Mkomazi National Park, Tanzania

A More Relaxed and Adventurous Place

February, 2014

Click on any image for a larger view;
Contact garya at this domain if you would like the high quality image for printing

We made sure our extra fuel container was full, then left Same and arrived at the gate to Mkomazi National Park bright and early. We paid for two days, and when they asked where we would be spending the night we gave them the name of a campground we had read about which was about half way down the park. The ranger wrote that down and indicated all was good, then handed us a map of the park and we headed off. The map was great; or at least it looked good on paper. It had a few more roads and features on it than the ones we had brought with us, which were poor at best.

The northern gate where we entered is at the base of the Pare Mountains, and the setting is wonderful.

Mkomazi Mkomazi
Pare Mountains from Mkomazi

We stopped the car within a few hundred yards of the gate because there were so many birds flitting around. From that point on, our progress was leisurely. In short order we came to a signpost. Wow! An actual road sign. We compared it to our new map and it matched up perfectly. Whoppie! We headed south, planning on making a big circuit around the northern half of the park, and camping at a campground near the bottom part of the loop.

Namaqua Dove Von Der Deckens Hornbill Long Tailed Fiscal Shrike Chestnut Weaver
Namaqua Dove
Photo by Dona
Von Der Deckens Hornbill
Photo by Dona
Long Tailed Fiscal Shrike
Photo by Dona
Chestnut Weaver
Photo by Dona

Black Coucal Black Coucal Black Coucal Black Coucal
Black Coucal
Photo by Dona
Xxx Bee Eater Flying
Xxx
Photos by Dona
Bee Eater Flying
Photo by Dona

European Roller European Roller
European Roller
Photos by Dona

Flower Xxx Blue Flower Xxx Blue
Flower Xxx Blue
Photo by Dona
Flower Xxx Blue
Photo by Dona

Red Billed Buffalo Weaver Xxx Red Billed Buffalo Weaver F
Red Billed Buffalo Weaver
Photo by Dona
Xxx Red Billed Buffalo Weaver F
Photo by Dona

Brown Snake Eagle African Grey Hornbill African Grey Hornbill
Brown Snake Eagle
Photo by Dona
African Grey Hornbill
Photo by Dona

Yellow Necked Spurfowl
Yellow Necked Spurfowl
Photo by Dona

Mkomazi
Mkomazi

Millipede
Millipede
Photo by Dona
Flower Xxx Pink Flower Xxx Violet
Flower Xxx Pink
Photo by Dona
Flower Xxx Violet

Flower Xxx Lavender Flower Xxx Blue
Flower Xxx Lavender Flower Xxx Blue

Pin Tailed Whydah Pin Tailed Whydah Pin Tailed Wydah
Photo by Dona
Pin Tailed Whydah

Red Billed Quelea
Red Billed Quelea
Red Billed Quelea Red Billed Quelea Red Billed Quelea
Red Billed Quelea
Photos by Dona

Xxx Black Coucal White Bellied Bustard
Xxx Black Coucal
Photo by Dona
White Bellied Bustard
Photo by Dona

Mkomazi Tree Xxx Blossom
Tree Xxx Blossom
Photo by Dona

Eastern Chanting Goshawk Eastern Chanting Goshawk
Eastern Chanting Goshawk
Photos by Dona

We got down to the Kisima Airstrip via Babu's Camp, which was where our road was supposed to start looping to the east. And that was the point where reality and the map diverged. There was a sign, but it didn't match either the map we had brought from home, or the new park service map we had been given that morning. We knew where we were, and we knew where we wanted to go, but apparently you couldn't get there from here. The maps said you could, but the ground didn't. We headed towards Kaveteta, we thought. Up until then the signs had made sense. This sign said "Maore Dam and Ranger Station" to the left, and "Kifukwa R.S. and Kamakota Special Camp" to the right. We went left, over a rougher 4wd road, past a marsh and over a divide to where we could see into what we thought must be Tsavo West National Park in Kenya. It was getting late and we had no chance of making our intended circuit to camp, since we were basically lost. The signs didn't make sense, although the general direction did. So we turned around and backtracked.

Mkomazi Impala Mkomazi Impala
Impala
Photos by Dona

We hoofed it fairly quickly back to near the gate where we entered, then headed for a different camp marked on our map, near the Ibaya airstrip. This route had more varied and interesting terrain, and we enjoyed our search for wildlife.

Flower Xxx Yellow Flower Shrub Xxx
Flower Shrub Xxx
Photo by Dona
Flower Xxx Yellow
Photo by Dona

White Bellied Go Away Bird White Bellied Go Away Bird
White Bellied Go Away Bird

Mkomazi Mkomazi
Mkomazi Mkomazi

Mkomazi Mkomazi
Mkomazi Mkomazi

Mkomazi
Mkomazi
Mkomazi
Mkomazi

Mkomazi Cat Tracks
Mkomazi Cat Tracks
Little Bee Eater Northern Carmine Bee Eater
Little Bee Eater
Photo by Dona
Northern Carmine Bee Eater
Photo by Dona
Mkomazi Tortise
Mkomazi Tortise
Photo by Dona

We found the airstrip, but no obvious signs of a camp. It was a brushy area with two to three foot high grass. There were some falling-down buildings from an old abandoned research camp on a nearby hillside, overgrown with brush, trees, and tall grass. The day was fading towards dusk, and Dona opined that "This isn't Montana," so we backtracked again and headed to the camp a few km from the Zange gate.

That camp had a large cleared off area with some planted trees and a bathroom facility, which was locked. It was better than the Elephant Motel by far, but not what camping at the airstrip would have been.

Mkomazi Camp near Zange Gate
Mkomazi Camp near Zange Gate
Photo by Dona

The next morning we headed off on another planned circuit, more-or-less our original plan in reverse. We worked our way back out to the abandoned research station and Ibaya airstrip, then on to the Dindira Picnic Area / Overlook, which has a good view over the surrounding area including the waterhole behind Dindira Dam.

Lilac Breasted Roller Blue Capped Cordon Bleu White Winged Widowbird European Bee Eater
Lilac Breasted Roller
Photo by Dona
Blue Capped Cordon Bleu
Photo by Dona
White Winged Widowbird
Photo by Dona
European Bee Eater
Photo by Dona

Dik Dik
Dik Dik
Photo by Dona

Mkomazi Hartbeest Mkomazi Hartbeest Mkomazi Hartbeest
Mkomazi Hartbeest
Photo by Dona

Superb Starling Superb Starling Isabelline Shrike Isabelline Shrike
Superb Starling
Photo by Dona
Isabelline Shrike
Photo by Dona

Mkomazi
Mkomazi

Mkomazi Old Research Station Above Ibaya Airstrip
Mkomazi Old Research Station above Ibaya Airstrip
Dindira Picnic Overlook Dindira Res
Dindira Picnic Overlook Dindira Reservoir

The sign by the picnic area said "Dindira Special Camp 2km" and "Vitewini Pt 6.5km + 3.5km". Vitewini Point wasn't on our map, but it seemed like the right way to go so we headed that way. It was a bumpy ride; we could have used a more beat-up higher-clearance vehicle. But we made it and had a great view.

Mkomazi
Mkomazi
Flower Xxx Yellow Flower Xxx Yellow Flower Xxx White
Flower Xxx Yellow Flower Xxx Yellow Flower Xxx White
Photo by Dona

When we got to Vitewini Point we didn't really know what we were looking at. Unfortunately, we didn't see much big wildlife roaming around down there, which would have been more fun. The entire landscape was green and lush; it was difficult to imagine it in the dry season.

We backtracked from Vitewini point, for once again the signs didn't match our maps, and the road which descended from the saddle where we turned off to the point itself seemed to deteriorate a bit. I was pretty sure we could get down it, but I wasn't all that sure we could get back up. And since we didn't have an adequate map, there was always the chance we would be heading off into Kenya, which didn't seem like a good idea. Next time we will come with more time, real maps, and a better vehicle and camp set-up.

Mkomazi Frm Vitewini Pt
View from Vitewini Point
View from Vitewini Pt
View from Vitewini Point
Photo by Dona

Flower Xxx Red Flower XxxRed
Flower Xxx Red Flower Xxx Red
Photos by Dona

Mkomazi
Mkomazi
Photo by Dona

Mkomazi
Mkomazi
Giraffe Mkomazi Giraffes
Giraffes
Photos by Dona
Giraffe Giraffe Giraffes
Giraffes
Photos by Dona
Giraffes
Giraffes
Photo by Dona

Ostrich Eastern Paradise Wydah Little Bee Eater
Ostrich
Photo by Dona
Eastern Paradise Wydah
Photo by Dona
Little Bee Eater
Photo by Dona

Flower Xxx Lavender
Flower Xxx Lavender
Photo by Dona

We left Mkomazi part in late afternoon and headed north towards Marangu and the Kilimanjaro area, where we would to spend our last night in Tanzania. Kilimanjaro was sticking its head out and we had some nice views on our way north, although it was still hazy.

Mkomazi Kilimanjaro Kilimanjaro
Photo by Dona
Kilimanjaro