo woodland covering the lower hills.
Mikumi National Park covers an area of 3,230 sq km, and is rich in wildlife including buffalo, wildebeest, zebra, lion, elephant, impala, hippos, baboon, giraffe, warthog, waterbuck and eland which can be viewed throughout the year. Reptiles including crocodile, monitor lizard and python are also resident in the park. Other animals that can be sighted although rare are the Sable Antelope resident in the southern part of the park bordering the Selous, the Greater Kudu, leopard, and the wild dog also known as the African Hunting Dog. More than 400 bird species have been recorded, including European migrants during the rainy season.
Mikumi National Park is one the most popular visitor points sold from our Dar es Salaam branch office. Being close to Dar es Salaam on good road, day trips are popular especially for those who have little time to spend an overnight there. But it is recommended to spend at least a night in Mikumi to enjoy a fulfilling game drive in this beautiful park. A number of accommodation facilities are available in Mikumi.
Safaris to Mikumi National Park usually start from Dar es Salaam, and your point of entry for the country will generally be Julius Nyerere International Airport (DAR). In most cases, your tour operator will pick you up from the airport and handle all further ground operations or domestic flights.
Flying to one of Mikumi’s airstrips is possible from Nyerere (formerly Selous Game Reserve) and Ruaha National Parks, as well as from Dar es Salaam and Zanzibar. Charter flights might also be possible from some of Tanzania’s Northern circuit parks.
Mikumi is a 6-hour* drive from Dar es Salaam (300km/186mi to the east) and is sometimes visited as a weekend getaway by residents. Many travelers who visit Mikumi do so en route to the popular Ruaha National Park.
If driving from Ruaha, the distance is about 320km/200mi, and the drive takes roughly 6 hours*.
Mikumi lies 795km/494mi south of Arusha by road.
Best Time To Visit – Mikumi NP
Wildlife viewing in Mikumi National Park is excellent year-round. But the best time to visit is from late June to October (the Dry season is from June to October) when Mikumi’s vegetation is thinner and animals gather around waterholes; this is especially the case in September and October, when big herds of animals come to drink at the last sources of water. If you’re a birder, November to February is best.
Weather and Climate
The climate in Mikumi National Park varies from warm to hot and humid, with little change in temperatures through the year. The warmest months are October to March, and the coolest are June to August. Mikumi’s Wet season runs from November to May, when rains occur almost daily, usually in the afternoon, but they seldom last long. The Dry season is from June to October.