Katavi National Park

Katavi, a national park since 1974 of about 4,470 square kilometres, is the third largest in Tanzania and among the least visited, which is the whole character of the place: in 2012/13 it had just over 1,500 foreign visitors, out of 900,000 across all of Tanzania's national parks. The Katuma river and the floodplains of the seasonal Lake Katavi and Lake Chada dry back through the season into shrinking pools, and what happens then is the reason to be here, with hippos packed into mud holes in their hundreds and large herds of buffalo, zebra and elephant on the plains.

Background

Katavi National Park lies in the Katavi Region of Tanzania and covers about 4,471 square kilometres. Besides its herds and hippos it holds lions, leopards, cheetahs, hyenas and wild dogs, though there are reports of wildlife falling through illegal hunting for bushmeat. In 2013 only three permanent camps were allowed to operate, Mbali Mbali Katavi Lodge, Foxes on the Katuma Plain and Chada on the Chada Plain, each for about a dozen guests, besides a public campsite. Visitors usually arrive by charter flight on the dirt airstrip at Ikuu, about three hours from Dar es Salaam and two from Mwanza in a light aircraft, with flights to Arusha usually only on Mondays and Thursdays.

Source: Wikipedia, "Katavi National Park"

What you'll find

• The drying pools - hippo crowded into shrinking mud in the late dry season.
• The big herds - Cape buffalo with zebras, giraffes and elephants.
• The Chada floodplain - near Lake Chada, where mammal numbers were highest.
• The emptiness - one of the least visited parks in Tanzania.

When to go

June to October, and the later in that window the better for concentrations. The wet season from November to April floods the roads and most camps close. Access is difficult year round.

Practical notes

Getting here is expensive and slow: flights are limited and the road journey is very long and rough. Facilities are few and camps close for months. Tsetse flies are persistent in the woodland.

Nearby

Lake Rukwa is southeast, and Mahale Mountains are north.

Key facts