Katavi National Park Safaris
Katavi is the safari park for the safari connoisseur. Located next to the Mahale Mountains in Western Tanzania, Katavi is far off the main tourist circuit, receiving a handful of guests a year.
When to Go
Best Time to Go
One of Africa’s best kept secrets
One of the highest game concentrations in Africa
Off the main tourist circuit
Combines well with Mahale Mountains
For Safari Connoisseurs
Encompassing 4,471 square kilometres (1,726 square miles), Katavi is Tanzania’s third-largest national park as well as one of Tanzania’s least visited. There are no luxury lodges here, just a couple of no-frills serious safari camps where safari is the only talk at the table. The remoteness of Katavi is what attracts its clients, with the added bonus that game viewing can be as wild as you will find anywhere – Katavi is a prehistoric park, a true land of giants. Anyone visiting this absolute gem of a wildlife park will come away knowing that they have just had a near-unbeatable safari experience!
Activities & Wildlife
Often booked alongside Mahale Mountains National Park, Katavi offers one of the last truly wild safari experiences left on the continent.
Wildlife
Game drives
Walking safaris
Fly camping
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Visitors to Katavi will see most of what they will spot in other national parks, including lion, elephant, leopard, buffalo and wild dog. However, what sets Katavi apart are the huge congregations of various species. Herds of buffalo will often number in their thousands, and it is not uncommon to come across elephant in their hundreds. With these huge herds roaming the plains, the feeling of utter wilderness is tangible, virtually prehistoric. Katavi’s most singular wildlife spectacle is perhaps its hippos, with sightings becoming better towards the end of the dry season as the seasonal rivers almost completely dry up.
Classic game drives are a fantastic way to experience Katavi National Park’s remote, untouched wilderness. Spot the park’s array of wildlife, including big cats and massive herds of buffalo and elephant, with an experienced safari guide.
Embark on a walking safari in Katavi National Park with an experienced guide, and become fully immersed in the park’s wilderness.
Enjoy a night of pure adventure when you go fly camping in Katavi National Park. You’ll spend a night away from the main camp, in a lightweight camp with mesh tents.
Talk to someone who’s been there
Real expertise doesn’t come from a few trips to Africa. All our specialists have either been guides, run the camps, or grown up and lived in Africa. That’s over 600 years of genuine safari experience.Good to Know
01.What type of traveler is best suited to Katavi National Park?
This park is best suited to safari enthusiasts. Katavi is a mecca for serious Africa-heads, with dinner conversation usually just about Africa! The best camps here are tailored for this kind of clientele, with an atmosphere that’s focused on the safari experience above all else. As a result, the best camps in Katavi are simple yet very high-end. Expect them to have excellent guiding and a real focus on getting out and exploring Katavi itself. This is not a park for opulent luxury – it is a place where the style of camps epitomises the very nature of such a wild location.
02.How long should I spend in Katavi?
With flights costing a minimum of $1,000pp and a recommended stay of three nights or more, Katavi is far from a cheap destination! If you are willing to spend time traveling overland to Katavi, you will need at least two weeks, and to make it financially worthwhile, you will need to travel in small groups.”
03.What are good destinations to combine with Katavi?
If you are spending this much time and effort traveling out to Katavi, we highly recommend combining your trip with the chimpanzees of Mahale Mountains National Park. This is one of the finest week-long safaris we operate anywhere – a genuine trip of a lifetime!
04.When is the best time to travel to Katavi National Park?
Katavi National Park is a classic dry-season park, with the game getting progressively better towards the end of the dry season. July through to October is regarded as the best time of year to travel, with the highest concentrations of game around the plains and the park’s only water supplies. November through to March sees the game concentrations diminish, but the quality of birding becomes absolutely superb – and you are guaranteed a park completely to yourself!
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