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
“Top notch! Everything was well planned. The lodging was amazing. My favorite was Ngorongoro Serena Safari Lodge. It was located about 8000 feet in a very lush forest, constructed of river rock and polished African hardwoods – absolutely beautiful! The website pictures of all the places we stayed looked nice but the actual experience of staying at these places was well beyond expectations. Whenever we went to a new destination there was always some one to greet us, take us to our hotels, airport, etc.
Access 2 Tanzania attended to every detail including all the arrangements for our post-safari extension to Zanzibar. The hotels provided great breakfasts and dinners and even the boxed lunches we ate out in the “bush” were pretty decent. Our guide, Maningo, was excellent. He truly wanted all of us to have the best African experiences. If we ever travel to Africa in the future, Access 2 Tanzania will be our first choice.”