Mikumi is Tanzania’s fourth-largest national park. It is also the most accessible park from Dar es Salaam. With almost guaranteed wildlife sightings, it makes an ideal safari destination for those pressed for time. It is located between the Uluguru Mountains and the Lumango range and has a wide variety of wildlife that can be easily spotted.

Most visitors visit Mikumi National Park aiming to see the ‘Big Five’ (cheetah, lion, elephant, buffalo, and rhino) and they are not disappointed. Hippo pools provide close access to the mud-loving beasts and bird-watching along the waterways is particularly rewarding. Mikumi National Park borders the Nyerere National Park and Udzungwa National Park and the three locations offer a varied and pleasant safari circuit.The open horizons and abundant wildlife of the Mkata floodplain, the popular centre piece of Mikumi, draws frequent comparisons to the more famous Serengeti Plains.

Lions survey their grassy kingdom and the zebras, wildebeests, impalas and buffalo herds that migrate across it. Look for them on the flattened tops of termite mounds and during the rains, they are often seen on perches high up in the trees. Giraffes forage in the isolated acacia stands that fringe the Mkata River – islets of shade also favoured by the Mikumi elephants.