Katavi National Park Tanzania | Wildlife Safaris, Facts & Travel Guide.
Katavi National Park Tanzania | Wildlife Safaris, Facts & Ultimate Travel Guide. Katavi is the safari park for the serious safari-goer. Katavi, located near to the Mahale Mountains in Western Tanzania, is off the beaten track with a small handful of people a year.
For Safari Connoisseurs
Katavi is the third largest national park in Tanzania with 4,471 square kilometres (1,726 square miles). Katavi is also one of Tanzania’s least frequented national parks. No fancy lodges here, just a few of no-frills serious safari camps where safari is the sole topic at the table. Katavi appeals to clients because it’s inaccessible, and the advantage is that game viewing may be as wild as anywhere else – Katavi is a prehistoric park, a realm of giants. Anyone visiting this amazing jewel of a wildlife park will leave knowing that they have just experienced a virtually unequalled safari experience!
Katavi National Park Safaris
Katavi National Park, Tanzania’s third-largest park, offers a raw, remote, and uncrowded safari experience. Famous for its massive buffalo herds and the highest density of hippos and crocodiles in the country, the best time to visit is during the dry season from June to October.
1-Week Western Tanzania
A one-week trip to Western Tanzania offers an exclusive, remote safari experience, typically combining chimpanzee trekking in Mahale Mountains National Park with diverse wildlife viewing in Katavi National Park. Best visited from June to November, this region provides pristine, untouristy wilderness, accessible via light aircraft from Arusha or Dar es Salaam.
Katavi, Ruaha And Nyerere Safari
Exploring Katavi, Ruaha, and Nyerere (formerly Selous) creates an ultimate, crowd-free Tanzanian “Southern Circuit” safari. Covering over 1,000 miles via light aircraft, this rugged route exposes you to the massive hippo pods of Katavi, the dramatic baobab scenery and giant lion prides of Ruaha, and the boat safaris of Nyerere.
Activities & Wildlife
Often booked alongside Mahale Mountains National Park, Katavi offers one of the last truly wild safari experiences left on the continent.
1. Wildlife
Visitors to Katavi will witness most of what they would find in other national parks like lion, elephant, leopard, buffalo and wild dog. But what makes Katavi different are the vast congregations of different species. Herds of buffalo are seen in their thousands and it is not unusual to see elephant in their hundreds. The impression of total wilderness is palpable, almost ancient, when you can see these large herds roaming the plains. Perhaps the most singular animal spectacle in Katavi is its hippos, and sightings improve towards the end of the dry season as the seasonal rivers all but dry up.
2. Game Drives
A classic game drive is a terrific opportunity to see the vast and undisturbed wilderness of Katavi National Park. See the park’s animals – including big cats and huge herds of buffalo and elephant – with an experienced safari guide.
3. Walking Safaris
Enjoy a walking safari in Katavi National area with an experienced guide and get immersed in the wildness of the area.
4. Fly Camping
Head to Katavi National Park for an overnight flight camping adventure. You’ll spend one night away from the main camp in a lightweight camp where you sleep in a mesh tent.