Katavi National ParkKatavi National park, the third largest national park in Tanzania, is rarely visited, not for its lack of game or beauty, but due to its remote location in the western region. Generally, guests are attracted to the more accessible options, like the northern or southern circuits, but for those willing to endure the cost and time needed to reach to this isolated area, it’s a remarkably exciting untouched park with the magnificent Chada Camp that we highly recommend. Katavi is best visited in combination with the Mahale Mountains, famous for chimpanzee trekking and trips out onto the stunning Lake Tanganyika, located on the Western border of Tanzania.
Dominated by rich floodplains, long golden grass and miombo woodlands, this unique park offers seclusion and an authentic isolated safari experience reminiscent of a foregone era. For the intrepid travelers who want to venture into the unknown, this park provides true wilderness! |
Highlights
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Wildlife
Katavi is home to the world’s largest herds of buffalo, as well as, plenty of elephants, lions, hyenas, zebra, giraffe, topi, leopard and waterbuck. The Katuma river that fills both the Chada and Katavi Lakes during the wet season provide a home for Katavi’s many pods of hippos and for the unique riverbank cave digging crocodiles of Katavi. During the dry season, the animals flock to the remaining water sources, making for wonderful sightings of their epic battles for survival. This remarkable remote park evokes the feeling of being transported back in time to what one can imagine Africa was like decades ago.
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Activities
Day time game drives are the main activity of Katavi, and given the abundance of game, unique landscapes, and untouched wonder of this park, they are nothing short of breathtaking. Chada camp, one of the few in this remote park, offers Walking Safari and spectacular fly camping for guests who would like to be completely immersed in this wild paradise.
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Seasons
It’s best to visit Katavi during the dry season, from the beginning of July to the end of October, as the animals congregate around the limited water sources, making for easy game viewing in this enormous park. Outside of these dates, the lush green landscapes are spectacular but limit game sightings; however, the low season visitors are so few and far between, so if you’re looking to be entirely alone in the bush, it’s a worthy consideration.
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