4-Day Katavi Wilderness Safari

Katavi is one of the last truly untouched national parks in Africa. At 4,471 square kilometres it is Tanzania's third largest, yet receives fewer visitors in a year than the Serengeti sees in a week. This four-day fly-in itinerary is designed for repeat safari travellers who want raw, uncrowded wilderness without compromising on wildlife density. All three nights are spent inside the park at a small tented camp on the Katisunga floodplain, the heart of the park's dry-season game.

Activities include morning and afternoon game drives, guided walking safaris with an armed ranger, and the option of a fly-camp night on the plain. The Katuma River and its shrinking pools draw enormous concentrations of buffalo, elephant, hippo and predators as the dry season progresses. Lion prides are large and easily found, leopard use the sausage trees along the riverine forest, and the resident giraffe population is notably dark-coated and abundant.

Because visitor numbers are so low, game drives here often go hours without meeting another vehicle. Walking safaris are permitted throughout the park with an armed ranger, offering close-up encounters on foot with giraffe, buffalo and elephant. Sundowners on the floodplain, with the sound of hippo in the distance and the sun dropping behind the miombo, are among the most memorable moments any safari can offer.

This trip combines naturally with a Mahale extension for a full western circuit, or as a standalone add-on to a northern Serengeti itinerary for guests who already know the classic parks and want something raw and different.