3 Days Mikumi National Park Safari

Day 1: Dar es Salaam – Mikumi National Park (Game Drive)

Distance: 283 km (approx. 5 hours)

Meals: Lunch, Dinner

After your arrival, early morning, your guide shall pick you from Dar es Salaam, and the city’s buzz fades as you hit the road to Mikumi National Park. The drive is a journey in itself—villages flash by, mountain ranges rise and fall, and the air grows cooler as you near the park’s entrance.

After about 4 hours of driving, you arrive in Mikumi in time for lunch. A quick freshen-up, and you’re off for your first game drive. The Mkata Floodplain stretches wide, dotted with giraffes gliding through the grass, impalas leaping, and lions lounging like royalty under acacias. Watch out for the exciting encounter this day before you proceed to your Mikumi accommodation.

Highlight Experience:

Lion tracking as they attempt to trail a herd of buffalo.

Watch elephants gather at a waterhole, trunks slurping, ears fanning the air.

Return to your lodge as the sun dips behind the mountains, painting the sky in fiery streaks.

Overnight Options:

• Budget: Camp Bastian – Cozy bandas with private verandas, lush gardens, and a warm, rustic feel.
• Standard: Mikumi Safari Lodge – Spacious tents with private baths, elevated views of the park.
• Luxury: Vuma Hills Tented Camp – Canvas tents with en-suite bathrooms, panoramic vistas, and a pool that reflects the sunset.

Day 2: Full Day Game Drive & Hippo Pool Experience

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Today you shall wake up early to the sound of birdsong and the distant roar of a lion. Remember the whole day is all about getting lost in Mikumi’s wild heart. After a hearty breakfast, set off for a full-day game drive when the air is crisp, the grass dewy. Keep your camera ready—this is prime predator hour.

Follow leopard tracks along the riverbanks, eyes scanning tree limbs for that unmistakable, spotted curve.

Pass the floodplain where wildebeest gather in clusters, tails flicking, ears twitching.

By midday, the vehicle pulls up to the Hippo Pool, a muddy oasis where hippos laze like oversized, snorting boulders. Birds dart in and out, picking at the mud while crocodiles float like half-sunken logs.

Lunch: Enjoy a picnic under the shade of a sausage tree, surrounded by the sights and sounds of the bush.

Venture deeper into the park, where baobabs tower like ancient sentinels and zebras graze alongside buffalos.

Sunset finds you in a clearing where giraffes move like ghosts against the fading light.

Return to camp as stars prick the sky. Unwind by the fire, sharing tales of the day’s sightings.

Overnight Options:

• Budget: Tan-Swiss Lodge – Simple rooms with private patios and views of the surrounding bush.
• Standard: Stanley’s Kopje – Elevated tented chalets, each with a deck overlooking the plains.
• Luxury: Vuma Hills Tented Camp – Luxurious tents with king-sized beds, hot showers, and private decks with sweeping views.

Day 3: Sunrise Game Drive – Return to Dar es Salaam

Meals: Breakfast

The final morning starts early. The air is cool, and mist hangs over the plains as the park slowly wakes up. Today’s adventure on the menu is meeting the Maasai people. You shall have a visit to a local maasai village just before you embark on a departure drive to Dar es Salam with impressive memories of Mikumi’s wild symphony echoing through your mind.

Accommodation Options: Not included.

Safari Tips:

Best Time to Visit: June to October for dry-season game sightings; November to February for birding and lush scenery.

Packing Essentials: Binoculars, hat, sunscreen, a light jacket for early morning drives.

Photography Tip: Keep your camera on burst mode during predator sightings—Mikumi’s lions are notoriously unpredictable.