Katavi National Park
This park lies on less known western safari circuit, alongside Lake Tanganyika, the Mahale Mountains, and Gombe Stream National Park in Tanzania. This safari circuit is rarely visited or less known than other circuits in Tanzania due to the high cost of travelling to this secluded location. However, this circuit is renowned for offering excellent wildlife viewing opportunities in its untarnished wilderness areas. The park was established in 1974, its vast natural and pristine wilderness high opportunity to discover the true wilderness. Discover some beautiful hippo pools in this park, during the end of the dry season up to 200 hundred individuals might flop together in any riverine pool of sufficient depth. Katavi national park offers abundance of wildlife and has the one of the Tanzanias’ greatest concentrations of Tanzania wildlife including Wildebeests, Leopards, Zebras, Cheetah, lions, giraffes, African Buffalos, and Elephants. Crocodiles can frequently be spotted on the banks of the Katuma River, vegetation is mosaic of closed to open woodlands, scrublands, grasslands, swamps, seasonal lake, and the riverine vegetation. Game drive in this park is concentrated along the Katuma River and associated floodplains of Lake Katavi and chada where most animals can be spotted around this area. The park can be accessed by road but it’s generally very tough as the western circuit is too far from major cities like Dar es Salaam, Mwanza or Arusha and Kilimanjaro and it is inaccessible due to its forest terrain, so the scheduled charted flights are the only easy way to access the park. Travelers can embark on a walking safari within Katavi national park, birdwatching, and explore some historical sites in the area. Travelers can visit the Kabora-Lyonga-slave route passed through this area during the slave trade, visitors can also view the famous tamarind tree. Katavi national park derives her name from the Wabene spirit “Katabi” who according to the local people of the area believes the spirit lives in a tamarind tree just near Lake Katavi. The locals believe the spirit of Katabi still lives in the tamarind tree and so they still look to it for blessings and also give offerings left at the foot of the tree, locals offer food to its roots to gain luck when hunting.
THINGS TO DO KATAVI NATIONAL PARK
Katavi National Park is a hidden in the western Tanzania safari circuit zone offering abundance of the tours and activities that gives everyone something nicer to do from exploring the thrilling game drives, walking safaris to cultural immersions that really allows you immerse deep into the unforgettable and exhilarating Tanzania safari experiences.
Game drives in Katavi national park offers you an opportunity to venture into the pristine wilderness of this protected area on an excellent 4×4 safari vehicle with all the necessary equipments you will need during the drive. Game drives in Katavi national park offer the chance to encounter herds of buffalo roaming through the magnificent flood plains, come across flourishing herds of elephants, lions, leopards, crocodiles, large population of hippos and so much big game to be seen in the Katavi national park during the game drive. During game drive in Katavi national park you will be able to explore vast flood plains of the Katavi national park at their best during the dry season when you will be able to enjoy the lush short grass. Chada river offers a superb focus of the game viewing for which Katavi is renowned during the dry season, it is an important location for travelers looking for experience off the beaten tracks in Tanzania safari sanctuary allowing you to immerse yourself deep into the wild and explore the magnificent savannah, landscapes and abundant wildlife knowing that you may not come across another tourist in the area. Keep your eyes open and observe some spectacular birdlife offering a magnificent escape into the nature.
Walking safari in Katavi national park is spectacular, it is a dream destination for travelers looking for less crowded destination in Tanzania where you can discover the unspoiled land in Tanzania safari destination. Walking safari in Katavi national park gives you a chance to discover the unforgettable opportunities of getting up close with the untamed areas in the wilderness of the Katavi National Park in Tanzania east Africa, embark on a lifetime walking safari experience in the company of an armed ranger and the expert walking safari guide fully equipped to make sure that you get what is expected during the tour. The vast plains lush vegetation and huge wildlife encounters will make you feel fully immersed and blended into the African wilderness like nowhere as you get introduced to the abundant flora and fauna encounters in Katavi national park. Explore the Katuma river banks and get the highlight for the abundance of extraordinary game viewing in the area, continue on a walking safari and you will discover Chada Lakes, and the neighboring flat plains, grassy valley floor floodplains where you will spot as many wildlife as possible including hippos congregating in muddy shallow areas during dry season, crocodile busking on the sun, enormous herds of buffalo and elephant, zebra, giraffe, impala, eland, antelopes, and so many other wildlife to be encountered during walking safari in this enormous park in the western Tanzania safari zone.
Katavi national park offers an opportunity to explore some historical sites in the area. Travelers can visit the Kabora-Lyonga-slave route passed through this area during the slave trade, visitors can also view the famous tamarind tree. Katavi national park derives her name from the Wabene spirit “Katabi” who according to the local people of the area believes the spirit lives in a tamarind tree just near Lake Katavi. The locals believe the spirit of Katabi still lives in the tamarind tree and so they still look to it for blessings and also give offerings left at the foot of the tree, locals offer food to its roots to gain luck when hunting.
When to visit
The best time to visit Katavi National Park in Tanzania is during the dry season, which runs from June to October. During this period, Wildlife viewing is at its peak: As water sources dry up, animals congregate around the remaining waterholes, making it easier to spot large concentrations of wildlife, including elephants, hippos, and predators like lions. Roads are more accessible: The park’s roads are more navigable, as the dry season minimizes the chances of getting stuck in muddy areas. However, if you’re interested in birdwatching and seeing the park’s lush green landscapes, the wet season (between November to the start of May) can also be rewarding, though wildlife can be more dispersed, and some areas may be difficult to access due to heavy rains.
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