Katavi National Park
Katavi National Park is a true wilderness, isolated, untrammeled, and rarely visited, providing the few brave souls who make it there with a thrilling taste of Africa as it must have been a century ago. It is Tanzania’s third largest national park, and it is located in the country’s remote southwest, within a truncated arm of the Rift Valley that ends in the shallow, brooding expanse of Lake Rukwa.
More About Katavi National Park
The majority of Katavi is covered in a hypnotically featureless tangled brachystegia woodland, which is home to large but elusive populations of eland, sable, and roan antelopes. The Katuma River and associated floodplains, such as the seasonal Lakes Katavi and Chada, are the main focus for game viewing within the park. These lush, marshy lakes are a haven for myriad waterbirds during the rainy season, and they also support Tanzania’s densest concentrations of hippo and crocodile.
Katavi truly comes into its own during the dry season, when the floodwaters recede. The Katuma, which has been reduced to a shallow, muddy trickle, is the only source of drinking water for miles around, and the flanking floodplains support incredible game concentrations. 4,000 elephants and several herds of 1,000 or more buffalo are expected to congregate in the area, while an abundance of giraffe, zebra, impala, and reedbuck provide easy pickings for the many lion prides and spotted hyena clans whose territories converge on the floodplains.
The hippos in Katavi provide the most unique wildlife spectacle. Up to 200 people can flop together in any riverine pool of sufficient depth near the end of the dry season. As more hippos congregate in one location, male rivalry heats up – bloody territorial fights are commonplace, with the defeated male forced to scavenge on the open plains until he gains enough confidence to mount another challenge.
Wildlife safaris in Tanzania
This trip was made for you if you think "safari" and "wildlife." This all-camping safari, designed to maximize wildlife viewing opportunities, will bring you up close and personal with creatures large and small, from big cats to birds.
