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Wild Tanzania
In the wildest corners of Tanzania, hippo, crocodile, elephant, buffalo and lion are all caught up in an annual battle to survive the dry season, and when the giants clash, the results are epic.
12 Nights, 13 Days
From $ 9715 per person sharing
- Single supplements and child discounts may apply
- Price varies with seasonality and room options
- Indicative price is for low season
Itinerary
- 4 nights in Katavi National Park at Nomad Chada Katavi
- 4 nights in Katavi National Park at Foxes Katavi Wildlife Camp
- 4 nights in Ruaha National Park at Nomad Kigelia Camp
SNAPSHOT
Dotted with lakes and plains, mountains and rivers, and of course the Great Migration, Tanzania offers one of the wildest and most varied experiences in Africa. With 38% of its landmass designated as protected, the experienced safari fanatic will find that the wildest corners of this already wild landscape offer an experience that borders on mythical. This safari will take you to those places and leave you utterly enthralled.
Katavi National Park is the first destination on the list, and it’s location in the Central African Rift System offers epic landscapes. The rise from the valley floor to the rift valley shoulders creates stunning waterfalls, and the valley floor itself is a mix of rolling woodlands and vast floodplains, seasonal lakes, rivers and shallow drainage lines.
The best time of year to visit this wilderness is during the dry season (March - October), when the water retreats. Katavi already has the highest densities of hippo and crocodile in the world, and when the water becomes scarce the territorial battles are intense. The water also lures in large herds, making for exciting game viewing, especially when seen on foot during a fly-camping experience.
This safari will give you great insight into the thriving ecosystem that is Katavi, with time spent both around Lake Chada and the woodlands, and then also out on the fertile floodplains where the buffalo and lion interactions are at their best. A day trip out onto the floodplains will take you to an ancient baobab forest where giant trees that predate us and will long survive us stand proud.
After Katavi, you move on to the rugged and fierce wilderness of Ruaha. Serving as a transition zone from Zambian woodlands to the savannah that characterizes Tanzania, Ruaha is home to a multitude of different ecosystems, and is consequently rich in life. As a matter of fact, Ruaha holds the largest population of elephants in East Africa, numbering over 10, 000. Not far behind are the buffalo herds, and hunting them are prides of lions of 20 strong, led by regal large black-maned males.
This safari takes you to the wildest of the wild places in Africa, and it will change your perspective forever.
Overview
4 nights in Katavi National Park at Nomad Chada Katavi
4 nights in Katavi National Park at Foxes Katavi Wildlife Camp
Katavi National Park was created in 1974 and is Tanzania’s third-largest national park. Located along the rift escarpment in western Tanzania, it is extremely remote and is less frequently visited than other Tanzanian National Parks. It is approximately 4 450 square kilometres in size, and encompasses the Katuma River and the seasonal Lake Katavi and Lake Chada floodplains. Katavi offers incredible scenery including immense wetlands, waterfalls and original miombo woodlands. Together with the neighbouring Rukwa, Lukwati and Luafi Game Reserves, this ecosystem of 25 000 km2 is the heart of one of the biggest and richest wildlife areas in Tanzania. The climate in Katavi is hot and remains this way year-round. Temperatures throughout the day typically sit at around 32°C, dropping to about 20°C in the evening. Katavi has one continuous wet season running from November through to April. The dry season is from May through to October.
4 nights in Ruaha National Park at Nomad Kigelia Camp
Deemed by many to be a very well-kept secret, Ruaha boasts a phenomenal variety of game. The park is located in central Tanzania and, with the addition of the Usangu Game Reserve in 2008, the size of the reserve is now over 20 200 square kilometres, making it one of the largest national parks in Africa. On a greater scale, the park is part of the 45 000 square kilometre Rungwa-Kizigo-Muhesi ecosystem. Ruaha represents a transition zone between the miombo woodlands common in Zambia, and the more open savannah, typical of northern Tanzania and Kenya. Ruaha is home to the largest population of elephants in East Africa, with over 10 000 elephants roaming the park. During the dry season large herds of buffalo congregate in the park with herds of 500 being a fairly common sighting. Not far behind the buffalo are the prides of lion that prowl the vast plains - particular in the Mwagusi river area which is said to hold one of the highest densities of lions in Africa.
Detail
Located in the heart of Tanzania’s Katavi National Park, Chada Katavi is a stylish tented camp situated off the beaten track in a landscape of seasonal rivers, open plains and woodlands. Guests have the opportunity to view vast herds of buffalo, elephants and an assortment of stealthy predators. The camp was set up by safari legend Roland Purcell back in 1996, and quickly established a reputation as a rather wild and wacky camp.
The camp lies hidden in the shade of acacia and tamarind trees on the edge of Chada plain. This amazingly remote wilderness camp offers guests breathtaking panoramic views, which can be enjoyed from the privacy of your own tent or from the beautifully appointed dining area. Chada Katavi offers 6 spacious walk-in tents which are raised on wooden platforms. The tents have wide-open fronts and shade-net windows to let in the breeze, and each tent has an en-suite bathroom with safari toilets and a bucket shower. In a clearing, guests will find a comfortable dining tent and library.
Dinner time at Chada Katavi is a simple yet elegant affair. Guests dine together at the long table, perfect for sharing stories and experiences from the day’s events. An evening drink around the campfire is the essence of safari, helping to round off a day filled with excitement out in the wild.
Katavi Wildlife Camp is very exclusive. It is located in the best game area at Ikuu on the banks of the Katuma River, opening out onto Katavi’s central and largest plain, Katisunga. Both Lake Katavi and Lake Chada are accessible from this camp. The camp is owned and run by the Fox family, the same family team that own and run Ruaha River Lodge and Rufiji River Camp. Katavi Wildlife Camp is seasonal and is open from June through to February.
Set on the edge of the Katisunga plain, the camp is nestled in the fringe of woodland that skirts this seasonal lake. Katavi Wildlife Camp blends seamlessly into its environment, affording one of the best views in the park. This camp is the ultimate off-the-beaten-track destination, and guests are surrounded by wildlife from the moment they arrive.
Katavi Wildlife Camp comprises 6 luxurious tents, each set on a low platform among the trees to ensure both camouflage and shade. Each tent has an en-suite bathroom with twin basins, shower and toilet. There is a large private veranda at the front of the tent which is shaded by thatch, with a couple of comfortable chairs and a hammock providing the perfect spot for a relaxing afternoon. The main areas are completely open-sided, with a high thatched roof and wooden floors.
Katavi National Park
Most of Katavi National Park lies inside the Rukwa Rift Basin, which is part of the Central African Rift System. The landscape is defined by the rift valley floor and the bordering rift valley shoulders, with adjacent highlands, mountains and plateaus east and west of the valley. The western shoulder is known as the Llyamba Iya Mfipa Escarpment and the eastern shoulder as the Mlele Escarpment. The valley floor comprises flat to slightly rolling wooded terrain which is split by vast floodplains, seasonal lakes, rivers and shallow drainage lines.
Seasons define much of Katavi’s ecohydrology. While Lake Chada and Lake Katavi are grassland during the dry season, they transform into shallow lakes with the onset of heavy rains. Katavi is at its best in the dry season, when the plains fill with thousands of zebra, topi and impala. During this time, the Katuma and Kapapa rivers are the only water for miles around. As the game files down to drink, hundreds of hippo congregate in the tiniest waterholes and enormous crocodiles sit out the heat on the river bank, making for a fascinating sight.
Sable, hartebees, giraffe and Defassa waterbuck are commonly seen, as well as large populations of elephant, and some impressive herds of buffalo. Predators include some of the most luxuriously-maned lions on the continent, in addition to leopard, hunting dog and cheetah. Additionally, Katavi hosts large flocks of Open-billed and Saddle-billed Storks, African Spoonbills, Crested Cranes and Pink-backed Pelicans. Raptors are plentiful and the woodlands of the national park are home to species as diverse as African Golden Orioles, Paradise Flycatchers and Pennant-winged Nightjars.
Located in the Ruaha National Park in southern Tanzania, Kigelia Camp is set in a secluded grove of Kigelia or ‘Sausage Trees’ high on the banks of the Ifuguru sand river. Easy access is provided by a 14km game drive from the airstrip. The camp is seasonal, offering a tailor-made private experience from June to March, giving guests the opportunity to connect with the soul of Africa. Opened in 2008, Kigelia manages to combine the simplicity of a temporary tented camp with the style you would expect from a permanent camp. The area has an utterly unique ecosystem as it is situated where southern Africa meets eastern Africa, with an unusual overlap of animals and plants found nowhere else.
Kigelia Camp offers 6 luxurious walk-in tents, each with an en-suite bathroom, with flushing toilets and refreshing open-air showers. The tents are well furnished with locally-crafted pale wood furniture lending an understated yet rustic feel. Each room has its own private veranda allowing guests to enjoy the tranquillity of the bush in their own privacy.
Safari activities at Kigelia Camp focus on game drives. Guests have a choice of embarking on a full-day game drive and enjoying lunch in the middle of the bush, or a half-day drive returning to the camp for lunch and escaping the heat of the day before setting out again in the late afternoon. Closer to home, you could see some fascinating sights from the comfort of your own tent, with game frequently wandering through the camp and elephants often coming to feed on the vegetation and tap the dry riverbed for water.
Ruaha National Park
The name “Ruaha” derives from the Wahehe word “Ruvaha”, which means “River”, taking its name from the Great Ruaha River which borders the southern section of the park. From the high-altitude, cold, almost montane highlands in the west, to the low-altitude, hot valleys in the east, the variation in terrain across the reserve is huge. The south contains the Usangu Swamps which is the source of the Great Ruaha River, an enormous wetland which is home to thousands of hippos and provides a good sanctuary for Ruaha’s population of elephants. The northern parts of the park are extremely remote with only the adventure seeker travelling here. The seasonal Mzombe River forms the park’s northern boundary which winds its way between enormous prehistoric rocky outcrops via several different habitats before tumbling into the Great Ruaha River in the East.
The park intersects so many diverse habitats that many of its inhabitants are rare or extremely habitat-specific and not found in many other parks within Africa. Notable unusual sightings include the endangered wild dog, sable antelope, roan antelope, Lichtenstein's hartebeest and lesser kudu, and cheetah is also a possibility on the plains of the east. The park also has a high density of kudu, zebra, giraffe as well as predators such as black-backed jackal, spotted hyena and the elusive leopard. In addition to the magnificent mammals, Ruaha is a bird-lover’s paradise with over 550 species of land and water birds.
Logistics
This safari commences and ends in Arusha, Tanzania
- Private charter flight, Arusha Airport to Ikuu airstrip in Katavi National Park
- Road transfer, Ikuu airstrip to Chada Katavi Luxury Tented Camp
- 4 Nights accommodation at Chada Katavi Luxury Tented Camp
- Road transfer, Chada Katavi Luxury Tented Camp to Katavi Wildlife Camp
- 4 Nights accommodation at Katavi Wildlife Camp
- Road transfer, Katavi Wildlife Camp to Ikuu airstrip
- Shared charter flight, Ikuu airstrip to Msembe airstrip in Ruaha National Park
- Road transfer, Msembe airstrip to Kigelia Camp
- 4 Nights accommodation at Kigelia Camp
- Road transfer, Kigelia Camp to Msembe airstrip
- Shared charter flight, Msembe airstrip to Arusha Airport in Tanzania
12 Nights, 13 Days
From $ 8610 per person sharing
- Single supplements and child discounts may apply
- Price varies with seasonality and room options
- Indicative price is for low season
Itinerary
- 4 nights in Katavi National Park at Nomad Chada Katavi
- 4 nights in Katavi National Park at Foxes Katavi Wildlife Camp
- 4 nights in Ruaha National Park at Asilia Kwihala Camp
SNAPSHOT
Dotted with lakes and plains, mountains and rivers, and of course the Great Migration, Tanzania offers one of the wildest and most varied experiences in Africa. With 38% of its landmass designated as protected, the experienced safari fanatic will find that the wildest corners of this already wild landscape offer an experience that borders on mythical. This safari will take you to those places and leave you utterly enthralled.
Katavi National Park is the first destination on the list, and it’s location in the Central African Rift System offers epic landscapes. The rise from the valley floor to the rift valley shoulders creates stunning waterfalls, and the valley floor itself is a mix of rolling woodlands and vast floodplains, seasonal lakes, rivers and shallow drainage lines.
The best time of year to visit this wilderness is during the dry season (March - October), when the water retreats. Katavi already has the highest densities of hippo and crocodile in the world, and when the water becomes scarce the territorial battles are intense. The water also lures in large herds, making for exciting game viewing, especially when seen on foot during a fly-camping experience.
This safari will give you great insight into the thriving ecosystem that is Katavi, with time spent both around Lake Chada and the woodlands, and then also out on the fertile floodplains where the buffalo and lion interactions are at their best. A day trip out onto the floodplains will take you to an ancient baobab forest where giant trees that predate us and will long survive us stand proud.
After Katavi, you move on to the rugged and fierce wilderness of Ruaha. Serving as a transition zone from Zambian woodlands to the savannah that characterizes Tanzania, Ruaha is home to a multitude of different ecosystems, and is consequently rich in life. As a matter of fact, Ruaha holds the largest population of elephants in East Africa, numbering over 10, 000. Not far behind are the buffalo herds, and hunting them are prides of lions of 20 strong, led by regal large black-maned males.
This safari takes you to the wildest of the wild places in Africa, and it will change your perspective forever.
Overview
4 nights in Katavi National Park at Nomad Chada Katavi
4 nights in Katavi National Park at Foxes Katavi Wildlife Camp
Katavi National Park was created in 1974 and is Tanzania’s third-largest national park. Located along the rift escarpment in western Tanzania, it is extremely remote and is less frequently visited than other Tanzanian National Parks. It is approximately 4 450 square kilometres in size, and encompasses the Katuma River and the seasonal Lake Katavi and Lake Chada floodplains. Katavi offers incredible scenery including immense wetlands, waterfalls and original miombo woodlands. Together with the neighbouring Rukwa, Lukwati and Luafi Game Reserves, this ecosystem of 25 000 km2 is the heart of one of the biggest and richest wildlife areas in Tanzania. The climate in Katavi is hot and remains this way year-round. Temperatures throughout the day typically sit at around 32°C, dropping to about 20°C in the evening. Katavi has one continuous wet season running from November through to April. The dry season is from May through to October.
4 nights in Ruaha National Park at Asilia Kwihala Camp
Deemed by many to be a very well-kept secret, Ruaha boasts a phenomenal variety of game. The park is located in central Tanzania and, with the addition of the Usangu Game Reserve in 2008, the size of the reserve is now over 20 200 square kilometres, making it one of the largest national parks in Africa. On a greater scale, the park is part of the 45 000 square kilometre Rungwa-Kizigo-Muhesi ecosystem. Ruaha represents a transition zone between the miombo woodlands common in Zambia, and the more open savannah, typical of northern Tanzania and Kenya. Ruaha is home to the largest population of elephants in East Africa, with over 10 000 elephants roaming the park. During the dry season large herds of buffalo congregate in the park with herds of 500 being a fairly common sighting. Not far behind the buffalo are the prides of lion that prowl the vast plains - particular in the Mwagusi river area which is said to hold one of the highest densities of lions in Africa.
Detail
Located in the heart of Tanzania’s Katavi National Park, Chada Katavi is a stylish tented camp situated off the beaten track in a landscape of seasonal rivers, open plains and woodlands. Guests have the opportunity to view vast herds of buffalo, elephants and an assortment of stealthy predators. The camp was set up by safari legend Roland Purcell back in 1996, and quickly established a reputation as a rather wild and wacky camp.
The camp lies hidden in the shade of acacia and tamarind trees on the edge of Chada plain. This amazingly remote wilderness camp offers guests breathtaking panoramic views, which can be enjoyed from the privacy of your own tent or from the beautifully appointed dining area. Chada Katavi offers 6 spacious walk-in tents which are raised on wooden platforms. The tents have wide-open fronts and shade-net windows to let in the breeze, and each tent has an en-suite bathroom with safari toilets and a bucket shower. In a clearing, guests will find a comfortable dining tent and library.
Dinner time at Chada Katavi is a simple yet elegant affair. Guests dine together at the long table, perfect for sharing stories and experiences from the day’s events. An evening drink around the campfire is the essence of safari, helping to round off a day filled with excitement out in the wild.
Katavi Wildlife Camp is very exclusive. It is located in the best game area at Ikuu on the banks of the Katuma River, opening out onto Katavi’s central and largest plain, Katisunga. Both Lake Katavi and Lake Chada are accessible from this camp. The camp is owned and run by the Fox family, the same family team that own and run Ruaha River Lodge and Rufiji River Camp. Katavi Wildlife Camp is seasonal and is open from June through to February.
Set on the edge of the Katisunga plain, the camp is nestled in the fringe of woodland that skirts this seasonal lake. Katavi Wildlife Camp blends seamlessly into its environment, affording one of the best views in the park. This camp is the ultimate off-the-beaten-track destination, and guests are surrounded by wildlife from the moment they arrive.
Katavi Wildlife Camp comprises 6 luxurious tents, each set on a low platform among the trees to ensure both camouflage and shade. Each tent has an en-suite bathroom with twin basins, shower and toilet. There is a large private veranda at the front of the tent which is shaded by thatch, with a couple of comfortable chairs and a hammock providing the perfect spot for a relaxing afternoon. The main areas are completely open-sided, with a high thatched roof and wooden floors.
Katavi National Park
Most of Katavi National Park lies inside the Rukwa Rift Basin, which is part of the Central African Rift System. The landscape is defined by the rift valley floor and the bordering rift valley shoulders, with adjacent highlands, mountains and plateaus east and west of the valley. The western shoulder is known as the Llyamba Iya Mfipa Escarpment and the eastern shoulder as the Mlele Escarpment. The valley floor comprises flat to slightly rolling wooded terrain which is split by vast floodplains, seasonal lakes, rivers and shallow drainage lines.
Seasons define much of Katavi’s ecohydrology. While Lake Chada and Lake Katavi are grassland during the dry season, they transform into shallow lakes with the onset of heavy rains. Katavi is at its best in the dry season, when the plains fill with thousands of zebra, topi and impala. During this time, the Katuma and Kapapa rivers are the only water for miles around. As the game files down to drink, hundreds of hippo congregate in the tiniest waterholes and enormous crocodiles sit out the heat on the river bank, making for a fascinating sight.
Sable, hartebees, giraffe and Defassa waterbuck are commonly seen, as well as large populations of elephant, and some impressive herds of buffalo. Predators include some of the most luxuriously-maned lions on the continent, in addition to leopard, hunting dog and cheetah. Additionally, Katavi hosts large flocks of Open-billed and Saddle-billed Storks, African Spoonbills, Crested Cranes and Pink-backed Pelicans. Raptors are plentiful and the woodlands of the national park are home to species as diverse as African Golden Orioles, Paradise Flycatchers and Pennant-winged Nightjars.
Kwihala Camp is a private, remote, mobile camp set up in 2006 and owned by Asilia. It is situated in a secluded area within the Ruaha National Park. Located far from other camps within Ruaha, Kwihala Camp offers guests the unique experience of seeing very little human activity, if any, so guests have the opportunity to be engrossed exclusively in the wild. With the camp alternating its location twice a year it guarantees an unspoiled setting, giving guests the chance to experience the amazing wildlife and tranquillity of the bush in the comfort of their luxury tents.
In further pursuit of the ultimate wildlife experience, Kwihala prides itself on its high standard of guiding, with guides renowned for their intimate knowledge of the particular wonders of Ruaha. With food and the service at camp also being of a high standard, guests will be delighted by the experience. Furthermore, camp is comprised of only 6 luxurious canvas tents, offering exclusivity and intimacy. Each tent has an en-suite bathroom and private veranda for relaxing downtime between game drives.
With Ruaha intersecting a variety of habitats, game drives and walking safaris with the knowledgeable guides offer the opportunity for great wild dog, sable antelope, roan antelope, Lichtenstein's hartebeest and lesser kudus. Along with this is a thrilling concentration of predators and big game, in a beautiful and untouched landscape, making a walking safari here a highlight of the African wilderness experience.
Ruaha National Park
The name “Ruaha” derives from the Wahehe word “Ruvaha”, which means “River”, taking its name from the Great Ruaha River which borders the southern section of the park. From the high-altitude, cold, almost montane highlands in the west, to the low-altitude, hot valleys in the east, the variation in terrain across the reserve is huge. The south contains the Usangu Swamps which is the source of the Great Ruaha River, an enormous wetland which is home to thousands of hippos and provides a good sanctuary for Ruaha’s population of elephants. The northern parts of the park are extremely remote with only the adventure seeker travelling here. The seasonal Mzombe River forms the park’s northern boundary which winds its way between enormous prehistoric rocky outcrops via several different habitats before tumbling into the Great Ruaha River in the East.
The park intersects so many diverse habitats that many of its inhabitants are rare or extremely habitat-specific and not found in many other parks within Africa. Notable unusual sightings include the endangered wild dog, sable antelope, roan antelope, Lichtenstein's hartebeest and lesser kudu, and cheetah is also a possibility on the plains of the east. The park also has a high density of kudu, zebra, giraffe as well as predators such as black-backed jackal, spotted hyena and the elusive leopard. In addition to the magnificent mammals, Ruaha is a bird-lover’s paradise with over 550 species of land and water birds.
LOGISTICS
This safari commences and ends in Arusha, Tanzania
- Private charter flight, Arusha Airport to Ikuu airstrip in Katavi National Park
- Road transfer, Ikuu airstrip to Chada Katavi Luxury Tented Camp
- 4 Nights accommodation at Chada Katavi Luxury Tented Camp
- Road transfer, Chada Katavi Luxury Tented Camp to Katavi Wildlife Camp
- 4 Nights accommodation at Katavi Wildlife Camp
- Road transfer, Katavi Wildlife Camp to Ikuu airstrip
- Shared charter flight, Ikuu airstrip to Msembe airstrip in Ruaha National Park
- Road transfer, Msembe airstrip to Kwihala Camp
- 4 Nights accommodation at Kwihala Camp
- Road transfer, Kwihala Camp to Msembe airstrip
- Shared charter flight, Msembe airstrip to Arusha Airport in Tanzania
Itinerary
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