Mkomazi National Park

Located at the northern tip of Tanzania, stretching across the Kilimanjaro and Tanga regions, Mkomazi National Park is a semi-arid wilderness offering a unique safari experience. Bordering Tsavo West National Park in Kenya, Mkomazi forms part of the Mkomazi-Tsavo Transboundary Ecosystem, the second-largest in East Africa after the Serengeti-Mara.

The park is characterized by Acacia-Commiphora woodlands, vast grey-green savannahs, ancient baobab trees, and rocky hills. Its landscape resembles a classic dry-land African bush, where majestic acacias spread their umbrella-like canopies across the plains. The Umba River provides a vital water source, sustaining wildlife throughout the year despite the park’s semi-arid climate and bimodal rainfall pattern.

Mkomazi is renowned for its rare and endangered species, including African wild dogs and black rhinos. Visitors can also encounter large herds of oryx, giraffes, gerenuks, lesser kudus, elands, hartebeest, impalas, and Grant’s gazelles, alongside predators like lions, leopards, and cheetahs, as well as elephants and buffalos.

Birdlife is prolific, with nearly 450 recorded species. Some of the most commonly seen birds include ostriches, long-crested eagles, hoopoes, and bustards. Along the Umba River, you may spot kingfishers, flamingos, cormorants, plovers, ducks, and even crocodiles on the riverbanks.

Mkomazi National Park offers a quiet and uncrowded safari experience, making it one of the best places in Tanzania to observe wildlife in its natural habitat without the tourist crowds.