Katavi National Park
Encyclopedia
Katavi National Park was gazetted in 1974 and is located in Western Tanzania
. It is a very remote park that is less frequently visited than other Tanzanian National Parks. The park is approximately 4471 square kilometres (1,726.3 sq mi) in area, which makes it the third largest National Park
in Tanzania. The park encompasses the Katuma River and the seasonal Lake Katavi and Lake Chada floodplain
s.
features include large animal herds, particularly of Cape Buffalo and elephant
, plus along the Katuma river, crocodiles and hippo
s which upon annual dry seasons results in mudhole
s that can be packed with hundreds of hippos. Some sources claim a very high biodiversity in the park, although there are also reports of wildlife decline due to illegal hunting and poaching, presumably 'bushmeat' sustenance. In general, what is probably most noteworthy feature of Katavi versus other Tanzania
Parks is that it lacks human visitors and jeeps conducting game drives.
' style accommodations might reveal the number to be slightly higher, but based on total room count and season length, an upper limit can also be estimated. In addition to a public campsite (located at SO 06'39'19.1 E0 031'08'07.9), as of 2008, there were only three permanent camps permitted to operate at Katavi, namely the Chada on the Chada Plain, the Foxes and Katuma Camp on the Katuma Plain. These camps each have a visitor capacity limit of approximately one dozen each. There are also seasonal (temporary) camp runs by Flycatchers and the Palahala Camp, run by Firelight Expeditions.
Access to Katavi via ground transportation: estimates vary widely; it is generally discussed not in hours but in days. The town of Mbeya is (550 km/340 miles) distant and is described as a "...tough but spectacular..." drive; Google Maps indicates that Mbeya is 838km from Dar Es Salaam, making the total distance approximately 1400 km (869.9 mi) and requiring 20+ hours. The most direct route to Dar Es Salaam as per Google Maps is approx. 1250 km (~800 miles) and requiring 16+ hours. Arusha is similarly distant: 1000+km /13.5 hours. The percentage of transit on unpaved surfaces is unknown, but parts of all of these routes will definitely be on dirt roads. Since all of the above times from Google Maps assume an average transit speed of 80km (50mph), all these indicated travel times should be considered to be optimistic.
Tanzania
The United Republic of Tanzania is a country in East Africa bordered by Kenya and Uganda to the north, Rwanda, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west, and Zambia, Malawi, and Mozambique to the south. The country's eastern borders lie on the Indian Ocean.Tanzania is a state...
. It is a very remote park that is less frequently visited than other Tanzanian National Parks. The park is approximately 4471 square kilometres (1,726.3 sq mi) in area, which makes it the third largest National Park
National park
A national park is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state declares or owns. Although individual nations designate their own national parks differently A national park is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state declares or...
in Tanzania. The park encompasses the Katuma River and the seasonal Lake Katavi and Lake Chada floodplain
Floodplain
A floodplain, or flood plain, is a flat or nearly flat land adjacent a stream or river that stretches from the banks of its channel to the base of the enclosing valley walls and experiences flooding during periods of high discharge...
s.
Wildlife
WildlifeWildlife
Wildlife includes all non-domesticated plants, animals and other organisms. Domesticating wild plant and animal species for human benefit has occurred many times all over the planet, and has a major impact on the environment, both positive and negative....
features include large animal herds, particularly of Cape Buffalo and elephant
Elephant
Elephants are large land mammals in two extant genera of the family Elephantidae: Elephas and Loxodonta, with the third genus Mammuthus extinct...
, plus along the Katuma river, crocodiles and hippo
Hippo
A hippo or hippopotamus is either of two species of large African mammal which live mainly in and near water:* Hippopotamus* Pygmy HippopotamusHippo may also refer to:-Given names:...
s which upon annual dry seasons results in mudhole
Mudhole
Mudhole is a village and a Mandal in Adilabad district in the state of Andhra Pradesh in India.-Geography:Mudhole is located at . It has an average elevation of 346 meters .-Assembly constituency:...
s that can be packed with hundreds of hippos. Some sources claim a very high biodiversity in the park, although there are also reports of wildlife decline due to illegal hunting and poaching, presumably 'bushmeat' sustenance. In general, what is probably most noteworthy feature of Katavi versus other Tanzania
Tanzania
The United Republic of Tanzania is a country in East Africa bordered by Kenya and Uganda to the north, Rwanda, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west, and Zambia, Malawi, and Mozambique to the south. The country's eastern borders lie on the Indian Ocean.Tanzania is a state...
Parks is that it lacks human visitors and jeeps conducting game drives.
Visitors
Visitors to the park on an annual basis is unclear, except that in comparison to better known parks, is extremely low. The number of visitors for all of the 2005 season was reportedly 250, and was locally claimed to be 400 in 2007, and expecting to hit 700 for the 2008 Season. A survey of the actual rooms sold by the available 'SafariSafari
A safari is an overland journey, usually a trip by tourists to Africa. Traditionally, the term is used for a big-game hunt, but today the term often refers to a trip taken not for the purposes of hunting, but to observe and photograph animals and other wildlife.-Etymology:Entering the English...
' style accommodations might reveal the number to be slightly higher, but based on total room count and season length, an upper limit can also be estimated. In addition to a public campsite (located at SO 06'39'19.1 E0 031'08'07.9), as of 2008, there were only three permanent camps permitted to operate at Katavi, namely the Chada on the Chada Plain, the Foxes and Katuma Camp on the Katuma Plain. These camps each have a visitor capacity limit of approximately one dozen each. There are also seasonal (temporary) camp runs by Flycatchers and the Palahala Camp, run by Firelight Expeditions.
Access to the park
Getting to Katavi for visitors will likely be arranged by the hosting camp, with one of the available charter flight services being Safari Air Link. All flights will require landing on a grass airstrip; the Ikuu airstrip (near the Ikuu Rangerpost) has very minimal services. It is very approximately a three hour flight from Katavi to Daar Es Salaam via a small, bush-compatible light aircraft. A flight to Arusha is similarly ~3 hours distant.Access to Katavi via ground transportation: estimates vary widely; it is generally discussed not in hours but in days. The town of Mbeya is (550 km/340 miles) distant and is described as a "...tough but spectacular..." drive; Google Maps indicates that Mbeya is 838km from Dar Es Salaam, making the total distance approximately 1400 km (869.9 mi) and requiring 20+ hours. The most direct route to Dar Es Salaam as per Google Maps is approx. 1250 km (~800 miles) and requiring 16+ hours. Arusha is similarly distant: 1000+km /13.5 hours. The percentage of transit on unpaved surfaces is unknown, but parts of all of these routes will definitely be on dirt roads. Since all of the above times from Google Maps assume an average transit speed of 80km (50mph), all these indicated travel times should be considered to be optimistic.