Mikumi National Park
is about 2000 sq
miles. It forms a part of the Selous ecosystem, the
world's largest game reserve. Mikumi has good resident game and is
home to buffalo, zebra, giraffe, lion, wild dog, python, monitor
lizard,
hartebeest, wildebeest, elephant (these elephants are grazers
and do not damage trees),
hippo, impala, warthog, eland and antelope.
Birds include the hammerkop, saddle-bill stork, and the malachite
kingfisher. The vegetation is made up of woodland, grassland and
swamps. There are two water holes, Mkata and Chamgore.
The Mikumi flood plain is the main
feature of the park along with the bordering mountain ranges. It also
has a landing strip.
The total area of the Mikumi-Selous ecosystem under protection is
greater than
the size of Denmark. Mikumi National Park is the most
protected and arguably most diverse part of the Selous system. As a
consequence of the unclear demarcation, many people believe that it
is surrounded on all sides by unprotected land, which
gives the
impression of potentially acute boundary pressures.
In reality its attachment to the Selous means that there are no
boundary stresses to the south and east. Even to the west and north
the stresses are fewer in comparison to other parks such as
Lake Manyara.
Mikumi National Park's unique combination of flora and fauna is partly
a consequence of its location at the
intersection of four major
vegetation zones making it an ecotonal area. Miombo woodland extending
from Southern Africa meets more arid bush land coming down from the
North. The coastal zone to the east and the mountains to the east and
west also influence Mikumi.
The Mikumi National Park is home to over 60 species of mammals, 400
species of birds and 1200 species of plant.
Southern Circuit
Mikumi National Park
