Mikumi National Park

Mikumi National Park
	Mikumi National Park
Location:	Morogoro , Tanzania
Next city:	Dar es Salaam
Surface:	3230 km²
Founding:	1964
Address:	www.tanzaniaparks.com
	Map of all national parks in Tanzania
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The Mikumi National Park ( English Mikumi National Park ) is a national park in Tanzania ( East Africa ). It is located around 280 km west of Dar es Salaam and was founded in 1964. With an area of 3230 km² it is one of the largest national parks in Tanzania . The park is located in the northwest of the Selous wildlife sanctuary and with it forms an ecosystem of almost 60,000 km².

Compared to other national parks in Tanzania, such as Serengeti National Park and Ruaha National Park , Mikumi National Park is smaller and less known. It is easily accessible from Dar es Salaam.

Location and infrastructure

The Mikumi National Park is located in Central Tanzania and is crossed by the road that leads from Dar es Salaam via Iringa to Zambia and Malawi . It is about 550 meters above sea level. The park stretches from the Uluguru Mountains in the north to the Lumungo Mountains in the south. In the south it is bounded directly by the Selous Game Reserve , the largest game reserve in Africa. The annual precipitation is 500 to 600 mm on the plains and over 1000 mm on the slopes.

In contrast to many other national parks, the Mikumi National Park can also be entered with your own vehicle without a guide. The network of paths is well developed and has numerous signposts for orientation. Although there are regular charter flights from Arusha or Selous directly to the Mikumi Park Administration airfield and the park is close to Dar es Salaam, it has relatively few visitors compared to others. In the park there are three campsites, an inn and some lodges with different levels of comfort. The national park is open all year round.

fauna and Flora

The vegetation and landscape is comparable to the Serengeti. The northwest of the Mikumi National Park is characterized by the Mkata alluvial land . The rest of the park is dominated by savannah overgrown with acacias , baobabs , tamarind trees and some rare palm species. Miombo forest grows on the slopes to the east and west of the park . The plains are covered by temporarily flooded grassy areas and swamps.

There are many different species of animals, such as leopards , giraffes , zebras , buffalo , impala , cows and roan antelope and African wild dogs . For the eland , the largest species of antelope in the world, the Mikumi National Park has probably the best observation opportunities in all of Tanzania. The lion population is remarkable. The elephants living here have free access to the Selous Reserve and thus belong to the largest contiguous population of the African elephant. However, the main paved road through Mikumi National Park encourages poaching.

Giraffe in the Mikumi, possibly a subspecies between Maasai and Somali giraffe

The Mikumi National Park is particularly well-known among ornithologists as it is home to 370 species of birds. Hippos and crocodiles live by a small, artificially irrigated lake. The animals can be easily observed from the observation towers, some of which are located in the lodges.

Individual evidence

^ Website from Tanzania parks to the Mikumi National Park . tanzaniaparks.com. Archived from the original on February 6, 2011. Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved March 22, 2011. @1@ 2

↑ History | TANZANIA NATIONAL PARKS. Retrieved July 2, 2020 .

literature

Wally and Horst Hagen: The African national parks as habitats for elephants . In: Vitus B. Dröscher : Save the elephants of Africa . 1st edition. Goldmann Verlag , Munich 1992, ISBN 3-442-12322-4 . Pp. 238-239.

Web links

Commons : Mikumi National Park - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files