TANZANIA PDF 2007

M ost
The Southern Circuit
visitors to Tanzania will
fly in via Dar es Salaam,
which means “Haven of
Peace”, reflecting the relaxed and
informal atmosphere of the city.
From here visitors can take a fly-in
safari to the game reserves to the
south.
Less frequented than the national
parks in the north, the southern
parks provide a sense of African
adventure unsurpassed anywhere on
the continent.
The principal areas are Selous
Game Reserve and Mikumi, Ruaha
and the Udzungwa Mountains
National Parks.
MIKUMI NATIONAL
PARK
Located north of the Selous Reserve,
less than 300 km. from Dar es
Salaam, is the Mikumi National
Park. Because of its accessibility it is
one of the most popular parks in
Tanzania and is an important centre
for education where students go to
study ecology and conservation. A
wide range of wildlife inhabits its
3,230 sq km area.
The Mikumi flood plain, with its
open grasslands, dominates the park
together with the mountain ranges
that border the park on two sides.
Lion is commonly seen as are packs
of wild dog, rare elsewhere in
Africa. Elephant may be
encountered and other animals
frequently observed are buffalo,
civet, eland, giraffe, impala, kudu,
reedbuck, warthog, waterbuck,
wildebeest, zebra and Lichtenstein’s
hartebeest. Near the southern
boundary of the park it is possible to
see groups of female and young
bachelor sable with their one
dominant male.
Crocodiles, monitor lizard and
python are other residents.
At the southern end of the flood
plain, in the Kikoboga area, families
of yellow baboon live while
wallowing hippos are frequently
joined in their pools by flocks of
open-billed storks, hunting for
molluscs.
Over 400 species of birds have
been observed in the park, many of
which are Eurasian migrants who
stay between October and April.
Getting there: A four hour
drive, or a one hour flight,
from Dar es Salaam. ���
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