Katavi National Park is Tanzania’s third-largest national park and one of its most remote and untouched wilderness areas. It is a landscape of epic, primal Africa, characterized by vast, seasonal floodplains, dense woodlands, and the life-giving Katuma River system. The park is named after the legendary spirit of the land, Katabi, a local Wabende hunter who is commemorated in a tamarind tree where offerings are still sometimes made.

The park covers 4,471 square kilometers and was established as a National Park in 1974. Its extreme remoteness ensures an exclusive and authentic safari experience, offering a sense of discovery few other places can match. It was formed from the former Katavi River Game Reserve.

Climate
Katavi has a dramatic seasonal contrast. The dry season, from May to October, is when the park is at its most spectacular. As water sources vanish, the Katuma River and its associated lakes, Lake Katavi and Lake Chada, become the only remaining water, attracting staggering concentrations of wildlife. The wet season, from November to April, sees the floodplains turn into lush grasslands, with many animals dispersing and some areas becoming inaccessible due to rain.

Getting There
Reaching Katavi typically requires a flight. Scheduled and chartered flights from Dar es Salaam, Arusha, or Mwanza land at the park’s airstrips, such as Ikuu Airstrip. A road journey is an arduous expedition, possible only with a robust 4×4 vehicle and taking several days from major cities.

Attractions
Katavi National Park is renowned for its intense, dry-season wildlife spectacles. During this time, visitors can witness some of the largest herds of buffalo and elephant in Tanzania congregating around the shrinking water sources. The park is famous for its massive pods of hippos, which are forced to crowd into remaining pools and wallows, leading to frequent and dramatic territorial fights. The floodplains, particularly the Katisunga plains, are alive with thousands of impala, topi, zebra, and other grazers, followed closely by prides of lion and spotted hyena. The sense of isolation is profound, and the opportunity to experience a true, untouched African wilderness, with stunning scenes of predator and prey against a backdrop of dense miombo woodland and palm-fringed lakes, is an unparalleled adventure for the intrepid traveler.