3230 km²
Size
18-33°C
Temperature
500-1,200 m
Altitude
Hot lowland savanna, wetter than the north
Climate
Mikumi is the park on the Dar-Mbeya highway: open Mkata floodplain, giraffe and wildebeest in easy view, and a useful first night if you are driving to Ruaha or Udzungwa.
The highway bisects the park, which is both convenient and a bit sad. Get off it and onto the floodplain tracks. You will see more than people who photograph giraffe from the tarmac. It is not Serengeti and we do not sell it as such. It is the right stop between Dar and Udzungwa or on a budget overland toward Ruaha.
Lion are present. So are vehicles from weekend Dar trips. Go midweek if you can. One night is enough for most people; two if you are not continuing south.
Things to See & Do
Getting There
Road
About 4 to 5 hours from Dar on the tarmac highway. We leave early to game-drive on arrival rather than eat lunch in Moro...
Wildlife you can see here
All 19 speciesUngulates
Masai Giraffe
Giraffa tippelskirchi
The tallest animal on Earth, and Tanzania's national animal.
Serengeti, Tarangire +7 more
Ungulates
Plains Zebra
Equus quagga
A striped grazer that leads the Great Migration alongside wildebeest.
Serengeti, Ngorongoro Conservation Area +6 more
Antelopes
Impala
Aepyceros melampus
A graceful antelope, common in herds, known for high jumps.
Serengeti, Tarangire +5 more
Primates
Olive Baboon
Papio anubis
A big, bold monkey that lives in large troops and eats almost anything.
Lake Manyara, Mikumi +5 more
Big cats
African Lion
Panthera leo
The largest social cat, living in prides and ruling the Serengeti plains.
Serengeti, Ngorongoro Conservation Area +7 more
Big cats
Leopard
Panthera pardus
A solitary, powerful climber that hides its kills in trees.
Serengeti, Ngorongoro Conservation Area +7 more
Elephants
African Elephant
Loxodonta africana
The largest land animal on Earth, living in family herds led by a matriarch.
Tarangire, Nyerere +7 more
Bovids
African Buffalo
Syncerus caffer
A heavy, dangerous grazer that lives in herds of hundreds.
Serengeti, Ngorongoro Conservation Area +7 more
Best Time to Visit
FAQs
Can I self-drive?
Some visitors do on the main roads. Our trips are guided in 4x4s. The floodplain is not the place to learn black-cotton mud.
Worth it if I already did the north?
Only as a connector. If you can fly Dar-Ruaha, fly.
Add Lake Manyara National Park to Your Safari
The route is ours to design — you just pick the places that call you.
Prefer to talk? Call +255 754 123 456