Katavi Park- Guest Post

Katavi National Park

Location and Size Katavi National Park

Spectacular views, rare wildlife, leafy fauna and flora and isolated but enchanting ambience are what holidaymakers expect the most. Katavi National Park provides all of them and more for its holidaymakers. In the most remote region of African continent, Katavi National park nourishes most valuable and rarest plant and wildlife species. The park is in the Katavi region of South-west Tanzania, and it is the third largest national park in the country. Since the park is in the wilderness, a very few Tanzania Safari visitors reach there for holidaying that sprawls across an area of 4,471km bordering Tanganyika lake. The Sitalike headquarters is towards the south of Mpanda town about 40 km away from it.

Visitors to the park can hire charter flights from Dar as well as from Arusha. They can also reach the park by vehicle on rough, lonely but through beautiful sights along the way from Mbeya covering over 550Kms. Travelling from Kigoma, they have to drive a 240-mile long distance to reach the park. Travelling by train is also possible after reaching Dar via Tasbora. At the end of the rail journey, visitors will have to use public transport to reach Sitalike. They can hire a vehicle from there,  to the park. It is easier to reach the park by air than by road. However, the easiest way to the park is by air.

Special features Katavi National Park

Away from civilisation and retrospective of ingenious lifestyles of ancient Africans, the Katavi National Park hypnotises its Tanzania Safari visitors. The majority of the park bears the Msasa plants where animals such as elands, sables and roans roam in an elusive manner. Most visitors who arrive at the park during the rainy seasons gravitate towards seasonal lakes such as Chada and the Katvi. Once the rain starts, these lakes that are shallow plains in the dry season swell with gushing water and lush green aquatic plants, providing visitors with extremely enchanting scenic views. These water pools are habitats for a larger population of alligators and hippos in the African continent.

The scenery changes enormously in the dry season. The Katavi River swallows up all the surrounding water and leaves barely enough water for over 4,000 wild elephants. In addition, there are more than 1,000 wild buffalos and a great number of giraffes, zebras, reedbucks and impalas. The lions and the hyena surround weaker animal species on the shores of the river. Tanzania Safari makers can witness several battles of hippos to maintain their positions within their herds during the dry season to reach the river and surrounding water pools to bathe in muddy waters. Forlorn, and lonely hippos being defeated by more ferocious gang members wander in the park day and night. 

Why to go there Katavi National Park

Katavi National Park is a habitat for one of the largest herds of wild elephants in the world. Many visit this park to see these majestic giant animals. The park offers  fantastic challenges for adventurous Tanzania Safari makers, trekkers, hikers and mountain climbers and Tanzania Budget Safari makers. For Tanzanian Holiday visitors who research into behavioural patterns of wildlife, Katavi National Park is a haven. They who indulge in rare sights of African most remote wilderness by holidaying in the park take home everlasting memories. Camping along the riverside is just like breaking up with everything artificial in the world. Visitors to the Katavi National Park in Tanzania surely feel the spirits of the hunter Katabi, who has now become a sacred legend of natives around the park. 

When To Go –Weather Katavi National Park

The most appropriate duration for a Tanzanian Holiday at Katavi National Park arrives with the dry season. The season normally starts in May and ends at the end of October. However, those who visit in the rainy season can witness much beauty that Mother Nature abundantly provides with the remotest areas in the world. But a very few venture into travelling in rainy seasons because they cannot pass inundated roads. From December to February, these roads are passable.

Extra Information Katavi National Park

Visitors can hire a vehicle from TANAPA. The park headquarters provides maps of the park to the Tanzanian Holiday visitors. They can also obtain the service of guides and naturalists. Safari participants can have armed rangers.  The brochures and maps related to the park are freely available by entering the website, www.katavipark.org.