Mikumi National Park promises wildlife abundance without the crowds
Mikumi National Park is the best place to see elands, the largest antelope in the world.
Mikumi National Park
Easily accessible from many hotels in Dar es Salaam, Mikumi National Park is an ideal spot for a safari tour that offers maximum wildlife sightings for anyone short on time. Bordering the Nyerere National Park (previously Selous Game Reserve), the park offers a wide variety of wildlife, and its open horizons make sightings easy to come by.
What safari animals can I see at Mikumi National Park?
If you’re hoping for a glimpse of the infamous “Big Five” (lion, cheetah, elephant, buffalo and rhino), Mikumi won’t let you down. You can also get up close to hippos as they wallow in the muddy pools, and keen bird-watchers will be richly rewarded with over 400 colorful species.
The centerpiece of Mikumi is the Mkata Floodplain, where you can watch herds of zebras grazing in the rising sun, while giraffes tend to favor the shade of the acacia around the Mkata River. The floodplain has also been hailed as perhaps the most reliable place in Tanzania for spotting the world’s largest antelope, the impressive eland. All of this is surveyed by the languid lions, who you might see lazing on the flattened tops of termite mounds or up in the branches of the trees.
How to get to Mikumi National Park from Dar es Salaam?
Mikumi National Park is accessible from Dar es Salaam by either road or air. With a quick flight from Dar, less than 30 minutes, you will be in Mikumi National Park in no time! Since Mikumi shares a border with Selous Game Reserve and Ruaha National Park, one can also drive from either of the nearby wildlife sanctuaries by road. From Ruaha to Mikumi, the estimated distance is about 320 km/200 mi, and the drive takes approximately five hours.
Ready to start planning a tailor-made safari to Mikumi National Park? Our experts make planning your Tanzania safari experience a walk in the park. To help you with trip planning, browse our travel guide to find expert advice on safari in Mikumi. Get inspired with our sample itineraries and let our Wito experts customize a dream trip just for you!
Want to book a quick wildlife safari to Mikumi National Park? Here are the best months to go.
While many visitors travel north, you are travelling south to begin your safari adventure in Mikumi National Park. The best time to enjoy unparalleled wildlife viewing in Mikumi National Park is during the dry season, from June to October. During this time, excellent weather conditions can be expected across the country, and wildlife viewing should be spectacular.
Bird song drifts from the treetops, and a lion’s eyes lurk through the branches, heightening the senses. Wind through the trees to the Mkata Floodplain, a vast area covered in herds of wildebeest and zebras. Because no other safari vehicles can interfere with your photos while the terrain is exquisite and classically African, many refer to this as the Serengeti without the crowds. A large herd of buffalo provides the final check on the Big Five list after towering giraffes meander beneath the alluring Udzungwa Mountain, and easily visible lions can be seen climbing trees.
During the green season (December to March), most bird migrants from Europe will join the resident bird species that call Mikumi home. Expect to see a variety of bird species: Marabou stork, Red-billed oxpeckers, Black-bellied bustard, Francolin, Cattle egret, Guinea-fowls, Hornbill and Malachite Kingfisher. Bird lovers are usually impressed with sightings of Mikumi’s colourful birds, including the Yellow-throated long claw, the Lilac-breasted roller and the Bateleur eagle.
This is what your typical safari in Mikumi National Park would look like:
In the early morning, you will enjoy private game driving with your professional safari guide and vehicle. Our game drives are flexible depending on your preferences, so feel free to start your daily safari anytime you want.
Choose to roam Africa’s wide-open wilderness from dawn to dusk on a full-day game drive or enjoy a daily dose of morning and afternoon game drives, followed by a delicious hot lunch and a lion-like siesta! If you prefer to do a full-day game drive, we will provide you with a packed lunch so you can break whenever you would like to enjoy a classic safari picnic lunch made with locally sourced, fresh ingredients.
After a full-day safari in Mikumi National Park, you will be taken to your handpicked safari camp or lodge, where you will unwind and savour some delicious food and sundowners.
Finally, to enhance your tailor-made safari in Mikumi National Park, you will have the option to experience a unique night game drive in which you will get to see some unusual nocturnal wildlife under the blanket of a million stars and magical moonlight.
Ready to start planning? Select your preferred time to travel, then let a Wito Africa safari expert create an itinerary that meets your needs for a safari and incorporates the highlights of that season. We can save you time, money, headaches and heartache by helping you plan your dream safari. To start planning your safari in Mikumi, please call us at 1-315.805.4040 or send our safari experts a message via email.
How to Plan Your Wildlife Safari in Mikumi Like a Pro
There are many factors to consider when planning a safari to Mikumi National Park, one of the untouched areas of the southern part of Tanzania. The infrastructure isn’t as good as in the north, and travel times are longer. However, this region offers some of Africa’s most undiscovered and underappreciated treasure parks; Mikumi, Ruaha, and Nyerere National Park (previously Selous).
Southern Tanzania is off the beaten path and offers the best wildlife viewing for those discerning guests seeking even more adventure, perhaps on their second or third safari trip. It is possible to combine the north, Zanzibar, and south parks on a seven-to-ten-day trip thanks to safari flights’ quick and direct connections.
Deciding which reliable tour operator (s) to use for your dream African safari experience is not an easy task. With a sea of general online tour operators, it is hard to find the ONE that truly speaks to your discerning tastes and genuinely understands your travel needs and expectations.
Start by gathering enough information to help you decide on the best destination. Depending on your itinerary, you can start your Mikumi National Park safari from Dar es Salaam, Kilimanjaro or Arusha. The main airport of Tanzania, Dar-es-Salaam International Airport, serves as a hub for travel to the Indian Ocean coast, Zanzibar, Nyerere National Park (previously Selous), and Ruaha National Park.
During the dry season, Mikumi has so much to offer. We suggest you spend at least three nights in this lovely park. To get the most out of your wildlife-filled safari adventure, we recommend combining your visit with the nearby Nyerere National Park (previously Selous), Udzungwa and Ruaha National Park.
Similarly to many other national parks in Tanzania, Mikumi National Park offers a unique setting for safari-goers to stay inside the park. You will be staying in some of the most charming safari camps and lodges, where you will unwind and enjoy delicious food and sundowners.
Southern Tanzania’s first safari lodge gives you a taste of what’s to come. The lodge blends into its surroundings rather than using fences to separate it from the wild, so it’s common to see animals wandering past your suite. A fire crackles nearby, a candlelit table for two is set under the stars, and the sounds of the wild permeate your lodge as dinner is served in traditional Tanzanian fashion.
With several accommodation options to choose from, we can guarantee that your safari experience will be meticulously created just for you with your specific interests, travel style and schedule. Everything will be tailored to your preference, allowing you to enjoy a perfect balance of comfort, adventure and maximum wildlife viewing. We will only recommend the places we have stayed in and inspected thoroughly, and we can guarantee you will be safe.
If you choose to explore the beauty of Mikumi National Park on game drives, we highly recommend using qualified local safari guides. With our personalized trips, you will have control over your experience and enjoy all the flexibility you need to plan your daily game drives with your private safari guide.
You can decide when to start your trip and how long your daily game drives should last, as long as it is within the time set by the national park authorities (the park gates usually open at 06h00 and close at 18h30). Ultimately, you will have an opportunity to choose what you would like to do, when you would like to start your private safari trip, and where you would like to go.
At Wito Africa, we do not limit game drives by restricting drivers on the mileage they can travel per day. Therefore, we are happy to offer you an extensive all-day private game drive with a picnic lunch break between your game drives.
As a standard offering for all our experiences, we provide all meals, bottled drinking water, tea/coffee and juices at breakfast for the duration of your safari. We can accommodate all kinds of dietary requirements such as vegetarian, vegan, halal, and kosher to pescatarian.
Moreover, bottled drinking water and soft drinks will be readily available throughout your safari experience with us. We have a stocked mini-fridge in the vehicle that will cool drinks whilst you enjoy your uninterrupted wildlife viewing from the comfort of your customized safari jeep.
Our unique approach to offering a stress-free safari experience starts with ensuring that you are well-informed about the specific requirements of the country you visit so you know exactly what to expect. Understanding how a safari operates, what is involved before and during, and what key points to consider when booking ensures an unforgettable safari adventure. Topics like when to visit, how to get there, and what to pack are addressed by safari experts.
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Get the best shots of your life with the help of our experienced wildlife photographers. Whether you are just getting started with photography, a wildlife enthusiast, or a professional photographer seeking new adventures, our tailor-made Africa photo safaris are suitable for all levels of photographic experience. Hosted by professional wildlife photographers from start to finish, we will take you on a journey to some of Africa’s most prolific wildlife areas.
