Mikumi National Park was listed as a National Park in August 1964 and is the third largest park in Tanzania covering 3230 sq. km. The park is named after the village just beyond its western border on the Dar es Salaam - Iringa Highway which bisects the park for 50 km. Mikumi shares its boundary in the extreme south, with the Selous Game Reserve, and the two make one ecosystem with some animals (Elephant, Buffaloes and Zebras) migrating to and from the northern part of the reserve into Mikumi National Park.

The park lies in a horseshoe of towering mountains and forested foothills which almost enclose the flood plain of the Mkata river. To the east rises the 2743 metre massif of the Uluguru ranges while to the south west is seen the craggy-peaks of the Lumango mountains. The hog backed ridges of the Mbesera, Madzini and Mazunyungu hills sweep round northward and westward.

To the far south is the Udzungwa Mountains National Park which is part of the Eastern Arc Mountains which include the Usambaras. It is possible to visit the Udzungwas as a day trip from Mikumi.