Into the Wild: Our Mikumi Safari Adventure

 I had to wake up at 3:30 a.m. and be ready to leave for the safari by 4:00. As soon as I got on the bus, I drifted right back to sleep. The ride to Mikumi National Park took a few hours, and we arrived around 8 a.m., giving me a chance to catch up on some much-needed rest after such an early start.

By the time we arrived, I was starving. We hadn’t eaten breakfast yet, and my stomach was definitely making it known. We climbed into our safari jeep, which looked like something straight out of the movie Madagascar and I could already tell we were in for a real adventure.

The jeep took us to a small breakfast hut, where I had scrambled eggs, fruit jelly, and bread. The jelly was surprisingly good, honestly better than most I’ve ever had. I was glad I took a chance and tried it.
After breakfast, the adventure truly began. As we rode deeper into the park, wildebeests were everywhere, often accompanied by zebras. Fun fact: wildebeests can actually smell water and often lead zebras to it. Zebras really just follow along, kind of lazy, right?

A little while later, we spotted a group of wild antelope. One male stood proudly, surrounded by a group of females, apparently, he had fought to earn that position. Nature really doesn’t play around! Next came the water crossings. Our jeep plowed through puddles and muddy paths, making the ride bumpy and exciting. At one point, I seriously thought we were going to flip, but thankfully, we didn’t. Whew!

We stopped at a small camp area for lunch and bathroom breaks. Lunch was unexpectedly delicious, we had burritos (I’m not entirely sure what was in them, but they were really good) and bananas. Although, I’m not a fan of overly soft bananas, so I passed on those. Back on the road, our mission was to find elephants, but instead, we stumbled upon a lion! It looked like he’d been rolling around in the dirt and could definitely use a bath, but it was still so cool to see one up close. A little later, we also saw some warthogs, they looked almost unreal, like cartoon characters come to life. 

This safari was truly unforgettable. From the early morning start to the wild animal sightings and the thrill of the bumpy jeep ride, it was a day I’ll always remember. If you ever get the chance to visit Mikumi National Park, go for it! It’s 100% worth it.

Antwaniya Massie
Cohort 2024