Katavi National Park
June 27, 2003
Can it possibly get much better than this!
I am in heaven! We have arrived in Katavi, a little-known national park in Tanzania that is visited less than any other park in the country.
Katavi is remote, hard and wild. It sits on a high, wide flood plain in the southwestern part of the country. This is true Africa, just me and the wilderness -- an untouched landscape. There's little chance my fellow expeditioners and I will have to share Tanzania's third largest park with anyone else. Except an abundance of wildlife. Encompassing over 4,770 square kilometers, there have only been 25 visitors to Katavi since January 2003. I believe it, too! Almost everyone who visits Katavi flies into the park via the little, grassy airstrip, as the typical drive from Dar es Salaam or Arusha, where most tourists would come from, requires 2-3 days of straight driving. Besides, most people who visit Tanzania go to the Serengeti, the most popular national park in Tanzania and which sees approximately 90,000 visitors a year. But, not me!!
There are two primitive campsites in Katavi, and we will be staying at both of them (not at the same time, of course!). We arrive at the first campsite, where we will be staying for 2 or 3 nights, which also has a couple covered shelters. It is located at the top of a slight hill on the edge of the woods, which are still pretty green considering it is the dry season. Our camp is overlooking the floodplain, which has shrunk to just a wide, meandering creek. The floodplain is quite green and alive with wildlife -- I see eland, impala, zebra, Cape Buffalo, warthogs. Since this is going to be our first night camping, most of us pitch our tents near each other. However, Eddie pitches his away from the rest of us -- down the hill closer to the floodplain.
Katavi is remote, hard and wild. It sits on a high, wide flood plain in the southwestern part of the country. This is true Africa, just me and the wilderness -- an untouched landscape. There's little chance my fellow expeditioners and I will have to share Tanzania's third largest park with anyone else. Except an abundance of wildlife. Encompassing over 4,770 square kilometers, there have only been 25 visitors to Katavi since January 2003. I believe it, too! Almost everyone who visits Katavi flies into the park via the little, grassy airstrip, as the typical drive from Dar es Salaam or Arusha, where most tourists would come from, requires 2-3 days of straight driving. Besides, most people who visit Tanzania go to the Serengeti, the most popular national park in Tanzania and which sees approximately 90,000 visitors a year. But, not me!!
There are two primitive campsites in Katavi, and we will be staying at both of them (not at the same time, of course!). We arrive at the first campsite, where we will be staying for 2 or 3 nights, which also has a couple covered shelters. It is located at the top of a slight hill on the edge of the woods, which are still pretty green considering it is the dry season. Our camp is overlooking the floodplain, which has shrunk to just a wide, meandering creek. The floodplain is quite green and alive with wildlife -- I see eland, impala, zebra, Cape Buffalo, warthogs. Since this is going to be our first night camping, most of us pitch our tents near each other. However, Eddie pitches his away from the rest of us -- down the hill closer to the floodplain.
The view of our first campsite at Katavi. The big white thing in the middle of the photo is our chuck wagon opened up.
Cape Buffalo skull and leg bone at our campsite.
Our next order of business is to build a latrine. While a group of folks are relegated to collect firewood, a couple of us are sent to find the perfect
location for our camp toilet.
location for our camp toilet.