How to get to Tarangire National Park
Many guests may like to explore one of the hot tourist destination found in the Sounth central part of Tanzania but wondering its accessibility. The park can easily be reached in the Coastal area from Dar es Salaam. Almost all the Mikumi national park safaris start from the busy former capital city Dar es Salaam. You can land to Tanzania through Julius Nyerere International Airport found in Dar es salaam. If you have arranged or booked full safari package with a tour operator, the driver guide will meet you at the airport.
Below are the three ways of How to get to Mikumi national park
By road
Mikumi national park can be accessed by direct highway that starts from Dar es Salaam through Mikumi national park to South Africa. The drive takes from 5 to 6 hours if using private means and if using public means it may go beyond that due to the frequent stops by buses in most of the small towns along the way. The drive is more scenic and unjoyful especially if using the prvate means where you have chance to stop at the key tourist destinations.
By train
Another way of getting to Mikumi national park is by use of the train. The train passes through the interior of the national park and other bush remote parts of the country. The train with its speed makes it one of the best way to explore the region since its slow allowing you more time for viewing the surrounding especially if sited on the window sides. There is a train that operates daily from Dar es Salaam to the Zambia in South of Africa.
By air or flight
There are no direct flights that fly to Mikumi national park but you can use available option of the flights to Iringa airport then the driver will pick you up. Taking a flight to the neighboring Ruaha national park or Selous is another available option. This has made it possible to kill two birds using one stone. Land in one park have brief stop for a night or only game drives then continue to Mikumi national park.
2 ways to go to Mikumi National Park
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Mikumi National Park FAQ's
Located in south central Tanzania, visitors typically fly into Dar es Salaam on the east coast, and make the 4 hour drive to Mikumi.
USD $20 per adult and USD $10 per party at Udzungwa for the daily guide fee.
Visitors can expect to find tree climbing lions, elephants, giraffes, buffaloes, zebras, elands, greater Kudu, wildebeest, roan and sable antelope, buffalo, Burchell’s zebra, sable, eland, Lichtenstein’s hartebeest, spotted hyena and baboons.
| Distance: 310.9KM | Time: 8 Hrs |
MIKUMI National Park
The open horizons and abundant wildlife of the Mkata Floodplain, the popular centerpiece of Mikumi, is often compared to the more famous Serengeti Plains. At the end of the Dry season the waterholes, including the hippo pool, become a wildlife magnet and huge herds of elephant and buffalo visit these spots throughout the day.
Serengeti Trips Tanzania
Find all the transport options for your trip from Arusha to Ngorongoro Crater right here. We displays up to date schedules, route maps, journey times and estimated fares from relevant transport operators, ensuring you can make an informed decision about which option will suit you best.
Lodges and Tented Camps in Mikumi National Park
Mikumi National Park
The park has a 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 Foodplain 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 trees. Giraffes forage in the isolated acacia stands that fringe the Mkata River, islets of shade favoured also by Mikumi’s elephants. Mkata Foodplain 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.
Most common animals in Mikumi National Park
- Elephant
- Buffalo
- Zebra
- Wildebeest
- Lion
- Impala
- Giraffe
- Eland
- Greater kudu
- Sable antelope
- Cheetah and leopard (rare)
- 400 different species of birds
One of the best thing to do while you are in Morogoro is visiting Mikumi National Park, this will give you a chance to experience the wildlife, nature, landscape to the maximum. Mikumi National parks rich in wildlife like buffalo, elephant, lions, wildebeests, Maasai giraffe, hippos, impalas, and crocodile, there are also, zebras and wart hogs,
Most of the animals can be seen at all season,
This tour can depart any day and can be organized for individual or group safari, we advise to leave early morning (5am) as there is possibility to see a lot in morning before the sun is strong and animals will be looking for shade
Driving from Morogoro to Mikumi National Park takes about 1 hour 30 minutes to the border of the park and 30 minutes to the park entry gate
On arrival you will register to get permit for the game drive, registration takes about 15 minutes (Depends on number of people) so you will start game drive around 7am
Game drive will continue till 9am and we will stop for breakfast, after breakfast you will continue with game drive till 1pm where you will go for lunch and rest a little bit (Not so much to see on this time because of sun)
After lunch and a short break you will go for a short game drive (about 1 hour) and then drive back to Morogoro arrive about 5:30pm and this will be the end of this day trip tour
This tour can be customized to 2 Days safari including visiting Udzungwa mountains national park, very nice for a day hike and this hike will take you to one of the famous waterfalls in southern and Tanzania (Sanje waterfalls)
Mikumi is a year-round destination that can be explored at any point of the year. Still, for picking the best time to explore the region, months from June to October is the best time to explore the Mikumi national park. With low vegetation and limited water source, capturing the wildlife is quite easy. Low humidity, clear weather and pleasing weather condition with less rainfall is best for safari. If not the dry season, the month of September to October is preferred best to spot the giant hippos at the hippo pool. But the season can be busy with lots of travellers and cab lined up at the area. Being the calving season, you will not only see the wild, the newborn babies but the hunting and dramatic predator and prey relationship.
Visit to Uluguru Mountains
The Mikumi national park lies close to the Uluguru Mountains spreading an amazing landscape and beauty. The mountain range offers adventure and scenic gateway where you can relax amidst the natural habitat or hike along the trails offered by the rugged yet lush woodlands. Camping is another option to cherish beauty while you are on a wildlife voyage to Mikumi. The mountain is generally famous for trekking and hiking among the travellers who have visited the Mikumi region of Tanzania.
Game drives
Housing an abundance of wildlife with the big 5 Mikumi national park safari is the best thing to do there. The thin vegetation and pleasant clear weather are somewhere enhancing the safari experience there. The buffalo, elephant, zebra with wild dogs and the wildebeest are majorly spotted the moment you enter the national reserve. There is a great combination of some rare and some endemic wildlife that is being conserved there.
Bird watching
It’s not just the wildlife making the Mikumi National park popular, but the diverse birdlife that is supported by the rich habitat of the region. The records hold more than 400 bird species that includes both the endemic life of the region and the migratory species coming during the season. The open grasslands and the swamp areas with the hippo pool are the best areas of the national park that host the water-based species of birds. The African fish eagle and the African spoonbill are the species you can capture.
Photography
Mikumi national park Tanzania is the region that supports great diversity and a serene environment. With the woodlands and the black hardwood trees, the vegetation of baobabs and grassy plains aids beauty to the backdrop. Now this place is less crowded and not so popular as compared to the other national parks of Tanzania offers a great spot for the photographers to capture the ideal wild habitat and the rare species. Be it the wet season or the dry, the national park has so much beauty making it an ideal place for the photographers.
Walking tour
The guided walking tours can be the best thing to do at Mikumi where you will not just get close to the wildlife but explore the vegetation of the region. Make your way through the wild trails of the national park spotting the colonies of the wild dogs, the zebra and giraffe gazing along the plains, the big cats resting over the cliff and the hippos near the pools. Make sure to get assisted with the guide so to avoid the danger and learn the depth of the wild world.
A day tour to the nearby
Mikumi national park in Tanzania is nestled close to the rest of the famous cities and wildlife conservation regions that you can explore during a day tour at Mikomi. The short and accessible distance from Dar es Salaam is perfect to engage your day observing the city life of Tanzania along with the wildlife. The national park shares its boundaries with the Selous, Ruhaha and Udzungwa taking you to an amazing wild journey of Tanzania. While spending your vacation at this national park you can surely plan your day out to the neighbouring attraction.
The Mikumi Safari (Value Experience) rooming & safari activity rate in Tanzania starts from US $450 to US $600 per person/night sharing on average with the very few topping to around $750 a night for an upgraded rooming and private safari experience. The cost is generally all inclusive of rooming, meals, park fees, guided safari activities e.g. game drives and Tanzania hotel taxes (VAT) and service charges.
