Katavi is home to the Katuma River and the floodplains that it spawns each wet season, but it is in the dry season that the best game viewing experiences can be had as thousands of elephants, buffalo, zebras, and giraffe gather around the rapidly drying streams in search of water.
The predators – from the park's huge number of crocodiles to leopards & lions – have a field day during the dry season, and it's a fantastic opportunity to see the predator prey dynamic in action.
The park's huge numbers of hippopotamus are also a spectacle to behold in the dry season, as territorial males engage in bloody fights to decide who dominates the rapidly dwindling pools.
Short OverviewThe Katavi National Park offers the few visitors who make it there a taste of true wilderness with large wildlife herds such as buffaloes, elephants and hippos. Some of the attractions of Katavi National Park are Lake Katavi, the Katuma River and the Lake Chada floodplains.InfoSize: 4,471 km²
Location: Southwestern Tanzania
Best Time: The dry season. May to October
To Do: Walking, driving, and camping safaris
Known For: Tanzania's densest hippopotamus and crocodile population
