Katavi is as dramatic as anywhere you’ll ever see and this is what we try to reflect. Life as an adventure, the world as a living, breathing thing: Man as a detail.
Katavi National Park remains one of the greatest wildlife experiences of Africa. Miles from anywhere, it has an almost mythical status and, it’s thought, a greater density of mammals than any other Tanzanian reserve. In this mega-beast a perfect retreat has been Chada Katavi, hidden on a shady spit of acacias and tamarinds on the edge of the Chada plain, the only Camp in a million wild acres.
Accomodation
Accommodation at Chada Katavi comprises of six guest tents hidden in the trees that flank it hidden on a shady spit of acacias and tamarinds on the edge of the Chada plain. Fine wooden furniture, woven rugs and beds spread with crisp white Egyptian cottons ensure sheer luxury and comfort in this unrivalled beast country. The tents are large, romantic and airy and the bathrooms bush deluxe.
Days on the hoof in Katavi can be wild beyond belief, and Chada Katavi is the perfect place to return to after a day of safari adventure. Steaming hot showers await, and the thoroughly good white wine on your porch table is perfectly chilled. Come dinnertime, the mess is nothing short of splendid, silverware gleaming and glasses shining in the lamplight.
Activities
Being the only Camp, there are very few humans present in this wildlife paradise. We can drive for miles, we can follow any game anywhere we want for as long as we like, and go as far as the eye can see. Or stay absolutely still watching the procession of animals as they wander across the flood plains in front of the camp.
We can spend nights out in lightweight fly camps – bedrolls unrolled under mosquito nets below borassus palms. Fabulous bush cuisine is served in your remote hide-away, and the bucket shower – with piping hot water – leaves you feeling fresh and ready for dinner under the stars.
Walking safaris take you even deeper into Katavi untamed world. Rare roan and sable antelope, normally skittish and shy, graze openly on these plains. And on foot we experience another side of Africa, that which would often take flight at the sound of an approaching vehicle. The game is unbelievable with sightings of elephant, lion, leopard, cheetah, crocodiles and hippo amongst many others.
Katavi Seasons
December – February: Short rains transforming the park into a green and lush heaven perfect timing for great elephant and plains game sightings. It’s a fantastic time for birding, and everywhere you look the plains are covered in wildflowers.
July – October: Hot and dry. The rivers and pools are drying up which concentrates the game in specific areas making for amazing sightings of animals, particularly the crocodiles and hippos who congregate in their masses in the pools.
