Katavi National Park

Very remote in western part...I only stopped there on way to Mahale park. canals restrict viewing because you cannot cross canals. Lots of Hippos.

In my opinion, Katavi national park is not a very good park as other national park of Tanzania. Though it's very large area. Also it is very far from Dar es salaam. And the rods are not good to go there.

Long driving distances from game drive areas to camp! Flamingos and lions were very special here, but also a lot of fine birds.

Many buffalo in the park and lions which hunt on the buffalo. Nice marshes which provide water to the wildlife.

Katavi is a place to consider for experienced safari goers who want a wilderness experience.

Katavi National Park presents a bit of a mixed bag. It is remote and therefore expensive to get to. Its remoteness does provide a better safari/bush experience but its very remoteness means fewer roads which force the few vehicles and visitors on them. But, it is a world away from the traffic in the Ngorongoro Crater and therefore will provide a truer safari experience for those seeking it.

I have some difficulty recommending Katavi for a first time safari. It is better suited to a repeat visitor who might know more of what to expect from the safari experience. We were there in August and experienced lots of tsetse flies and reports of blazing heat later in the fall. However, I do not wish to imply that all was negative. In what was our third trip to Africa that included visits to nine parks we saw the largest herds of Cape Buffalo, more Hippos and more Crocodiles in Katavi than in any park we visited. We also we fortunate to see herds Roan Antelope, wonderful Lion prides and some fantastic birding.

Much of the safari experience is dependent on the quality of the accommodations and the expertise of the guides. Chada Katavi was a first-rate camp with excellent food, hospitality and accommodations. Even if the camp Elephants were not always cooperative it was a blast to see one about 75 yards away when in the shower.

The Nomad guides were first rate. They have enormous knowledge, are pleasant and go out of there way to make the safari experience as rich as possible. The ability to go on a short walking safari was a big plus. Nomad Tanzania and Chada Katavi get the highest possible recommendations.

One word Remote! This is Tanzaias hardest to o to national park and yet offers the best number of wildlife. I did a 6 day journey with train road and frankly should have flown out. If you can fly in and out. Loads of animals you ll be freaked!stayed at chada camp but my friends Fox family owners of ruaha river lodge now have a camp here

Also a remote park, Katavi was fantastic, with its small river along which wildlife was concentrating. Well-known for its hippos and crocs.

One of my favorite safari locations

I stayed at Chada Katavi for seven nights in August of last year. I have to say that Katavi offers one of the highest levels of bush vibe in Africa.
The wildlife viewing was simply outstanding. I've never seen bigger pods of hippos nor more crocodiles as well as massive herds of buffalo and topi. There were lots of elephants and they often came into camp. I saw lions and leopards.

I went fly camping for two nights and on one night drive. Fly camping was particularly enjoyable. My night drive was simply awesome. One can go for hours without seeing another person.

A great place, like Ruaha, with great wildlife viewing. Actualy fantastic lions viewing in some part of it (sorry i won t say exacly where) when I visited in october 2009. We also saw hyenas, elephants, lots of giraffes, large herds of buffalos, diferent species of antelopes, crocs, birdlife etc.

Isolated, untrammelled and seldom visited park

Katavi is a true wilderness, providing the few intrepid souls who make it there with a thrilling taste of Africa as it must have been a century ago.

Tanzania's third largest national park, it lies in the remote southwest of the country, within a truncated arm of the Rift Valley that terminates in the shallow, brooding expanse of Lake Rukwa. Katavi’s most singular wildlife spectacle is provided by its hippos. Towards the end of the dry season, up to 200 individuals might flop together in any riverine pool of sufficient depth. And as more hippos gather in one place, so does male rivalry heat up – bloody territorial fights are an everyday occurrence, with the vanquished male forced to lurk hapless on the open plains until it gathers sufficient confidence to mount another challenge.