Katavi National Park (Selous Game Reserve)

Katavi National Park is a haven for scores of wildlife, including big and small animals. The park has large herds of elephants, giraffes, buffaloes, topis, elands, waterbucks, hippos, crocodiles and lions. You might occasionally spot (leopards, cheetahs, hyenas, wild dogs and Zebra. There are plenty of lions in Katavi; spotting some while on a game drive is possible; however, there are no rhinos in the park. Katsunga Plain is one of the best places to see vast concentrations of floats of crocodiles and schools of hippos on the banks of the Katuma River. During the dry season, you will see stacks of hippos in the mudholes. Primate species include baboons and monkeys. The park is also home to the rare roan and sable antelope species.

Katavi National Park has magnificent birdlife, and over 400 species of birds are recorded in the park. Katavi is considered a top destination in Tanzania for birdwatching activities and a home to the rare Eleonora’s Falcon, found during the months of December and January.Other species of birds include bee-eaters, raptors, hornbills, Egyptian goose,Red -billed Teal, African black duck, helmeted guinea fowl, scaly francolin, little grebe, Namaqua dove, yellow- throated sandgrouse, fiery -necked nightjar, alpine swift , Jacobine cuckoo, black crake , white bellied bustard , Great Egret, European night-jar ,Hadada ibis, Bateuler , lizard buzzard scarce swift, Livingstone’s Turacogrey go away bird among others.

Katavi National Park is an all-year-round park that one can visit anytime due to various attractions. However, the best times to visit Katavi National Park for magnificent wildlife viewing are from June to October, when the dry season offers the most outstanding overall concentration of wildlife. For avid bird watchers, the best times to visit the park are during the rainy seasons of November to April.

Getting There?

By Air: Katavi National Park is located on the remote side of the western safari circuit. The most convenient means of reaching the park is a scheduled or chartered flight from Arusha, Dar es Salaam, and Mwanza to Sitalike and Ikuu airstrips in the park or Mpanda town. The flight takes about 4-6 hours using commercial flights operated by Safari Air Link and Zantas Air and Coastal Aviation Chartered flights.

There are only two scheduled flights to Katavi from Arusha, which operate twice a week, on Mondays and Thursdays. If you are touring other parks, connecting flights are available from Serengeti, Lake Manyara, and Ruaha. We recommend you book an all-inclusive three or 4-fly-in safari package from Arusha or Dar es Salaam. The flight to Katavi continues to Mahale Mountains National Park. The two parks are usually visited together as a package safari for 7 nights.

By Road: Driving is not recommended for Katavi. The road journey is long and tiresome from Dar es Salaam via Mbeya covering (1,513km) and Dar es Salaam via Tabora (1,392km) or Mwanza via Tabora-Inyonga (741km) and Arusha via Tabora (1015.7km). The drive from Arusha takes approximately 22 hours and is a 2-3 day journey.

Railway: One can take a train from Dar es Salaam via Tabora to Mpanda and catch public transport to Sitalike, where camps or lodges will arrange road transfers and game drives.