Katavi National Park is a highly remote, untouched wilderness in western Tanzania. It features vast floodplains, dense woodlands, and seasonal rivers. Because it is difficult and expensive to reach, Katavi receives very few visitors, offering a completely exclusive look at how Africa was a century ago.
Famed for massive concentrations of hippos and crocodiles. During the dry season, up to 600 hippos can cram into a single shrinking mud pool. Large herds of buffaloes (numbering in the thousands), elephants, lions, leopards, hyenas, and zebras roam the plains.
During the dry season, wildlife from the surrounding miombo woodlands migrates to the shrinking Katuma River.
The seasonal cycles significantly affect animal movements and foliage visibility. Here is a month-by-month guide:
Dry season. The best time to visit as animals concentrate in spectacular numbers near water.
Wet season. The floodplains fill with water, making roads impassable, and many lodges close.
The focal point of the dry season where hippos and crocodiles gather.
A vast, grassy wetland that attracts massive herds of grazers and predators.
A seasonal lake bed that turns into a wildlife-rich grassland in the dry season.
July to October (Dry season is spectacular as animals congregate around the shrinking Katuma River).
None
Western Tanzania
Charter flight from Arusha or Dar es Salaam (3 to 4 hours).
Vetted recommendations from local experts, catering to range of luxury preferences.
An ultra-classic, stylish tented camp set on the edge of the Chada Plain.
Premium tents elevated on wooden decks with views of the Katisunga floodplains.
