KATAVI NATIONAL PARK
Katavi national park is an isolated national park located in Southwest Tanzania east of Lake Tanganyika. Katavi national park has an area of 4471km2 about 1727 miles and it recorded over 3000 visitors in 2013 and because it’s a remote national park doesn’t take away being the third largest national park in Tanzania. The national park encompasses the Katuma River and the seasonal Lake Katavi and Lake Chada floodplains.
This national park is known for its wildlife and a number of wildlife species are here particularly the cape buffalos, zebras, giraffes, and elephants, plus along the Katuma river, crocodiles, hippos, of which dig up man holes during the dry season to look for water and coldness and they can get compacted in a small channel of water looking for cool environment, other predators like the warthogs, cheetahs, leopards and the hyenas are also present in this national park this receives a little number of visitors not because it has no good game but because of its remoteness.
Activities at Katavi National Park
the main activity taking place in this national park are game drives. This can be made on the morning, evening or even a full day. During the game drives, animals are seen in the way of which include zebras, hippos, leopards, cheetahs and many other animals within the national park.
The guided nature walks are also supported in this national park, big herds of buffalos, zebras, topis, elephants, crocodiles and even the roan antelopes and the sable antelopes.
Bird watching
Katavi national park is one- stop destination for birding experience with over 400 different species of birds occupying the park. Some of the common birds seen in the park include, Red- billed Hornbills, yellow- billed Saddle Black Cuckoo- shrikes, little bee-eaters, crested barbets
You can also make a historical tour to the stone and the Iron Age sites. You can also take a visit to the famous tamarind tree that is believed to have been inhabited by the spirit of Katavi, the legendary hunter local people put offerings to this tree to attain blessing. This can help you understand more about the park
How to get to Katavi national park
Coming to this national park by air, an arrangements of a flight is needed and the Charter flight is ready to serve you. This is operated by the Zantas Air Services or Safari Air link. All flights will require landing on a dirt airstrip. The Ikuu airstrip near Ikuu Ranger post has minimal. it’s an approximately a three hours’ flight from Katavi to Dar es-salaam and the two-hour flight to Mwanza
Accessing Katavi may not be as easy as you think because the journey can’t be moved un hours rather in days from the town of Mbeya alone is 550km and from Dar es-salaam to Mbeya is 838km making a total of 1400km and this require over 20 hour driving none stop
ACCOMMODATION
Though this national park is remote, it has good and luxury accommodation facilities where you will be so much comfortable. The national park will offer you a camping site though those camping is optional. Some camping areas here were some closed and incase its rainy season, this place become muddy and not even easy to be accessed because most visitors just fly to Dar es- salaam and any don’t take many days here. Here are some of the accommodation activities including, Katavi wildlife camp, Mbali, mbali Katavi lodge, Chada Katavi Nomad, Palahala luxury lodge.