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Tom
US
Visited:
September 2026
Reviewed: Sep 30, 2026
Email Tom | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Wild and remote - But illegal fishing has scared lions away
Late in the dry season, this park has herds of buffalo 1000 to 2000 strong that you can see on the Chada Plain and the Katisunga Plain. There are also large herds of topi, waterbuck, and zebra. In the rivers (what's left in the dry season) are large pods of hippos and scores of huge crocs. Elephants are plentiful and I saw the most giraffes of any place I have been around Africa.
There are other antelope that are commonly seen such as impala and bushbuck. On the very remote Paradise Plain, I saw the most amount of reedbuck of any park that I have been to as well. Other antelope seen
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were Eland and Roan.I was pleasantly surprised with 4 leopard sightings. One of which we had all to ourselves. The others there was just one other vehicle of guests from the camp we were staying at.
Birding was very good.
Katavi used to be a park where lions were frequently seen. The Chada pride had been the one pride seen often by the few visitors that visit this park. Things have changed though and it is worth noting. The pride males of the Chada pride have been chased off by new males. These new males are extremely shy. There has also been an increase in illegal fishing in the park and this has pushed lions into the more remote sections of the park. Over 5 nights we were very fortunate to have one sighting of 4 lions (2 lionesses and a younger male and female sibling pair). According to our guide, this had only been the 3rd lion sighting over the last 2+ weeks. For a month before that, there were no lion sightings.
The wildness of Katavi is what makes this park special, but when lions become wary of humans, they have a lot of places to go and wildlife to hunt far away from people.
That being said, I would definitetly recommend visiting Katavi. We had several days where we did not see another safari vehicle, especially when we traveled 40 kms into the very remote Paradise Plain.
Getting to Katavi is a commitment and not cheap. Bush flights into the park happen only twice a week. You can also fly to Mpanda located 2 hours north of the park on Air Tanzania. You would have to arrange transport into the park depending on which of the only three camps in the park offers that service.
Because lion sightings have become inconsistent, you should include a stay of at least 4 or 5 nights at Ruaha where lion sightings are much more consistent (3 days out of 4 on this trip).
I can only hope TANAPA continues their efforts towards reigning in the illegal fishing (villagers will walk 20 kms during the night to fish and actively scare lions away). Since Katavi is not one of the premier parks in the country, funding is always going to be a challenge. Had lion sightings continued to be consistent, this would surely be one of my favorite parks in Africa.
The companies with camps in Katavi should be more forthcoming about the lion situation in Katavi. According to my guide, the situation of illegal fishing has been increasing since 2022. If you are a first time safari goer, definitely include Ruaha on your itinerary. I recommend Nomad Tanzania for Ruaha. I recommend Nomad-Tanzania or Foxes Safari Camps in Katavi.
Abdul Jabbar Soomro
PK
Visited:
April 2025
Reviewed: Apr 23, 2025
Email Abdul Jabbar Soomro | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
**"Untamed Beauty and Serenity: A Memorable Experience at Katavi National Park"**
Wild, remote, and breathtakingly beautiful escape.
Abdul Jabbar Soomro
PK
Visited:
April 2025
Reviewed: Apr 23, 2025
Email Abdul Jabbar Soomro | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
**"Untamed Beauty and Serenity: A Memorable Experience at Katavi National Park"**
Wild, remote, and breathtakingly beautiful escape.
Narendra Kumar
IN
Visited:
June 2021
Reviewed: Feb 3, 2025
Email Narendra Kumar | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Awesome view
This huge park, which consists of a mixture of dry woodland and huge expanses of grassland (which are actually dry lake beds though they turn into wet lake beds in the wet season) in the remote west is one of the best kept wildlife secrets in Africa
Sukhpreet
IN
Visited:
April 2018
Reviewed: Jan 12, 2025
Email Sukhpreet | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Beautiful
Beautiful park, peaceful place, go and enjoy with nature
Pankaj kumawat
IN
Visited:
June 2022
Reviewed: Dec 25, 2024
Email Pankaj kumawat | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
It's amazing wonder ful park
Katveri park I have visited two years before .I went to beautiful place with my family .I like it so much.lot of animals were there .like as monkey chips jee.fox.other wilds animals were seen by me.soft sound of birds gave me music to my ears .natural scenary made me excited
Diamond Shahi
It's was a amazing experience
Katavi National Park was a truly unforgettable experience, offering a glimpse into one of Tanzania's most pristine and untouched wilderness areas. The wildlife viewing was beyond anything I expected – I saw large herds of buffalo, hippos in abundance, and even a pride of lions lounging by the water
Raees
IN
Visited:
July 2024
Reviewed: Jul 16, 2024
Email Raees | under20 years of age | Experience level: first safari
nature beauty park
Nice park there are many wildlife creatures and so many beautiful creatures it is like the pure nature beaty
ShaiK Haneef
IN
Visited:
June 2023
Reviewed: Mar 17, 2024
Email ShaiK Haneef | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Awesome
Amazing animals I was seen in park...sach a beautiful moment,,🤩🤩😍🥰
Lise Pedersen
DK
Visited:
January 2019
Reviewed: Feb 13, 2019
Email Lise Pedersen | 65+ years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Long driving distances from game drive areas to camp! Flamingos and lions were very special here, but also a lot of fine birds.