MIKUMI NATIONAL PARK

Created in 1964, ^{3 230 km 2. Mikumi National Park is located in the Morogoro region, 290 km west of Dar es Salaam towards Tunduma (approximately 3 hours drive). Near the park headquarters, an aerodrome also allows quick access (1 hour flight) by renting an aircraft to several (charter) aircraft. This national park, closest to Dar-es-Salaam, owes its name to a typical palm tree in this area. Small compared to its neighbors Selous and Ruaha, it is actually the fifth largest park in the country. But only one small north third is truly accessible, both the south, adjacent to the Selous, remained wild and impenetrable. The river Mkata to the west and hills to the east surround the Mwana Mbogo Plain, offering forests on heights and near rivers, savanna and marshes elsewhere. Mikumi has beautiful landscapes, including its waterfalls and the Montagnes mountains, the Uluguru Mountains to the east and the Rubeho Mountains to the west, giving a bluish background to the horizon. The park includes endemic flora and fauna. The region was first crossed by Henry Morton Stanley in 1872, back from Lake Tanganyika where he found Dr. Livingstone. But it was only during the construction of the Morogoro-Iringa road, from 1951 to 1954, that the Europeans truly discovered this wild area, until then only a few farmers are located nearby. The hunters began to pay a lot of attention to this, and the colonial administration quickly made a Game Monitored Area (controlled game area) and then the Tanzanian government a national park in 1964, which was extended to the north and south in 1975. The animal concentration is spectacular: elephants (about 2 000, especially herbivores: so they don't spoil trees too much), lions, leopards, giraffes, buffalo (12 000), hippos, lycaons (eh!), many antelopes species, including some 300 black hippotragues, especially in the south, and big koudous, wildebeests, zebras, warthogs, chives, chives, jaunes, yellow baboons in the Kikoboga region, species of birds… Selous, the first round to the south, is part of the same ecosystem. The main vegetation consists of savanna and miombo on the hills encircling the park (forested area of Brachystegia trees). The area most traversed by the slopes is the Plaine plain, unfortunately also frequented by tsé flies: Take your precautions (long sleeves in thick fabrics…) Finally, beware that the track from Chamgore to Mwanambogo is often totally impracticable. The park is a privileged research and observation area for schools and students working for the protection of the environment, fauna and flora. The park is divided into 3 zones that will allow you to see rare species, such as the wild dog, and in the south, black and white monkeys. The period from March to June must be avoided due to the rains and the height of the herbs that dissimule the fauna too much. During this period, a 4 x 4 is required.}