Getting to this remote park is difficult but adventurous. This park lies on a high flood plain surrounding Lake Katavi to the south of the Mahale Mountains. Katavi is a true wilderness, providing the few intrepid souls who make it there with a thrilling taste of Africa as it must have been a century ago.
Katavi is Tanzania's third largest national park, it lies in the remote southwest of the country, within a truncated arm of the Rift Valley that terminates in the shallow, brooding expanse of Lake Rukwa. The main vegetation found here is the Miombo woodland. It has a wide variety of wildlife (crocodiles, hippos, leopards, lions, roans and sable antelopes, southern reedbuck, topis, elands, elephants, and one of the largest herds of buffalos, with as many as 1,600 animals) and also offers excellent game viewing with a real wilderness atmosphere. The diverse woodland, acacia bush, lakes and swamps have attracted over 400 species of birds, including large flocks of pelicans. Other attractions are Lakes Katavi and Chada, which are joined by the River Katuma.
Katavi's most singular wildlife spectacle is provided by its hippos. Towards the end of the dry season, up to 200 individuals might flop together in any riverine pool of sufficient depth. And as more hippos gather in one place, so does male rivalry heat up – bloody territorial fights are an everyday occurrence, with the vanquished male forced to lurk hapless on the open plains until it gathers sufficient confidence to mount another challenge.
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