Swirls of opaque
mist hide the advancing dawn. The
first shafts of sun colour the fluffy
grass heads rippling across the plain
in a russet halo. A herd of zebras,
confident in their camouflage at this
predatory hour, pose like ballerinas,
heads aligned and stripes merging
in flowing motion.
Mikumi National Park abuts the northern
border of Africa's biggest game reserve
- the Selous – and is transected
by the surfaced road between Dar es
Salaam and Iringa. It is thus the
most accessible part of a 75,000 square
kilometer (47,000 square mile) tract
of wilderness that stretches east
almost as far as the Indian Ocean.
The open horizons and abundant wildlife
of the Mkata Floodplain, the popular
centrepiece of Mikumi, draw frequent
comparisons to the more famous Serengeti
Plains.
Lions survey their grassy kingdom
– and the zebra, wildebeest,
impala and buffalo herds that migrate
across it – from the flattened
tops of termite mounds, or sometimes,
during the rains, from perches high
in the trees. Giraffes forage in the
isolated acacia stands that fringe
the Mkata River, islets of shade favoured
also by Mikumi's elephants.
Criss-crossed by a good circuit of
game-viewing roads, the Mkata Floodplain
is perhaps the most reliable place
in Tanzania for sightings of the powerful
eland, the world’s largest antelope.
The equally impressive greater kudu
and sable antelope haunt the miombo-covered
foothills of the mountains that rise
from the park’s borders.
More than 400 bird species have been
recorded, with such 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 are the star attraction of
the pair of pools situated 5km north
of the main entrance gate, supported
by an ever-changing cast of waterbirds.
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