Katisunga floodplain
The vast heart of the park, with herds of buffalo, zebra and topi.
The Wild Frontier
Katavi
One of Tanzania’s most remote and rugged parks. Known for its massive hippo pods, huge crocodile congregations, and vast herds of buffalo.
- Type
- National Park
- Region
- Western Tanzania
- Best months
- Jul–Oct
- Known for
- Huge hippo pods, Buffalo herds in their thousands
Overview
About Katavi
Katavi is for the safari purist who wants to see Africa as it was a century ago. It receives a fraction of the visitors of the northern circuit, offering raw, unfettered wilderness and dramatic predator-prey interaction.
Katavi is one of the most remote national parks in Africa, and it receives only a few hundred visitors a year. It is a place of wide floodplains, palm-fringed lakes and the Katuma River.
Late in the dry season the river shrinks to a few muddy pools, and the wildlife crowds around them in extraordinary numbers: hippos lying shoulder to shoulder, crocodiles, and buffalo herds that can number in the thousands. Lions and hyenas follow.
With only a handful of camps, game drives and walks here feel like proper exploration, and the park combines naturally with chimpanzee trekking in Mahale.
Known for
- Huge hippo pods
- Buffalo herds in their thousands
- True remoteness
- Lions and crocodiles
At a glance
- Type
- National Park
- Region
- Western Tanzania
- Size
- About 4,470 km²
- Established
- 1974
- Best months
- Jul–Oct
- By road
- Very long drives on rough roads; nearly all visitors fly.
- By air
- Charter or seasonal scheduled flights from Arusha, frequently combined with Mahale.
Inside the park
Areas of Katavi
Where you stay and explore shapes what you see. These are the main areas we plan around.
Katuma River
The dry-season lifeline, with packed hippo pools and crocodiles.
Lakes Katavi & Chada
Seasonal lakes and swamps that attract large concentrations of game and waterbirds.
Wildlife
What you can see in Katavi
Hippo pods by the hundred, giant buffalo herds, lions and crocodiles, with almost no other vehicles.
Big game
- Hippo
- Buffalo
- Lion
- Leopard
- Spotted hyena
- Elephant
- Nile crocodile
Antelope & others
- Topi
- Roan
- Sable
- Eland
- Giraffe
- Zebra
- Defassa waterbuck
Birds
- Saddle-billed stork
- African fish eagle
- Open-billed stork
- Crowned crane
When to go
The best time to visit Katavi
August to October. During the late dry season, the Katuma River dries to muddy puddles, concentrating thousands of hippos and crocs into tight spaces, creating explosive viewing.
- JanQuieter / wet
- FebQuieter / wet
- MarQuieter / wet
- AprQuieter / wet
- MayQuieter / wet
- JunGood
- JulPeak
- AugPeak
- SepPeak
- OctPeak
- NovGood
- DecQuieter / wet
Late dry season
The most dramatic time, as hippos and other wildlife crowd into the last pools.
Early dry season
Pleasant weather and good game viewing as the plains dry out.
Wet season
Most camps close; much of the park is inaccessible.
Getting there
Travel and access
Very long drives on rough roads; nearly all visitors fly.
Charter or seasonal scheduled flights from Arusha, frequently combined with Mahale.
Things to do
Activities
- Game drives
- Walking safaris
- Fly camping
- Birdwatching
Where to stay
Camps and lodges
We match each stay to your budget and the season, from classic tented camps to luxury lodges.
Remote tented camps
A few seasonal camps overlooking the floodplains.
A day here
Intense and untamed. You will drive across vast, golden floodplains watching herds of up to 4,000 buffalo kick up dust, pursued closely by lions. It’s an unplugged, deeply authentic frontier experience.
Our travel tips
- Visit late in the dry season for the most dramatic hippo and buffalo concentrations.
- Allow at least three nights; reaching the park takes time.
- Combine with Mahale on the same flight circuit.
The Photographic Journal
The Spirit of Katavi.
Questions
Katavi: frequently asked questions
Katavi questions
Combine with
Pairs well with Katavi
Plan your Katavi safari
Tell us your dates and interests. A safari designer replies within 24 hours with ideas and prices.