Mkomazi National Park
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.
To the south, the pare and Usambara mountains form a dramatic backdrop and to the north, Kenya’s vast Tsavo National Park shares a border with Mkomazi, making common ground for migratory herds of elephants, oryx, and zebra during the wet season.
Together with Tsavo, it forms one of the largest and most important protected ecosystems on earth.
Mkomazi derives its name from the Pare-ethnic language; “Mko and Mazi”. “Mko” means a traditional tiny wooden spoon used by the Pare people for eating and “Mazi” means water. This implies that the water in the Park is hardly enough to fill up the wooden spoon. It covers an area of 3,245sq km.
Attractions
Wildlife
The animals of Mkomazi are typical of the arid area. Giraffe, oryx, gerenuk, hartebeest lesser kudu, eland, impala, and grant’s gazelle share the park with Black Rhino, elephants, buffalo, and numerous predators including lions, leopards, cheetah, and wild dogs.
Bird species
A healthy population of 450 species is also found in the park and several species can be seen during a game drive. The most commonly seen species include go-away birds, ostriches, long-crested eagles, and bustards. Doves, hornbills, weavers, and guinea-fowl are all present in large numbers as well as such shrinking species as the martial eagle and violet wood-hoopoe.
Things to do in Mkomazi
There are several tourism activities inside and outside the Park
Day game drive
This is the main tourism activity in the park where visitors visit different areas of attraction inside the Park using vehicles during the day.
Walking safaris
In Mkomazi visitors have an opportunity to walk around the Park with an armed trained Park Ranger. Can do a short walk around Dindira or a Long walk starting from the Zange area (Park’s Headquarters) to the Babus area
Bird Watching
The park has more than 450 bird species, including the migrant ones, birds of prey, and water birds, hence making this the best area for bird lover visitors to enjoy this activity within the Park.
Filming
Mkomazi National Park has good scenery full of nature’s beauty, and other attractions found in abundance, this makes it an ideal area for filming.
Nature Walk
A nature walk can be done in Nilo and Amani Nature Reserves near Muheza town. Walking and Hiking in Chome Nature Forest Reserve in the Same