Katavi National Park
Way out west, this rugged national park is one of the least known, but most exciting wildlife areas in East Africa.
Katavi is like travelling back in time, maybe to the Pleistocene era. Animals seem bigger and more bestial. As a human, for once, you don't feel like you own the planet. It's a thrilling experience. Survival here depends on fragile seasonal rivers, the Katuma, the Kavu and the Kapapa. Between the rivers, huge herds of buffalo and other herbivores concentrate for the rich grass of four great floodplains, including (our own backyard) Chada.
As months wear on, the grass dries gold and withers. By the end of the dry season, it’s all going a bit mad. As water becomes limited, so animals are drawn to the riverbanks. Hippopotamus in their thousands cram dwindling pools, crocodiles dig riverbank caves. Buffalo and elephant compete for waterholes. Lion, hyenas and other predators know this and wildlife watching here becomes even more outstanding.
Our Camps in Katavi National Park
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When to go

January
Camp closed for the rains
February
Camp closed for the rains
March
Camp closed for the rains
April
Camp closed for the rains
May
Camp closed for the rains
June
Tail end of the green season
July
Drying out fast
August
Great variety of wildlife
September
Great variety of wildlife
October
Great variety of wildlife
November
Possibility of first rains
December