Katavi National Park
Overview of the Destination
Going to Katavi is like going back in time, perhaps to the Pleistocene. Creatures appear larger and more ferocious. For once, you don’t feel like you control the world as a person.
It’s an exciting adventure. The Katuma, Kavu, and Kapapa rivers, which are seasonal and vulnerable, are essential for survival here. Massive herds of buffalo and other herbivores congregate between the rivers in search of the lush grass of four major floodplains, including Chada, which is just in our backyard. The grass withers and turns gold as the months go by.
At the end of the dry season, everything has become a little crazy. Animals are lured to the riverbanks as the availability of water decreases. Crocodiles build caverns along riverbanks, while thousands of hippopotamuses crowd into decreasing ponds. Elephants and buffalo fight over watering holes. Predators like lions, hyenas, and others are aware of this, making the wildlife viewing here even more spectacular.
What to do on Destination
Safaris include driving, walking, and camping.
Visit the tamarind tree beside Lake Katavi where the ghost of the fabled hunter Katabi, for whom the park is called, resides – Locals still leave offerings here in order to get the spirit’s blessing.
Climate of Destination
All seasons are suitable for visiting Katavi National Park. The animals concentrate near the surviving water bodies and are accessible during the drier months (May to October and December to February).
The huge wetlands provide magnificent vistas to daring tourists during the rainier months.
