Katavi National Park

Katavi National Park, located in the far western part of Tanzania near Lake Tanganyika, is one of Tanzania’s lesser-known National Parks but the third largest in Tanzania. The Park lies in the western safari circuit in conjunction with the Mahale Mountains, Lake Tanganyika, and Gombe Stream National Park. Established in 1974, the park covers approximately 4,471 square kilometers (1,726 square miles) of land area and is bounded by the Katuma River and the seasonal Lake Katavi as well as Lake Chada floodplains.

Katavi National Park is one of Tanzania’s safari destinations that has remained an untouched wilderness paradise and unique with amazing wonder, less traffic with low annual visitors to the park. This is due to its relative inaccessibility, but it is one of the most exciting parks to visit on a safari to Tanzania.

The park is one of the few best-kept secrets in Africa with true wilderness where you will travel and have the genuine feeling of what it felt like back in time. With incredible biodiversity, the Park is home to large herds of cape buffaloes, zebras, giraffes, wildebeests, and elephants, among many others. The volumes of animals seen here are much larger in concentration and more bestial. Travelers who take the time and money to visit Katavi National Park are greatly rewarded with images of magical seclusion and an authentic isolated safari experience.

Attractions in Katavi Park

Wildlife

We can’t think of anywhere else that showcases buffalo and lion duels as well as Katavi. Its flood plains of thick reeds that result in muddy pools during annual dry seasons also teem with schools of hippos and crocodiles. Each hippo pool hosts about 600 hippos at its peak. The park has a diverse range of habitats including pristine seasonal lakes and fragile rivers such as Katuma, Kavu, and Kapapa; which attract plenty of wildlife including crocodiles. Besides its concentration of large herds of buffaloes, Katavi National Park is also home to elephants, giraffes, elands, topis, zebras, waterbucks, hartebeests, impalas, and duikers, which are always seen around water sources during the dry season. The park also boasts a range of predators like hyenas, lions, leopards, wild dogs, hippos, and crocodiles. The beautiful sable and roan antelopes can sometimes be found in the Miombo woodland. Because it is a thrilling resident of the wooded savannah, the black mamba can be found in the park at times.

Birds

Katavi National Park is a great place for birdwatchers, with over 450 recorded species of birds including migratory birds from Europe and North Africa. Birds in Katavi National Park can be found on the shores of the rivers in the park and among these include large flocks of storks such as saddle bills, open-billed, and spoonbills, as well as African fish eagles, Bateleurs, lilac-breasted rollers, crested barbets, and paradise flycatchers, to name a few.

Moreover, Katavi is home to the largest and most magnificent raptor in Tanzania – the Bateleur eagle, which is identified by its rich brown upper body feathers and brilliant orange beak.

Lake Katavi and Katuma River

Lake Katavi is a seasonal lake in the park that covers an area of 100-150 km depending on the volume of water available. During the rainy season, this lake is a birding destination for a variety of water birds and supports the majority of Tanzania’s densest concentration of hippos and crocodiles.

The Katuma River which follows into Lake Katavi on the other hand contains a large concentration of hippos, crocodiles etc. and other animal species such as hyenas, lions.

Katsunga plains

Katsunga plains in Katavi National Park have an extensive wildlife base; the plains are one of Tanzania’s best wildlife viewing locations after Serengeti National Park. The plains are surrounded by scrub and savannah woodlands, and a river runs through them.

The Katabi tree

Katavi National Park was named after the Wabende tribe spirit: Katabi – a legendary hunter spirit that lives inside a tamarind tree close to Lake Katavi. This spirit was believed to award fortunes, provide magical protection, and uncover traditional cures to heal maladies like smallpox in the natives. Today, the tree is still utilized by residents such as Pimbew and Wabende who remain near the park to seek the Katabi Spirit for blessings and other favors.

Activities in Katavi National Park

Game drives

A game drive in Katavi National Park is a delightful safari experience. Enjoy an abundance of game and the untouched unique landscapes of this park in the comfort of a 4×4 safari Landcruiser. The traffic is low giving you a special sense of intimacy with wildlife in their natural environment. Many animal species can be seen including; cape buffaloes, hippos, zebras, wildebeests, giraffes, elephants, crocodiles, cheetahs, wild dogs, hyenas, leopards, and lions. The game drives take place in the morning, afternoon, or evening, as well as at night.

Birding

For the bird watchers on a Tanzania birding safari, Katavi National Park is without doubt, a birding paradise with over 450 recorded bird species. Look out for African fishing eagle, Paradise flycatchers, herons, Spoonbills, plovers, and many others can be spotted on any birding excursion in the Park. This number makes it one the best bird-watching destination in Tanzania.

Guided Nature walks

Katavi National Park provides guided nature walks with experienced park rangers. The park provides both long and short walks, where visitors can see the stunning views of the Chorangwa, Leukemia, and Ndidi waterfalls. The long nature walks take 17 kilometers in 5 hours, while the short walks take 9 kilometers in about 3 hours.

Bush Camping

Camping is also available within Katavi National Park. Ordinary non-luxury tents are set up in the wilderness at a temporary campsite. No fences, no flush toilets or showers; just living in the wild, cooking food over a fire and spending evenings chatting around the bonfire, while gazing up at the breathtaking African night sky, and listening to the calls and sounds of the wild.

Cultural trails

Just near Lake Katavi, visit the tamarind tree that lives 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.

The park has numerous historical sites where visitors may tour and learn about Tanzania’s different cultures, its people, and its traditions, as well as its history. Among these sites include the Kabora-lyonga slave trade route and the old settlements, to mention but a few.

Best Time to Visit Katavi National Park

Katavi National Park provides excellent game watching all year; however, the dry season from July to October is when the animals congregate in their hundreds around restricted water sources, offering spectacular viewing. During the wet season, the floodplains transform into lakes, providing excellent birding opportunities.

How to get to Katavi National Park

Katavi National Park is one of Tanzania’s most isolated national parks. It is located in the far west of Tanzania, over 1,260 kilometers from Dar es Salaam. The Park can be accessed both by road and air;

Road

By road, drive on road to the park through Dar es Salaam via Mbeya, Dar es Salaam via Tabora, Arusha via Tabora, or Mwanza via Tabora-Inyonga to the Katavi National Park.

Air

Katavi National Park can be accessed by arranging charter flights from Dar es Salaam, Mwanza, or Arusha cities to either Mpanda airport, which is located in Mpanda town, or to Sitalike and Ikuu airstrips within the National park flights; which are usually every Monday and Thursday.

Accommodation in Lake Katavi National Park