A sudden hissing sound followed by a loud THUD! left a dent in the pure iron bumper of our vehicle. This unexpected new adventure of mine was an encounter with a charging rhino during a game drive at Mkomazi National Park in northeastern Tanzania. So, with all my tentacles shaken I learnt that rhinos hiss before they charge.
Mkomazi National Park spans 3,245 square kilometres. Its name is derived from the Pare tribe’s term for “scoop of water,” reflecting the area’s arid conditions. It is a crucial sanctuary for black rhinos, safeguarded in an electric fenced area, accessible on special trips organized only by the park management, with reinforced vehicles and trained guides. Another fenced-off area, restricted to tourists, serves as a breeding ground to protect the rhinos from poaching.
To the northwest, Mount Kilimanjaro dominates the horizon, while to the south, the Pare and Usambara Mountains form a dramatic backdrop. To the north, Kenya’s vast Tsavo National Park borders Mkomazi, creating a shared habitat for migratory elephants, oryx, and zebras during the wet season. Together, Mkomazi and Tsavo form one of the planet’s largest protected ecosystems.
Mkomazi also protects the endangered African wild dogs in enclosed areas. Watching their feeding frenzy left me both fascinated and cautious. These carnivores are critically endangered due to habitat loss, human-wildlife conflict, and diseases like rabies. I watched them feeding and the way they snapped and yelped, I quietly slunk back to my car in fear.
The park’s grey-green nyika bush is dotted with ancient baobabs and umbrella acacias, hosting diverse wildlife. My travel team spotted eland, giraffes, hartebeests, oryx, elephants, gerenuks, impalas, lesser kudu, Grant’s gazelles, and buffalo. Lions appeared at a distance, though leopards and cheetahs eluded us. Mkomazi is also a birdwatcher’s haven, with 400 recorded species, including martial eagles, violet wood-hoopoes, and hornbills.
Reaching Mkomazi from Arusha required approximately a five-hour, 200-kilometer drive via Moshi and Mwanga. We arrived by evening and stayed overnight at Johnsons Villas in the nearby town of Same.
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