Mikumi National Park is the fourth-largest park in Tanzania, and part of a much larger ecosystem centred on the uniquely vast, and Africa's biggest, Selous Game Reserve. Mikumi is transected by the surfaced road between Dar es Salaam and Iringa. It is thus the most accessible part of a 75,000 sq km (47,000 sq mi) 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 centrepiece of Mikumi, draw frequent comparisons to the more famous Serengeti plains. Lions survey their grassy kingdom - as well as 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 that fringe the Mkata River, islets of shade favoured also by Mikumi's elephants. 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 can be seen on the foothills of the mountains that rise from the park's borders. More than 400 bird species have been recorded. And hippos are the star attraction of the pair of pools situated 5 km north of the main entrance gate, supported by an ever-changing cast of water birds.

Related Links

Wikipedia - Mikumi National Park

Tanzania Parks - Mikumi National Park