Katavi National Park
Description: Isolated, untouched and with few visitors, Katavi is a true wilderness, providing a taste of the untouched Africa.
As Tanzania’s third largest national park it would attract large numbers of visitors, but it is in the remote Southwest part of Tanzania and difficult to reach. It is best to visit during the dry seasons (June through October) when water is scarce and for miles along the Katuma River, animals congregate in unbelievable numbers.
Towards the end of the dry season, up to 200 hippos might gather in one place and as more gather, the male rivalry heats up with ferocious territorial fights.
Location: Western Tanzania, reachable only with shared
Things 2 Do: Game Drives, Walking Safari, Fly Camping
Time: Stay at least 3 or 4 nights. Go in dry seasons: June to October and late-December to early March.
Animals: Thousands of Elephants, several herds of 1000-plus Buffalo and an abundance of Giraffe, Zebra, Impala, Hippos and Reedbuck, not to mention the numerous Lion prides and Spotted Hyena clans.
Accommodations
$
Chief Nsalamba Rest House
$$
Katavi Wildlife Camp
Mbali Mbali Katavi Lodge
$$$$
Chada Katavi
“A2T is a first-rate safari company who really listens to get a handle on what you want from a safari/trip to Tanzania and works hard to provide a final itinerary within your budget, even if it takes multiple drafts. We appreciate that they are relatively small, and focus just on Tanzania, so they know their product really well. An added plus for us is how ethically they manage their business — they employ their guides all year round and will not use guides from the outside — if a time period fills up and all guides are assigned, then it is full. It was important to us that A2T uses some of its resources to help the Tanzanian people through Project Zawadi. It is even more impressive to understand just how much of a priority this project is to the owners now that we have visited. We can’t imagine travelling with any other company.”