Mkomazi National Park

Mkomazi is one of the most under-appreciated parks in Tanzania. It sits in the north-east against the Kenyan border, forming a single ecosystem with Tsavo West across the frontier. The park was originally gazetted as a game reserve in 1951 but did not receive the financial or institutional support of the northern circuit parks, and only in 2008 was it elevated to full national park status. What visitors find today is a spectacular semi-arid wilderness of 3,245 square kilometres, framed by the Pare and Usambara mountain ranges, with the Kilimanjaro massif visible on clear mornings.

Mkomazi hosts the George Adamson Wildlife Preservation Trust's rhino sanctuary, a fenced protected area within the park where a small breeding population of black rhino is being restored. Guided visits to the sanctuary, arranged in advance, are the only way to see black rhino in this part of the country. The trust also runs the African wild dog project here, and visits to the wild dog centre are equally rewarding, learning about pack behaviour and conservation from the researchers themselves.

The landscape is classic Tsavo-style bush country, red soil, tall Commiphora and Acacia, granite kopjes and long views. Wildlife includes elephant, lion, leopard, giraffe, buffalo, and dry-country specialists such as fringe-eared oryx and gerenuk that are not seen on the northern circuit. Birdlife is superb, with 450 species recorded including many raptors and dry-country specialities.

Because visitor numbers remain very low, a Mkomazi safari feels genuinely exclusive. It combines naturally with the Usambara Mountains just to the west for a two-park north-eastern circuit, or as a stopover between the northern circuit and the coast.