Day Trip to Mkomazi National Park

The Mkomazi National Park is located in the northern part of Tanzania, between Moshi and Tanga. The park finds itself in a beautiful setting with both the Pare and Usambara mountains towering above its boundaries. Depending on the weather, Mount Kilimanjaro can also be seen from the park. In terms of vegetation, Mkomazi marks the southern tip of the Sahel zone which resembles that of a dry, desert like landscape. Due to the climate, the vegetation primarily consists of acacia-commiphora woodlands and towards the western mountains the vegetation changes to a dry land forest.

The main source of water in Mkomazi comes from the Umba River in the southeast. Apart from that, the park sees very little precipitation all year-round making game drives along the river area definitely worthwhile.

Mkomazi National Park is one of the few places where you can see endangered black rhinos in Tanzania;

You’ll also have the chance to see endangered wild dog as well as many other species such as giraffe, eland, hartebeest, zebra, buffalo, elephant and the long-necked gerenuk. Bird spotting is excellent with more than 450 avian species recorded including endemics such as the cobalt-chested vulturine guinea-fowl and other large ground birds such as ostrich, kori bustard, secretary bird and ground hornbill. Migratory species are also present here such as the Eurasian roller.

Highlights

• Park Size: 3,245KM
• Distance from Moshi: 115 km (72 miles)
• Leave Moshi at 7:00am
• Arrive at Mkomazi gate at 10:00am
• Spend 6 hours in the park
• Leave Park at 4:00pm
• Arrive Moshi at 7:00pm