MKOMAZI NATIONAL PARK 1 DAY TRIP
After breakfast we drive to Mkomazi National Park with lunch boxes from Keys Hotel Travel & Tours for a full day game drive. Formerly a Game Reserve since 1951, Mkomazi was upgraded into a ‘National Park’ status in 2008.It is located 6km from Same town, covering an area of 3,245square km. The name ‘Mkomazi’is a combination of two words 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 water in the Park is hardly enough to fill up the wooden spoon. The Mkomazi National Park is a spectacular wilderness. Within sight to the northwest is Mount Kilimanjaro, Africa’s highest summit. 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 elephant, oryx and zebra during the wet season. Together with Tsavo, it forms one of the largest and most important protected ecosystems on earth.
You may see Giraffe, oryx, gerenuk, hartebeest, lesser kudu, eland, impala and Grant’s gazelle share the reserve with elephant, buffalo, and numerous predators, including lion, leopard and cheetah. In all, 78 species of mammals have been recorded. The birds of Mkomazi are even more numerous, with over 400 recorded species. Doves, hornbills, weavers and guinea-fowl are all present in large numbers – as well as such striking species as the martial eagle and violet wood-hoopoe.
Why should you go to Mkomazi Park?
The park is not well known and because of that it has its charme. It’s not crowd and the animals are acting natural. Almost all species can be found. Mkomazi is vital refuge for two highly endangered species, the charismatic black rhino and sociable African wild dog. It’s a cheap alternative for the northern national park.