About five kilometres north-west of the main gate, the track reaches a pair of muddy pools that are the most reliable wildlife stop in Mikumi. The Hippo Pools hold water all year, and with it a resident group of hippos that spend the daylight hours almost fully submerged — ears, eyes and nostrils above the surface, now and then a great yawn.
Because the pools are so close to the gate and the airstrip, they are on the route of practically every game drive, including the shortest fly-in day trips. They are also one of the few places in the park with a viewing area where visitors normally get out of the vehicle, under the eye of the guide.
Top things to do: Hippo Pools
Watch the hippos
Give it time. At first you see only rounded backs; wait ten minutes and there will be snorting, jostling and the occasional open-mouthed threat display. Hippos leave the water at dusk to graze, so only overnight visitors on a late drive have a chance of seeing them walking on land.
Scan the banks for crocodiles
Nile crocodiles share the pools and often lie motionless on the mud at the edge. Monitor lizards patrol the shoreline too.
Birdwatching at the water
Open water in a dry landscape pulls in birds: herons and egrets, African fish eagle, hamerkop, storks, jacanas and kingfishers are all regulars, with oxpeckers riding on the hippos’ backs.
See who comes to drink
Elephants, buffalo, giraffes and antelope come to the pools, especially late in the dry season when other water has gone. Waiting quietly here for half an hour is often more productive than driving.
How to get to Hippo Pools
- The pools are a short drive from the main gate and park headquarters, signposted along the main game-viewing circuit on the Mkata floodplain. Every Mikumi safari includes them.
Insider tips
- Stay well back from the edge and do exactly what your guide says: hippos and crocodiles are the most dangerous animals in the park.
- Mid-morning light is behind you from the usual viewing side; midday is harsh for photographs.
- The pools are a common spot for the picnic lunch on day trips — keep food away from baboons and monkeys.
- A polarising filter helps with glare off the water.
Best tours & safaris: Hippo Pools
These experiences are the easiest way to see Hippo Pools:
Fly-in day safari from €397 From Zanzibar: Mikumi Safari Day Trip with Flights and Lunch
The safari that put Mikumi on the map for beach holidaymakers, with more than three thousand reviews on GetYourGuide. You fly from Zanzibar to the park in the morning, join shared game drives in a 4x4 across the plains, stop for a bush lunch and fly back in the afternoon. It is a long day with an early start, but it turns a beach week into a beach-and-safari trip without changing hotels.
- Return light-aircraft flights from Zanzibar
- Shared 4x4 game drives and a bush lunch
- By far the most-reviewed Mikumi safari on GetYourGuide
Fly-in day safari from €497 From Zanzibar: Mikumi Day Trip Safari by Flight
Another operator’s version of the classic fly-in day: a morning flight from Zanzibar, a guided game drive in search of elephants, lions and the plains game, and a flight back the same day. It has only a handful of reviews, so read the latest ones before booking — but it is a useful option when other departures are full.
- Return flights between Zanzibar and Mikumi
- Guided game drive in the park
- Small number of reviews, all positive so far
Train day safari from €284 Classic Day Trip: Train Transfer to Mikumi National Park
A day trip built around the SGR electric train from Dar es Salaam to Morogoro, with a road transfer on to Mikumi and a game drive in an open jeep. A little pricier than the cheapest train option, with a couple of five-star reviews to its name.
- SGR electric train from Dar to Morogoro
- Road transfer on to the park
- Game drive in an open safari jeep
Overnight safari from €353 2 Days: Mikumi Park from Dar es Salaam by Luxury Train
A short overnight safari that starts from your Dar hotel early in the morning and returns the next day by train. One night at Mikumi is the single biggest upgrade over a day trip: it makes a late-afternoon or dawn drive possible, which is when lions and other predators are most likely to be seen.
- Train travel from Dar es Salaam
- One night away from the city
- Game drives at the best times of day
