Katavi
Another huge park, over one million acres, Katavi national park is an incredibly special place, one of Africa’s greatest wildlife experiences and it is thought that the park is home to the highest density of wildlife in Tanzania. Even pre-pandemic the park was only visited by around 2’000 tourists per year so this will never feel busy, in fact you will almost always feel like you have the whole place to yourself! One of the main reasons the park sees so few visitors is because it really is in the middle of nowhere and not that easy to get to with shared charters operating twice weekly often the only choice. However, for those that do visit, you are ensured a once in a lifetime safari adventure.
Katavi is found in the Rukwa rift, an extension of the main East Africa western rift valley which ends in the Lake Rukwa basin. There are two rivers that flow through the park, the Kapapa and the Katuma. These join to form the River Katu which in turn flows into Lake Rukwa.
During the rainy months, and into the dry season, these rivers overflow to form wide shallow marshes which are a draw for huge herds of buffalo, often in the hundreds, sometimes up to 1000! However, one of the most incredible sights in Katavi, in the dry season (from May to October), is the concentration of hippo and crocodile. As the water sources retreat, from lakes and wide rivers to pools and streams, the huge numbers gather and squeeze together to form a bubbling pod of hundreds of hippos with crocodile clambering on top of each other for space in their riverbank caves, such an incredible spectacle.
Away from the waterways the park is made up of two enormous plains which are surrounded by varied woodlands. These plains, in the dry season, fill with thousands of plains wildlife including impala, zebra, topi, hartebeest, giraffe, elephant and waterbuck to name a few. Predators include hyena, occasionally leopard in the forested areas and lion in good numbers. Wild dog are also present but rarely seen. Birdlife is very good in Katavi with over 400 recorded species including the open billed stork, crested barbet, fish eagle, lilac breasted roller and the paradise flycatcher among many others.
With the park being so remote there are only two accommodation options worth noting, thankfully both are owned and run by trusted operators and are very good so don’t be put off by this. Another worthy point is that Katavi is almost always combined with Mahale National Park (this forms part of the light aircraft route, Mahale is only 45 minutes or so from Katavi) so it is worth having a look at both of these incredible places as one adventure.
Yes, it does take a long time to get there by light aircraft, and is costly to do so, but if you have the time and means then you can treat to yourself to a truly once in a lifetime adventure that rivals anywhere in Africa or the world for that matter. Perhaps you have been on safari a hundred times and are looking for something different, you will absolutely find it here!
