gallery of 8 photos

Katavi National Park, Tanzania

Chada Katavi Camp

This is an amazing camp in an extremely wild park with almost no one else around! The service of the staff is stellar.

While remote and off the beaten path (a 4 hour flight from Arusha), when combined with nearby Mahale this is an incredible itinerary! We've only seen this abundance and variety of wildlife on Chief's Island in Botswana!

The reputation of 'the tsetse fly capital of the world,' the long drop toilets and outdoor showers make this camp not for everyone. The luxury of this camp is having pristine, wild Africa practically to yourself. It is not about running water or air conditioning.  — Mango's view

Chada Katavi is situated in the core of Katavi National Park in western Tanzania and is reputed to be one of the wildest places on earth. From its elevated vantage point on a peninsula that rises out of the miombo woodland, the camp is perfectly positioned for panoramic views over the Chada plain.

With just 6 large tents and a maximum capacity of 12 guests, the guides at Chada sometimes joke that they can guarantee "a million hectares of virgin African bush per person." It might seem like a pretty bold claim, but this park is so incredibly remote that it is more often than not the case. Katavi is 2, 3 or even 4 days drive from either Dar es Salaam or Arusha, depending on the weather and the state of the tracks. It is the kind of place where the rangers invite you to stay for lunch when you turn up to sign in at Park Gate.

Hidden in the trees that flank it are 6 guest tents, with fine wooden furniture, and large comfortable beds spread with crisp white Egyptian cottons, and floors covered with thick woven rugs. The tents are large, romantic and airy with many shade netting windows to allow the cool breezes through. The bathrooms are bush deluxe, and set just behind each bedroom tent.

Walking safaris take you even deeper into Katavi´s untamed world. Rare Roan and Sable antelope, normally skittish and shy, graze openly on these plains. On foot you experience another side of Africa, that which takes flight at the sound of approaching vehicles. The game is unbelievable with sightings of elephant, lion, leopard, cheetah, crocodile and hippo among many others. Fly camping is another option, sleeping with only a mosquito net between you and the night sky. The experience of the bush is inimitable.

It is a combination of this unique isolation and some incredible concentrations of game that makes Katavi such a dream ticket.

Includes: All meals, drinks, laundry, and safari activities