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
“Overall, we had a very good impression of A2T as a company. A2T had been undoubtedly very customer-oriented, which was evident from the very beginning of the tour, that is, booking. The extra mile A2T spent on calls to understand our requirements and then come up with the final itinerary was ver assuring. Later we almost had to backtrack from the trip due to Ebola concerns, and the extra time allowed for us to make the final decision was very helpful.
Later on during the trip, we had a special situation which required overnight usage of electricity. Our guide, Mussa, and Stella from the Arusha office really reached out to resolve that issue by sending a charger from Arusha to Karatu. The solution was impressive (also unexpected), and it became just another good example of A2T’s emphasis on customer services.
Our guide, Mussa, was great. We all liked him very much. I will talk more about him later (assuming there is another column to discuss).”