09/09/2025
Katavi National park
Katavi National Park is pure wilderness. This classic dry-season park is completely off the beaten-track, but teeming with wildlife. Katavi National Park consists of a series of secret floodplains that open up in front of you as you arrive through their woodland fringes. Katavi Wildlife Camp is cunningly camouflaged in this woodland.
The Katavi National Park, is about 40 kilometers south east of Mpanda town, at the foot of the Mlele escarpment, was established in 1974 covering an area of 2253 square kilometers. Despite of being dissected by the Mpanda – Sumbawanga road, it is considered by many as difficult to reach, that makes Katavi one of the unspoiled and beautiful national parks with variety of game life in Africa. The main vegetation in the Katavi National Park is miombo woodland, acacia parkland, grassland plain and swamps around the River Katuma, which joins Lake Katavi and Lake Chada.The dry season is the best time to visit especially by light aircraft or by road.
Dry Season: May to October and mid-December to February are the dry months. Rainy Season: the long rains are from March to May, which makes the road impassable. Temperature range between 15° C at night and 35° C during the hottest hours.
Activites and Special Interests: The lakes (Katavi and Chada) which are joined by the River Katuma give an excellent attraction to the visitors. Bird Watching around lakes and swamps provide the safest breeding ground for the birds, over 400 species of birds have been recorded in Katavi National Park, among others are pelicans, Water fowl, and Flocks of open-billed storks, which are easily observed. the park has one of the largest undisturbed herds of buffalo in Tanzania, hippos, crocodiles and other sorts of reptiles. Other animals include lions, leopards, roan and sable antelopes, reedbuck, topi, eland, zebra and elephants, all are visible during the safari. The Katasunga plains, is much more of attraction occupied with thousands of antelope, zebra, giraffe, topi, hartebeest and Defassa waterbuck.
Wildlife
An estimated 4,000 elephants might converge on the area, together with several herds of 1,000-plus buffalo, while an abundance of giraffe, zebra, impala and reedbuck provide easy pickings for the numerous lion prides and spotted hyena clans whose territories converge on the floodplains. Katavi’s most singular wildlife spectacle is provided by its hippos. Towards the end of the dry season, up to 200 individuals might flop together in any riverine pool of sufficient depth. And as more hippos gather in one place, so does male rivalry heat up – bloody territorial fights are an everyday occurrence, with the vanquished male forced to lurk hapless on the open plains until it gathers sufficient confidence to mount another challenge.
Scenery
The habitat is mainly grassland savannah and brachystegia woodland on the east of the park. In the wet season the place transforms to lush marshes and shallow lakes, leaving behind dusty floodplains in the dry season.
Size and Location
Size: 4,471 sq km (1,727 sq miles).
Location; Southwest Tanzania, east of Lake Tanganyika.
The headquarters at Sitalike lie 40km (25 miles) south of Mpanda tow. The Katavi plains are home to the last great herds of Buffalo in Africa and yet each year only a few hundred people are privileged enough to experience it. If you have the time and resources Katavi is the ultimate off the beaten track safari destination.
Reasons to Go
Walking, driving and camping safaris.
Near Lake Katavi, visit the tamarind tree inhabited by the spirit of the legendary hunter Katabi (for whom the park is named) – offerings are still left here by locals seeking the spirit’s blessing.
When to go
The dry season (May-October).
Roads within the park are often flooded during the rainy season but may be passable from mid-December to February. More info [email protected] [email protected]
