Having recently made an exit from formal employment, Matt and I decided that a last-minute getaway was in order.

In lieu of booking a flight to Istanbul or Victoria Falls, akin to LastMinute.Com, we instead elected for our local, and closest, national park; Mikumi. We were not disappointed. 

• Accessibility from Dar: 5/5
• Amenities: 4/5
• Animals: 4.5/5

Getting There

Best accessible by car (self-drive recommended). A not-toooooo-terrible, 5-hour trip each direction. Pro tip; leave before the morning traffic. Thank me later.

Camp Facilities

We stayed at Campsite 1, and I was very happy with what we came across. The bathrooms were clean and free from trash, and the showers had running water. Regrettably, there was only cold water, but really, what else do you expect when you’re camping? Anything more than that would be cheating! The campsite itself was also well maintained, with plenty of clearings to set up tents and park cars.

The downside was that there was no reallllll trash facility there; presumably with the expectation that people will take all of their trash back out of the park. While I agree with that concept wholeheartedly, I think if the parks are doing rounds to refill water stations, it wouldn’t be too hard to arrange for garbage collection from designated receptacles? (Locked ones, of course. We all know how craft baboons are at getting into things).

Animals

I reckon Mikumi is so underrated as a national park. There are so many people who come to Tanzania (or who already live here) that feel the only real parks are those more remote ones (Ruaha, Serengeti, etc.) but in reality, if you live in Dar es Salaam and are looking for a quick weekend getaway? Mikumi is great. With elephants by the dozen, herds of giraffe and buffalo, and a healthy hippo population, the wildlife is strong, and you’d be battling to NOT see a huge amount of animals. The one thing we have not seen at Mikumi is leopard or cheetah, but I know some people who have come across leopard there before.

Review

At only a 5-hour drive from Dar es Salaam, Mikumi is the closest national park to the biggest city in Tanzania (note: Dar is NOT the capital, though it is arguably the most busy/populated/economic hub).

Regardless of its proximity, the last time that I went to Mikumi was in mid-2014, as a celebration for my having lived in Tanzania for 6 months. So by late 2018, we determined that it was HIGH TIME we went again.

The drive from Dar to just about anywhere is inherently dull. Full of busses, trucks with poor brakes, drivers making questionable decisions. For this reason, I will spare you the tale of the journey. If you are considering making the journey yourself – personally, I would recommend a self-drive. But if you are a tourist in Tanzania its probably better you opt for a transport/hired driver option.

Reception and Prices

Arrival at the park was painless; having a still-valid work permit was extremely helpful in this regard, and ensured that we got a decent price on accommodation and park fees ($15 for park fees for expatriates! Bargain). The staff were helpful, friendly, and, when they heard we were camping, kindly suggested we take their phone number in case of any trouble. Sweet! But also somewhat ominous?

I kid you not, within 15 minutes of pulling through the park gate, we saw our first elephant. This is her;

What you have to understand, and probably already know (unless you live under a rock), poaching is a pretty big deal. There’s been a lot of fuss about elephants and ivory, and Tanzania has also experienced its share of excitement around the topic, with numerous large-scale poachers apprehended successfully by authorities. 

So to see an elephant so close up, so soon after arriving? I was amazed. When we went to the Serengeti in 2015 we didn’t even get a sniff of being this close. Many photos, and low-level stalking (at a respectful distance) of this babe ensued.

After tootling around the park on a nice self-driven game drive, we made our way to Campsite 1 and set up our base, before immediately heading out again for an evening drive.

And ultimately, that is how we spent the next four days: wake up, breakfast, game drive. Lunch, shower, evening game drive. Dinner, bed.

That may sound repetitive to you, but it was EXACTLY what I needed, and on the whole was actually really good fun having a few days of just the two of us. With no phone signal (gasp) we both had no ability to answer messages, emails, or to mindlessly scroll instagram when bored (of which I am horrendously guilty). With the wide array of wildlife that was available, there was no repetitive sightings. After our initial lone elephant upon arrival, we were treated with a family of 20 at once on our game drive the following day, drinking from the local pool. Hippos, out of the water, staring us down. Herds of giraffe, with their iconic slow, loping run across the plains. 60 head of buffalo – a few hundred meters from our campsite. A lone lioness, whom we got to watch chase down a buck.

I have to admit, I was extremely impressed with both the wildlife that we saw, and the cleanliness of the park itself. When we were at our campsite we even saw the TANAPA guys on rotation; coming to ensure the campsite had a water supply, and that there was no trash lying around. After being surrounded by the litter of Dar for so long, it was a joy to see people who genuinely care about the environment, doing their bit to help maintain it’s health.

For me, camping is the ultimate treat, and the best way to rejuvenate after the grit of the city. With no cell reception, a decent amount of sun (and shade); there’s no better place to add to your Tanzania travel list. If getting to the bigger parks is also outside of your budgeted finances or time allowed, Mikumi is a great option as an express-safari, and easily conquerable over a long weekend.