Practical questions
Katavi National Park: frequently asked questions
The questions first-time Katavi visitors ask, answered plainly and with current 2026 figures.
How much does it cost to enter Katavi?
The TANAPA conservation fee is $30 per adult per 24 hours, plus 18% VAT, so $35.40 at the gate. Children 5 to 15 pay $10 plus VAT ($11.80), under-fives are free, and East African citizens pay TSh 5,000. A foreign-registered vehicle under two tonnes adds $40 plus VAT per day. The rate is flat year-round; Katavi has no peak-season pricing. Despite what some sites claim, these fees did not rise in 2025: the 2023/24 tariff remains the current published schedule.
How do I get to Katavi?
Most visitors fly. Safari Air Link operates the only scheduled service, on Mondays and Thursdays from Ruaha ($615 plus $10 tax one way, about 1 h 40), continuing to Mahale, with same-day connections from Dar es Salaam via Ruaha. There is no scheduled flight from Arusha, and Auric Air's current schedule no longer includes Katavi, whatever older guides say. By road it is an expedition: multi-day 4x4 drives from Mbeya via Sumbawanga or from Tabora, entering at Sitalike gate about 40 km south of Mpanda.
When should I go, and when is the park closed?
June to October is the season, and August to October the peak, when the Katuma River shrinks to pools packed with hundreds of hippos and the buffalo herds concentrate on the floodplains. Every camp in the park closes from March to May for the rains, and the scheduled flights only operate June to October (on request November to February). November to February works for birds and green landscapes at lower rates.
Is Katavi worth the cost and effort?
That depends on what you want. The flights make it one of Tanzania's most expensive parks to reach, and there are only a handful of camps. In exchange you get what almost no other big game park in Africa still offers: 1,338 international visitors in all of 2024, which means dry-season game viewing, hippo pods in the hundreds and thousand-strong buffalo herds with, quite often, not one other vehicle in the park around you. People who go tend to rank it among their best safaris anywhere.
Can I self-drive or visit Katavi on a budget?
Yes, and it is one of the cheaper great parks to sleep in if you get yourself there. You need a serious high-clearance 4x4, extra fuel from Mpanda (the last reliable fuel town), and full self-sufficiency. The TANAPA public campsite costs $30 per person per night plus VAT, the Katavi Rest House at Sitalike $30, and Riverside Camp in Sitalike village offers budget bandas just outside the gate. Budget travellers also reach Mpanda by the Tabora branch railway, then arrange a vehicle locally.
Are night drives and walking safaris allowed?
Both, officially. Katavi is named in the TANAPA tariff for night game drives at $50 per adult plus VAT, booked through your camp with a ranger. Walking safaris cost $20 for one to four hours or $25 for longer, always led by an authorised armed ranger, plus the $20 per group per day ranger fee. Fly-camping out on the plains is also permitted at $50 per person per night with prior booking.
How do I pay park fees? Can I pay cash at the gate?
No cash. TANAPA gates are cashless: fees are paid through the government electronic payment gateway (GePG) using Visa or Mastercard, Tanzanian mobile money, or the TANAPA online reservation system in advance. Bring a card that works internationally, bring your passport (ID is mandatory for permits), and note that fees are non-refundable once paid.
Which camp should I book?
There are only a few, which simplifies it. Chada Katavi (from about $910 per person per night) is the classic expedition camp built around walking and fly-camping. Katavi Wildlife Camp (from $445) is the best-value permanent camp, on the edge of the Katisunga plain and run by the family behind Safari Air Link. Mbali Mbali Katavi Lodge is the most conventional lodge, with ten tents and night drives. Palahala Luxury Camp is the secluded outlier on the Kapapa River. On a budget, the TANAPA rest house, the campsites and Riverside Camp at Sitalike cover it.