Matembezi Safari Lodge

Mikumi National Park (Nearest to Matembezi Safari Lodge)

Udzungwa Mountains National Park is one of Tanzania’s most outstanding, pristine, paradise and unique exciting wilderness mountains forested with greatest altitudinal range of forest. It is one of thirty-four “World Biodiversity Hotspot” and one of 200 WWF Ecoregion of global critical importance.

This lodge  is just 55kms from Mikumi National Park. 

Because of its accessibility Mikumi is one of the most popular National Park in Tanzania .

It is about 300km to the West of Dar es salaam along the Dar-Mbeya highway

The park is also decorated by its superbly scenic plains and baobabs and it is home to various wild animals and birds species.

The park is endowed with spectacular concentration of wildlife which are rarely seen in other parks like magnificent Sable antelope, African hunting dog, blue wildebeest, Lichtenstein’s hartebeest and others.

The gentle foothills and vast miombo woodland savanna in the southern parts of the park are quite spectacular.

Mikumi is a year-round destination that can be explored at any point of the year. Still, for picking the best time to explore the region, months from June to October is the best time to explore the Mikumi national park. With low vegetation and limited water source, capturing the wildlife is quite easy. Low humidity, clear weather and pleasing weather condition with less rainfall is best for safari. If not the dry season, the month of September to October is preferred best to spot the giant hippos at the hippo pool. But the season can be busy with lots of travellers and cab lined up at the area. Being the calving season, you will not only see the wild, the newborn babies but the hunting and dramatic predator and prey relationship.

Mikumi national park is accessible from the major cities of Tanzania via the land route and the airways. With public and private transfers, you can choose your convenient mode to reach Mikumi National Park.

Via air: The nearest airport to Mikumi lies at Dae-es Salaam and Arusha city of Tanzania. International travellers can get into Tanzania and later board a charter flight to reach the national park.

Via land: There is a good network of road that connects the National park from the city of Dar es Salaam or Morogoro and Udzungwa, Ruaha during the dry season.

Wildlife

Nicknamed as little Serengeti national park is Mikumi national park, its rich with a wide range of wildlife. The park hosts large number of the big game that covers four members of African bi five only missing Rhinos. Mikumi is a home of large herds of Elephants, Buffaloes, Zebras, wildebeest, hyenas, Leopards, Lions, Sable Antelopes, Great Kudu, and many more. The chances of seeing tree climbing lions in Mikumi national park are higher than in the famous tree climbing lions home that is Lake Manyara national park.

Bird Species

.Birds is one of the key Attractions in Mikumi national park, the park has over 400 bird species with both permanent habitats and migratory birds. This large number of birds has made the park one of the birding destinations in the Southern part of Tanzania. The long lists of birds can be achieved with patient Mikumi national park safaris that last beyond 3 days. However much the size of the park is not all that very big but the diversity of the ecosystem and the vegetation has attracted different bird species. The most sighted birds are: Black billied bustard, Secretary bird, Guinea fowl, Ox peckers, Bateleur eagles, cattle egret.

Mountains

Mikumi national park is situated in the middle of mountains hence making mountains some of the key Attractions in Mikumi national park. The scenic views of the mountains that have unique formation system attracts more guests especially writers, photographers and researchers to the park. The most common and famous mountains are Uluguru mountains that every guests wants to try to hike during their safari to Mikumi national park. Other mountains around the park include: Udzugwa Mountains, Malundwe Mountains which is the largest and the highest mountain. Its found in the center of the national park connecting Uluguru mountains with Udzungwa mountains and Uvidunda.  Malundwe Mountains is consist of three peaks with the highest peak found on the Southern part reaching up to 1290 meters.