MIKUMI NATIONAL PARK Conservation Status : National Park Established : 1964 Location : Southern Tanzania Size : 3,230 Kms² Maximum Length : 90 Kms from South to North Height A.S.L. : 430 m (plains in the Northern Sector) – 700 m (average height of the hilly southern sector). Highest point 1,290 m (Malundwe Hill) Seasonal Variation : Two well defined seasons - a dry season from June to November and a wet season from December to May (less rainy in January – February). Bush fires occur annually in the dry season. Little seasonal variation in the occurrence of animals. The best season to visit is June – October. Park roads passable in the dry season. Roads can be difficult in the wet season, but the trans-national highway that bisects the park is a good tarmac road. Precipitation : Mean annual rainfall varies from 650 to 950 mm, some years > 1,000 mm. Highest rainfall in March – April, practically rainless in June – September. Temperatures : Monthly average 22 – 26°C. Daytime 25 – 28°C (June – September), around 30°C during the wet season (November – April), sometimes upto 40°C. Night time 16 – 19°C, never below 12°C. Activities : Game drives The Mikumi National Park, set between the Uluguru Mountains to the North and the Lumango Mountains to the Southeast, offers 3,230 sq km of terrain teeming with wildlife. It forms the Northern border of Africas biggest game reserve – the Selous; together forming Africas biggest ecosystem at 75,000 sq km, stretching almost to the shores of the Indian Ocean. Mikumis unique combination of flora and fauna is due to its location at the intersection of four major distinct vegetation zones - the Miombo woodland from Southern Africa, arid bushland from the North, the coastal zone to the East and the mountain ranges to the North and West, making it a unique eco-zonal area. The main feature of the park is the seasonal flooded Mkata floodplains, along with the mountain ranges that border the park on two sides. Open grasslands dominate the floodplain, eventually merging with the moimbo woodland covering the lower hills. It is in this area that you can see the bulk of Mikumis wildlife – lion, leopard, elephants, zebra, warthog, giraffe, wildebeest, a variety of antelope species, colobus monkey and African wild dogs. Mikumi is also known for its large herds of buffaloes, found along the Mkata floodplains. Also, more than 400 species of birds have been recorded within the Park including colourful common residents as the lilac-breasted roller, yellow-throated longclaw and bateleur eagle joined by a host of European migrants during the rainy season. Hippos provide the star attraction of a pair of pools situated 5 km North of the main entrance gate to the park. Most of Mikumi is wild and undisturbed and the Southern two thirds of the Park is an unexplored wilderness. The only area in the Southern part that has been studied is the afromontane forest on Malundwe Mountain. This area represents the only patch of undisturbed afromontane forest in Tanzania and is also an important water shed, which drains into the Wame River from the north and into the Ruaha River from the South
Posted on: Sun, 21 Dec 2014 08:57:08 +0000
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