Mikumi is a nearly square, flat plains national park bordered on the south by a main Tanzanian highway, and on the other three sides by mountains. The highway from Dar-es-Salaam is a very good road, attracting many Dar residents on weekend getaways. There are several excellent safari lodges and camps serving the park, which is less than a half hour from the much bigger and mightier Udunzgwa National Park which has no good accommodation.

Mikumi is actually quite large, Tanzania's fourth largest, although it suffers from few cut tracks for such a large area where off-road driving is not allowed. There is a wide variety of big game found here, including all the cats, elephant, buffalo and many types of gazelle. Trekkers and other adventurers use Mikumi as a base to explore Udzungwa, fast becoming Tanzania's star jungle park but currently only accessible by foot.