Mkomazi National Park

Mkomazi lies in the southern tip of the Sahel zone. It resembles a dry-land reserve of grey-green nyika bush, ancient baobab trees and rocky hills. A vast savannah of woodlands of acacias seems like huge umbrellas protecting the region can also be seen in maximum places of Tanzania.

The park gets its main source of water from Umba River. A little rainfall can be seen around the year making the park fresh and worth visiting.

The most famous natives of the Mkomazi are the African wild dogs and the endangered black rhinos. This park is also one of the best places to see large herds of oryx, Giraffe, gerenuk, lesser kudu, eland, hartebeest, impala and Grant’s gazelle share the reserve with elephant, buffalo, and numerous predators, including lion, leopard and cheetah.

Apart from this, the birds seen in the park are also abundant in number. The recorded bird species are almost 450 and you can witness these during a game drive. The most common species include ostriches, long-crested eagles, hoopoes and bustards. Around the Umba River, sightings of kingfishes, flamingos, cormorants, plovers, ducks and crocodiles on the river banks are common.

Mkomazi National Park possesses unique attractions where you would have the opportunity to enjoy the fullest as its not crowdy and almost every type of animals are seen.

Best Time to Visit

Mkomazi National Park is at its best from late June to October. As during this time the park remains dry, the vegetation becomes thin. Wilds can be seen easily when they gather around the water sources.

November to May is the wet season. During this time elephants and some other herbivores migrating from neighboring Tsavo National Park can be seen.

Wildlife

The regularly seen animals on a game drive are giraffe, dik-dik, zebra, wildebeest, Grant's gazelle, eland and topi. Herds of fringe-eared oryx can sometimes be seen on the plains, and Mkomazi is a Wet-season sanctuary for elephants coming from neighbouring Tsavo.

Harbouring almost 450 bird species, Mkomazi is a fantastic destination for bird watchers. The commonly seen birds include vulturine guineafowl, ostrich, kori bustard, secretary bird and many more.