4471 km²
Size
16-34°C
Temperature
800-1,600 m
Altitude
Remote western savanna, intense dry season
Climate
Katavi is the west: hippo piled in remaining pools in October, crocodile, buffalo, and almost nobody else. You fly. You stay at least three nights. You do not squeeze it between two crater days.
In the late dry, the remaining water on the Katavi floodplain concentrates hippo in a way that looks unreal even if you have already done Serengeti. Lion hunt around those pools. It is hot, tsetse-y in woodland, and logistically expensive because there is no convenient highway.
We pair it with Mahale when we can: cats and then chimps, a Tanzania that most first-time visitors never see. If your dates are green season, we will tell you to go north instead of pretending Katavi is the same in April.
Things to See & Do
Getting There
Flight
Charter or scheduled light aircraft from Arusha, Dar or Mahale depending on the season. We build the air itinerary first...
Wildlife you can see here
All 8 speciesBovids
African Buffalo
Syncerus caffer
A heavy, dangerous grazer that lives in herds of hundreds.
Serengeti, Ngorongoro Conservation Area +7 more
Ungulates
Hippopotamus
Hippopotamus amphibius
A huge, semi-aquatic grazer that spends the day in water and feeds at night.
Serengeti, Ngorongoro Conservation Area +6 more
Big cats
African Lion
Panthera leo
The largest social cat, living in prides and ruling the Serengeti plains.
Serengeti, Ngorongoro Conservation Area +7 more
Big cats
Leopard
Panthera pardus
A solitary, powerful climber that hides its kills in trees.
Serengeti, Ngorongoro Conservation Area +7 more
Carnivores
Spotted Hyena
Crocuta crocuta
A clever, powerful clan hunter with a famous laugh-like call.
Serengeti, Ngorongoro Conservation Area +5 more
Waterbirds
Saddle-billed Stork
Ephippiorhynchus senegalensis
A tall wader with a striking red, black and yellow bill.
Nyerere, Serengeti +3 more
Waterbirds
Grey Crowned Crane
Balearica regulorum
A regal, golden-crested crane that dances in the grassland.
Ngorongoro Conservation Area, Serengeti +2 more
Crocodilians
Nile Crocodile
Crocodylus niloticus
A huge ambush predator that waits at the river crossing.
Serengeti, Saadani +4 more
Best Time to Visit
FAQs
Why is it so expensive?
Flights, few camps, long supply lines. The park fee is not the problem. Getting you there with fuel, food and a mechanic is.
Minimum stay?
Three nights. Two wastes the airfare.
Add Lake Manyara National Park to Your Safari
The route is ours to design — you just pick the places that call you.
Prefer to talk? Call +255 754 123 456