Isolated,
untrammelled
and seldom
visited,
Katavi is a
true
wilderness,
providing
the few
intrepid
souls who
make it
there with a
thrilling
taste of
Africa as it
must have
been a
century ago.
Tanzania's
third
largest
national
park, it
lies in the
remote
southwest of
the country,
within a
truncated
arm of the
Rift Valley
that
terminates
in the
shallow,
brooding
expanse of
Lake Rukwa.
The bulk of
Katavi
supports a
hypnotically
featureless
cover of
tangled
brachystegia
woodland,
home to
substantial
but elusive
populations
of the
localised
eland, sable
and roan
antelopes.
But the main
focus for
game viewing
within the
park is the
Katuma River
and
associated
floodplains
such as the
seasonal
Lakes Katavi
and Chada.
During the
rainy
season,
these lush,
marshy lakes
are a haven
for myriad
waterbirds,
and they
also support
Tanzania’s
densest
concentrations
of hippo and
crocodile.
It is during
the dry
season, when
the
floodwaters
retreat,
that Katavi
truly comes
into its
own. The
Katuma,
reduced to a
shallow,
muddy
trickle,
forms the
only source
of drinking
water for
miles
around, and
the flanking
floodplains
support game
concentrations
that defy
belief. 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.
About Katavi
National
Park
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
town.
Getting
there
Charter
flights from
Dar or
Arusha.
A tough but
spectacular
day's drive
from Mbeya
(550 km/340
miles), or
in the dry
season only
from Kigoma
(390 km/240
miles).
It is
possible to
reach Mpanda
by rail from
Dar via
Tabora, then
to catch
public
transport to
Sitalike,
where game
drives can
be arranged.
If
travelling
overland,
allow plenty
of time to
get there
and back.
What
to do
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.
Accommodation
More info on
accommodation
