Mikumi National Park covers an area of 3230 km sq. and is the third largest park in Tanzania.

It is named after the village just beyond its western border on the road to Iringa. The village in turn takes its name from the Kiswahili word for the Borassus palm (Borassus flabellifer) which once grew there in abundance. 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. This park, offers a chance to see lion, zebra, hippo, leopard, cheetah, giraffe, impala, wildebeest and warthog. A popular spot for visitors is the Kikaboga Hippo Pool. Although December to March is the ideal time for viewing at Mikumi, there are animals throughout the year. The park is famous for its tree-climbing lions, which are rarely seen in other parks. Other animals are wild dog, rare elsewhere in Africa.

Over 300 species of birds have been observed in the park, some of which are Eurasian migrants who stay between October and April.

Criss-crossed by a good circuit of game-viewing roads, the Mkata Floodplain is perhaps the most reliable place in Tanzania for sightings of the powerful eland, the world’s largest antelope. The equally impressive greater kudu and sable antelope haunt the miombo-covered foothills of the mountains that rise from the park’s borders

With its open grasslands, dominates the park together with the mountain ranges that border the park on two sides and continues into the Selous ecosystem