Mikumi National Park is a national park near Morogoro, Tanzania with an area of 3,230 km2 (1,250 sq mi) that was established in 1964.

Mikumi National Park is known for its open horizons and abundant wildlife, especially across the Serengeti-like expanses of the Mkata Floodplain. The hippo pool and Millennium area are particularly popular, with good reason. The Dar–Ruaha road bisects Mikumi and it can get busy during the Dry season. To escape the crowds, the parks south have a wild, wilderness feel, and is known for its elephants and lions.

Mikumi National Park is one of the southern national park in Tanzania. Its open horizons and abundant wildlife draw frequent comparisons to the more famous Serengeti Plains. The park borders the Selous Game Reserve to the south and the two areas form a unique ecosystem. The chance that you will encounter lions climbing trees here is greater than in other parks!

Attractions in Mikumi National Park

• Wildlife in The Mikumi National Park

There are great variety of animals and most visitors come to this National Park aiming to spot the ‘Big Five’ – cheetah, lion, elephant, buffalo and rhino. It’s a great place for a Tanzania vacation, you will enjoy it! Hippos live in a pair of mud pools and are one of the highlights. These are situated 5 km north of the main entrance gate. They are supported by an ever-changing cast of water-birds.

The Mkata Food Plain is a wide area in Mikumi National Park that is very good for wildlife viewing. Lions survey their grassy kingdom – and 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 tree. Mkata Food Plain 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 haunt the miombo-covered foothills of the mountains that rise from Mikumi National Park’s borders.

• Birds in Mikumi

Mikumi is a good place for bird lovers as it is also home to more than 400 different species of birds! The Mkata River offers majestic views of fishing Open-billed Storks. Marabou stork, Red-billed oxpeckers, Black-bellied bustard, Francolin, Cattle egret, Guinea-fowls, Hornbill and Malachite Kingfischer are common birds in Mikumi National Park. The most colorful species are the Yellow-throated long claw, the Lilac-breasted roller and the Bateleur eagle. European migrants are common in Mikumi National Park during the rainy season.

Travel Time to Mikumi National Park

From Dar es Salaam to Mikumi: 4 hrs

From Udzungwa to Mikumi: 1.5 – 2 hrs

From Ruaha to Mikumi: Best to fly/ by car 5-6 hrs