Mikumi National Park: Lion on the road

 

A strange time of day to see a lion on the road.

 

One of the coolest features of the highway from Dar es Salaam going west is the passage through Mikumi National Park. Although photography and stopping to view animals is permitted, you can easily see several different kinds of animals in what I dub a, “poverty safari”. It’s not unusual to have to stop to let a giraffe or elephant cross the road and although game viewing is much better in the dry season, the rainy season can still offer some surprises.   

I’ve driven through Mikumi dozens of times but I had never seen a lion from the road. Well, my luck changed the other day when we saw a sturdy lioness come on to the road at 11am. She was completely unbothered by our car and oncoming traffic and continued to stroll for about five minutes before she went off the side of the road.   

For some reason, the national park posts signs in the park indicating that photography is not permitted if you are passing through, and thus to technically get permission to take and post this picture, I had to stop at the national park office and pay the admission fee for the national park. It’s a shame because Mikumi National Park in transit is the only opportunity the majority of Tanzanians get to enter a national park. In my opinion, the sharing of pictures should be encouraged to raise awareness about domestic tourism as well as encouraging positive feelings towards wildlife. 

Emerging.