VISIT MIKUMI NATIONAL PARK STILL VERY LOW

Sunday, February 21, 2016

MIKUMI national park , established in 1964 and covering 3,230 square kilometer , is the fourth largest  national park in Tanzania .located at 7⁰ 12 ’37⁰ 08 ‘E , the park is crossed by the a highway passing from Morogoro to mbeya .

The park is bordered to the   south by the Africa‘s largest game reserve, the selous, while to the west is the Udzungwa mountain national park uluguru  mountains border the park on the eastern side while to the north rise the Rubeho Mountain.

One of the prime features of mikumi is the Mkata river flood plain ,area of lush vegetation which attract large  number of elephant and buffaloes .Open  grasslands dominate the flood plain ,eventually merging with  the miombo woodland covering the lowers hills in a similar way, the landscape of Mikumi national park is often compared to that of the Serengeti in the sense that  the roads that crossed the park divides it two areas with partially distinct environment.

The area of north-west is characterized by the alluvial plain of the area consist of Savannah dotted with acacia,baobab,tamarinds and some and some rare palm tree

The open horizons and abundant wildlife of the Mkata Floodplain, the popular centrepiece of Mikumi, draw frequent comparisons to the more famous Serengeti Plains.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.Criss-crossed by a good circuit of game-viewing roads, the Mkata Floodplain 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 the park’s borders.More than 400 bird species have been recorded, with such colourful common residents as the lilac-breasted roller, yellow-throated longclaw and bateleur eagle joined by a host of European migrants during the rainy season. Hippos are the star attraction of the pair of pools situated 5km north of the main entrance gate, supported by an ever-changing cast of waterbirds.