Katavi National Park

Katavi National Park is  off the beaten track, and therefore highly authentic and untouched natural area of 4 471 square kilometers, originally established as a protected area in 1951 the parks wildlife has been relatively un-encroached by human presence.

Wildlife features include large ungulate herds, particularly of Cape Buffalo, eland, sable, roan antelope as well as elephant. Along the seasonal Katuma river are large populations of crocodiles and hippos which upon annual dry seasons results in mudholes that can be packed with hundreds of animals jostling for position and respite from the sun.

In general, what is probably most noteworthy feature of Katavi versus other Tanzania Parks is that it lacks high numbers of human visitors and therefore the 4x4 traffic that can accumulate in other parks. The exact number of visitors to the park on an annual basis is unclear, except that in comparison to better known parks, is extremely low.

As of 2008, there were only three permanent camps permitted to operate at Katavi. These camps each have a visitor capacity limit of approximately one dozen each. There are also 2 seasonal (temporary) camps getting to Katavi for visitors will likely be with one of the available flight services departing from other national park airstrips aswell as departures from Arusha Airport.

All flights will require landing on a grass airstrip. It is approximately a three hour flight from Katavi to Dar Es Salaam via a small, bush-compatible light aircraft. A flight to Arusha is similarly 3 hours distant. Access via ground transportation, the estimates vary, but is generally discussed not in hours but in days.