When to go on safari in Katavi
Katavi
is generally best visited
during the Jul-Oct dry season
Jun-Oct : Dry season in Katavi
intense wildlife congregating on the plains
Katavi is an archetypal dry season reserve.
By June the rains should be long finished and Katavi should be undergoing a massive transformation. The rivers which flow into the central floodplains quickly reduce to small streams and the great wetland areas dry to form open grasslands.
As the seasonal waterholes in the hinterlands dry out, the wildlife migrates into these central areas in large numbers.
Vehicle access should be open to all areas at this time and walking safari should be pleasant and reasonably productive.
Temperatures should be reliably high, but offset by pleasantly low humidities, making for comfortable nights.
Nov-Mar : Green season in Katavi
wildlife may disperse from the floodplains
From November onwards the Katavi area is likely to experience some rainfall. This is most likely to take the form of light and intermittent showers, but can be much more significant for periods.
If there are sufficient rains, then at long last the hippos and crocodiles will be able to untangle themselves from each other and spread out across the wetlands.
Most of the larger animals start to migrate away into the hinterland, where the seasonal water sources will be able to sustain them, which would make wildlife viewing a good deal more challenging.
However the reserve should be beautiful, with plenty of wildflowers and baby animals around.
Visitor numbers are also likely to be much reduced, at least outside the Dec-Jan holiday season.
Apr-May : Rainy season in Katavi
too much rain and the camps are closed
The main rains fall in Katavi between April and May. The rivers feeding the floodplains swell and gradually, what was previously open grasslands, turn into vast open swamps.
April represents the height of the rainy season and May continues to see the fallout from those events.
Wildlife viewing at this time really is not at its best and there is usually a big rise in the numbers of insects, most notably mosquitoes.
All of the camps in the reserve usually close for the duration and air services from Serengeti are suspended.
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