Mikumi National Park is the fourth largest national park in Tanzania, it is a unique ecosystem gazette in 1964 as a way of protecting animal species that live here, the 3230 square kilometre national park has recently been a high tourism hot spot often compared to the Serengeti national park due to its animal composition, the big five of the wilderness lions, leopards, African buffaloes, African elephants can be seen while here with ease just as it is in the Serengeti national park, to the south of Tanzania, the park is adjacent to the biggest game reserve of east Africa Selous game reserve.
Mikumi National Park can be visited any time of the year as seasons keep varying, the park experiences 2 seasons the wet season and the dry season each of these presents a super amazing environment to see wildlife, however the best time to visit Mikumi National Park is during the dry season between the months of December, January, February and June, July, August, October and early September, with low vegetation, the weather condition is clear and good to do game drives, grasses tend to be shorter hence animal views. October and September are the best time to spot hippos at the hippo pool, and along the drying river beds as animals gather around for healthier grasses and water.
The wet season is ok to visit however expect rain in the months of March, May, April, and November the trails are slippery however adventurous travellers and patient travelers can always visit, the grasses are longer and healthier and it’s a flowering time in the national park, it is best to go birding during the wet season, the park often receives migratory species. Accommodation facilities offer discounts in the wet season to travel agents who sell their lodges, so if you are doing it on a fixed budget this is the best time to consider travelling.
Mikumi National Park can be accessed from Dar-es-salaam, passing via the A-7 highway that was constructed to connect to the southern islands of the country, it has since then made it possible to travel to the park it takes approximately 288 kilometres from the city centre by road, guests can take a train to the park, the train routing passes through the park, there are no direct flights to Mikumi however these can be arranged to the nearest airstrip after which a driver guide transfers to the nearest accommodation booked.
Beat time to visit Mikumi national park offers the best experiences including game drives, these are done through the well-distributed trails of the park, expect to see many animal species for example, zebras, giraffes, wildebeests, and wild dogs to mention a few, birding, cultural experiences in the Mikumi national park, there are over 400 species of birds that have been recorded in the park to date some of which are endemics to the destination.
There are available accommodation facilities in the national park ranging from the best budget to luxury these offer the best places to stay while in the park example facilities include Mikumi Safari Lodge and Mikumi Wildlife Camp to mention a few.