Katavi National Park

About Katavi

Katavi is Tanzania's third-largest national park and among the least visited in the entire country, most years see only a small fraction of the visitor numbers of the Serengeti. That isolation is exactly its appeal: genuinely wild, undeveloped bush with excellent wildlife concentrations and virtually no other vehicles at any sighting.

What You'll See

• Some of Africa's largest hippo concentrations, with hundreds crowding into shrinking dry-season pools
• Large buffalo herds, sometimes numbering in the thousands
• Strong lion prides that have adapted to hunting in the open floodplains
• A genuine sense of remoteness rarely found even in other Tanzanian parks

Best Time to Visit

The dry season, roughly June through October, is dramatically better here than most parks, as shrinking water sources concentrate enormous numbers of hippos and other wildlife into a handful of remaining pools, some of the most striking wildlife density scenes in Africa.

Getting There

Katavi is only practically reached by small aircraft, typically via a flight connection through Arusha or other western circuit airstrips. Its remoteness is precisely what keeps visitor numbers low.