5 Day Mikumi And Udzungwa Safari

Destinations: Tanzania, Mikumi National Park and Udzungwa Mountains National Park

Over 5 days this route takes in Mikumi and Udzungwa, each stop with its own character. Mikumi is 3,230 square kilometres and the fourth-largest park in Tanzania, reached on the tar road from the coast. Udzungwa is part of the Eastern Arc range, one of the richest patches of forest life in Africa.

Day By Day

Day 1 Arrival At Mikumi

You set out from Dar es Salaam after breakfast and drive to Mikumi National Park, the country changing as the kilometres pass, reaching camp with time to settle in and take a first look before dark. Lilac-breasted rollers sit on every third bush, and the birding is strong year round. Mikumi is 3,230 square kilometres and the fourth-largest park in Tanzania, reached on the tar road from the coast. Its Mkata floodplain draws comparisons with the Serengeti for the way lion, buffalo and elephant sit out on open grass. You settle into camp as the light goes. You rest through the midday heat and head out again as it cools.

The Hippo Pools in the north hold pods you can watch on foot from a viewing point. Zebra, wildebeest, impala and tall Masai giraffe spread across the plain. Each time out turns up something new, and the pace is yours to set. You stop for coffee where the view is good and let the morning warm up.

Lioness walking past termite mounds in green grass — A lioness crosses the green grass between termite mounds on the Mikumi plain.

Day 2 Game Drives In Mikumi

A full day in Mikumi National Park. You are out on game drives, out early while the light is low and the country is at its best, with the guide working the ground slowly and time to stop for whatever the day turns up. Its Mkata floodplain draws comparisons with the Serengeti for the way lion, buffalo and elephant sit out on open grass. The Hippo Pools in the north hold pods you can watch on foot from a viewing point. Zebra, wildebeest, impala and tall Masai giraffe spread across the plain. Back at camp after dark, dinner is under the stars.

Lilac-breasted rollers sit on every third bush, and the birding is strong year round. Mikumi is 3,230 square kilometres and the fourth-largest park in Tanzania, reached on the tar road from the coast. Nothing is promised in the wild, which is what makes a good sighting count. The country is quiet here, and on most outings you have it to yourselves. Your guide has the ground worked out, and knows where the day is likely to lead.

Elephant herd with calves at the waterhole — A last waterhole in Mikumi before the road turns west to the Udzungwa Mountains.

Day 3 Transfer To Udzungwa

A short morning out on game drives at first light in Mikumi, then to the road for the move to Udzungwa Mountains National Park. The country changes on the way, and you reach Udzungwa in the afternoon. You head out on foot with an armed ranger as the light softens, a first look at the new ground. The mountains hold primates found only here, including the Iringa red colobus and Sanje crested mangabey. There are no game drives, the park is walked, on trails that climb through tall forest. It is a slower, greener day than a drive.

Udzungwa is part of the Eastern Arc range, one of the richest patches of forest life in Africa. The Sanje Waterfall drops around 170 metres in three stages through the forest. Birders come for the Eastern Arc endemics among the park’s more than 400 bird species. The country is quiet here, and on most outings you have it to yourselves. Your guide has the ground worked out, and knows where the day is likely to lead.

Day 4 Walking Safari In Udzungwa

A full day in Udzungwa Mountains National Park. You are on foot with an armed ranger, out early while the light is low and the country is at its best, with the guide working the ground slowly and time to stop for whatever the day turns up. There are no game drives, the park is walked, on trails that climb through tall forest. Birders come for the Eastern Arc endemics among the park’s more than 400 bird species. Udzungwa is part of the Eastern Arc range, one of the richest patches of forest life in Africa. You come back tired and closer to the ground than any vehicle allows.

The Sanje Waterfall drops around 170 metres in three stages through the forest. The mountains hold primates found only here, including the Iringa red colobus and Sanje crested mangabey. Your guide has the ground worked out, and knows where the day is likely to lead. The morning is cool and the animals are moving, so the first hours out are the busiest.

Vervet monkey standing in green undergrowth — Primates are the reason people walk the forest trails rather than drive them.

Day 5 Departure

A final morning on foot with an armed ranger before you leave, the best window of the trip for anything still on your list. You make the most of the early light, then you drive back toward Dar es Salaam. Birders come for the Eastern Arc endemics among the park’s more than 400 bird species. Udzungwa is part of the Eastern Arc range, one of the richest patches of forest life in Africa. This 5-day trip links Mikumi and Udzungwa, with the travelling done between the wildlife so your days stay on the ground that matters. The Sanje Waterfall drops around 170 metres in three stages through the forest.

The mountains hold primates found only here, including the Iringa red colobus and Sanje crested mangabey. There are no game drives, the park is walked, on trails that climb through tall forest. Late in the afternoon the light turns gold and the game comes back to the open ground. With a drink in hand you watch the day close over the bush.

What’s Included

All internal flights and road transfers on the route
Full-board accommodation on safari as shown
Game drives and the activities named in the day plan
Park entry fees for the days shown
Airport and airstrip transfers, drinking water in the vehicle

What’s Not Included

International flights and any visa
Travel insurance
Drinks, tips for guides and staff
Activities not listed and items of a personal nature

What Makes This Safari in Tanzania Worth Doing?

This trip earns its place because the stops are nothing alike, and seeing them together makes each one land harder. Lilac-breasted rollers sit on every third bush, and the birding is strong year round. Mikumi is 3,230 square kilometres and the fourth-largest park in Tanzania, reached on the tar road from the coast. Udzungwa is part of the Eastern Arc range, one of the richest patches of forest life in Africa. Linking Mikumi and Udzungwa in one route means you cover more of Tanzania than a single park allows, and the travelling between them is short. On 5 days you get range without the trip feeling rushed, the set-piece wildlife, the quieter corners, and the change of country from one stop to the next. For a traveller who wants variety over a single famous name, this is a strong, well-balanced way to see the region, and it works whether it is a first trip or a return.

Can You Have a Complete Tanzania Safari in 5 Days?

5 days across Mikumi and Udzungwa is a well-judged length, though it is a read of each stop rather than a deep stay. You get a full day or more at the main parks, enough to see the headline wildlife and still catch the quieter moments. It suits travellers who value breadth and do not mind moving every couple of days. What this length cannot do is exhaust any one park, the biggest of them could fill a week on their own, so the remote corners stay for another trip. If a single place is your priority, spend the nights there instead. And if you have longer, the route takes an easy add-on, whether that is more time with the wildlife or a stretch on the coast to finish. As it stands, this 5-day trip is balanced and full.

What Does This Tanzania Safari Cost?

What you pay turns mostly on the camps and the season. In Tanzania, park fees run from USD 35 to 70 per adult per day depending on the park, with the Ngorongoro Crater charged higher. As a rough guide, most trips of this length run from around USD 1,500 to 3,250 per person sharing, higher in the peak dry months and cheaper in the green season. Camp and lodge level is the big lever, from simple tented camps to the smarter river and bush camps, and a shared vehicle between four brings the per-person cost down. Tell an operator your dates, group size and the standard you want and it can be quoted to the figure.