MIKUMI NATIONAL PARK
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Located north of the Selous Reserve, less than 300 km from Dar es Salaam making it the most accessible park via road. It is an important centre for education where students go to study ecology and conservation. A wide range of wildlife inhabits its 3230 square kilometres. The Mikumi flood plains, with its open grasslands, dominate the park together with the mountain ranges that border the park on two sides. Lion is commonly seen as well as packs of wild dog.
RUAHA NATIONAL PARK
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One of Tanzania's best-kept wildlife secrets is Ruaha National Park. Covering 10300 square kilometres, it is the country's biggest elephant sanctuary. Its name derives from the Great Ruaha River that flows along its eastern border, creating spectacular gorges and is home to hippopotamus and crocodile.
SELOUS GAME RESERVE
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The Selous Game Reserve is the largest protected wildlife area in Africa. A UN World Heritage site, this pristine, uninhabited area is larger than Switzerland. Only in the Serengeti will visitors see a greater concentration of wildlife. Selous boasts Tanzania's largest population of elephant as well as large numbers of buffalo, hippopotamus and wild dog. Other species commonly seen are lion, bushbuck, impala, giraffe, eland, baboon, zebra and greater kudu. The topography of the park varies from rolling savannah, woodland, grassland plains and rocky outcrops cut by the Rufiji River and its tributaries to the Kilombero and Lumegu, which together cover the greatest catchments area in Eastern Africa.
The Rufiji River, which flows from north to south, is the life-blood of Selous and sailing or rafting down the river is a superb
method of seeing game, especially during the dry season between June and October.
UDZUNGWA MOUNTAIN
NATIONAL PARK
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This is a recently established conservation area of about 2000 square kilometres in the Iringa and Morogoro regions of south-central Tanzania. The major attraction of the park is its bio-diversity and unique rain forest, where many rare plants, not found anywhere else in the world, have been identified (from a tiny African violet to 30 metres high trees). There are also a vast number of butterflies easily spotted as well as a variety of primates.