Katavi National Park
The Park in western Tanzania is remote and wild, a destination for the true safari aficionado. Katavi is in the far west of Tanzania, about sixty miles east of Lake Tanganyika. It is a fifty minute flight from, and over four hundred miles and almost four hours from Arusha, thus undoubtedly the reason why it is visited by very few tourists.
The name of the park immortalizes a legendary hunter, Katabi, whose spirit is believed to possess a tamarind tree ringed with offerings from locals begging his blessings. Despite being Tanzania’s third largest park, Katavi sees relatively few visitors, meaning that those guests who arrive here can look forward to having to themselves this huge untouched wilderness.
The Park’s main features are the watery grass plains to the north; the palm fringed Lake Chada in the south-east, and the Katuma River. Katavi boasts Tanzania’s greatest populations of both crocodile and hippopotamus. Lion and leopard find prey among the huge populations of herbivores at Katavi- impala, eland, topi, zebra and herds of up to 1,600 buffalo wander the short grass plains. The rare, honey-colored puku antelope is one of the park’s richest wildlife viewing rewards. A kaleidoscope of birds flit across the riverbanks, swamps and palm groves while flotillas of pelican cruise the lakes and elephant graze waist-deep in the marshlands.
Other resident animals include topi, giraffe, hartebeest, sable, roan, waterbuck and reedbuck,hyena etc
Katavi’s spectacular scenery is both diverse and untouched. Flood plains of thick reeds and dense waterways are home to a huge population of hippo and wide-ranging birdlife. In the woodlands to the west, forest canopies are a hideout for herds of buffalo and elephant.
There's little or no infrastructure in the park consequently offering you the chance to explore the unscathed wilderness, by foot or off-road by land rover, to discover the most secret parts of the park, without seeing another soul.
The dry months of July to October are the best months to visit the Park.
Best time to Visit the park:
Katavi is best visited in the dry season between May and October, December and February.
Accommodation
1. Chada Katavi stylish tented camp is situated in the heart of the Katavi National Park, western Tanzania.