Until a few years ago, Mikumi meant five or six hours on the Morogoro road. The standard-gauge railway changed that. You can now leave central Dar es Salaam after breakfast, be in Morogoro ninety minutes later, and be watching elephants on the Mkata floodplain by early afternoon.
Here is exactly how we tell our guests to do it.
1. Buy your train ticket
Tickets for the Dar es Salaam–Morogoro SGR are sold in the Tanzania Railways (TRC) app and at Dar es Salaam SGR station. There are several departures a day. Economy class is comfortable and air-conditioned; business class gives you more space. Book two or three days ahead in July–August and around public holidays, when trains sell out.
If you book a 3-day safari with us, we buy your train tickets for you — one less thing to organise.
2. Take a morning departure
A morning train gets you to Morogoro in about an hour and a half. Add the 2-hour drive to the camp and you arrive in time for lunch and an afternoon game drive the same day. Afternoon trains still work, but you will arrive at the camp around sunset and start your safari the next morning.
3. Meet your driver at Morogoro
Our driver waits on the platform with a Camp Lilac sign. The drive follows the highway west through Morogoro town, past the Uluguru Mountains and into the Mikumi bush. The last stretch of road runs through the national park itself, so keep your camera out — giraffe and baboons by the roadside are common.
The transfer is free when you book a safari of two days or more with us. Otherwise we charge a flat transfer fee; ask when you book.
4. What about Kilosa station?
Kilosa is the SGR stop closest to the park as the crow flies, and TANAPA is building a new gate on that side. For now the road from Kilosa is the long way round, so Morogoro remains the practical choice. We will update this article when the new gate opens.
5. Build it into a 2-day safari
The classic weekend itinerary from Dar es Salaam looks like this:
- Saturday: morning train, pickup, lunch at the camp, afternoon game drive, dinner facing the Mikumi mountain ridge.
- Sunday: dawn game drive while the lions are still active, late breakfast, transfer back to Morogoro for an afternoon train. Home for dinner.
That is the 2-Day Mikumi Safari on our safaris page, and it is the trip most of our Dar es Salaam guests take.
What it costs
- SGR ticket Dar es Salaam–Morogoro: a few thousand shillings in economy, more in business class (prices change — check the TRC app).
- Transfer Morogoro–camp: free with a 2+ day safari.
- Mikumi park fee: US$30 + 18% VAT per adult per 24 hours — included in all our safari packages.
- Accommodation: from US$140 per night for a luxury tent, breakfast included — see rooms.
Questions about timings? WhatsApp us and we will match the plan to the train you want to take.