The lack of infrastructure and wide range of safari activities available in Katavi makes it a rewarding place to explore by vehicle of on foot.

Katavi has few roads and thankfully so far Tanzania National Parks have restrained themselves from putting up any of the violent green signposts they so love. Chada takes full advantage of the freedom one has here and offers game drives, walks and flycamps.

Game drives from Chada Camp

- Game drives are on a shared basis in open sided land rovers with canvas sun shades. As at Sand Rivers a private vehicle can be organised for $150 per day. Flexibility is the key here at Chada, you can take morning and evening drives or head off all day with picnics. The manager and your guide will have suggestions on where best to go and what to do, but ultimately you will be able to decide what you'd like to do.

Katavi is one of the few national parks where walking, accompanied by an armed ranger, is freely allowed at the moment.

This is largely because it has so few visitors. Katavi also has excellent game, so walks from Chada are rarely dull. In the dry season (June - October) the narrow rivers that connect the main flood plains become magnets to large numbers of thirsty animals and the equivalent of fast food joints to equally impressive numbers of predators, so walking along the banks demands vigilance, but is highly entertaining. As in the Selous you can walk from Chada Camp for an hour or two at a time or there are vehicle supported fly camping trips available over a number of days.

One of the most enjoyable ways to see Katavi is by a combination of Landrover and walking, accompanied by an armed ranger. This way you can drive for as long as you like and get out to creep up to animals when you feel like it, so you retain a refreshingly spontaneous feel, which is of enormous value.

Whilst staying at Chada, it's well worth taking the chance to flycamp.

It does cost a bit more ($100 pp), but it's probably the most exciting, and definitely the lowest impact way to experience the bush. What's more, Katavi is without a doubt one of the best places to experience it. The lightweight camps that Chada Camp organizes offer a distillation of all the best elements of safari; excellent service by a small dedicated crew, good food and drinks and hot showers, with the promise of complete immersion in the wild.

At night, after dining in the open you sleep on bedrolls on the ground in specially designed mosquito-net tents. You can lie on your back and gaze at the stars, while lion roar a few hundred yards away. These camps, though basic, are comfortable and utterly exhilarating. They can be a fantastic contrast to serious luxury, for a single night, or they can be your mobile camp on a seven-day walking safari. This is something everyone should try.

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Activities, Chada Camp, Katavi National Park

The lack of infrastructure and wide range of safari activities available in Katavi makes it a rewarding place to explore by vehicle of on foot.

Game drives from Chada Camp

Katavi is one of the few national parks where walking, accompanied by an armed ranger, is freely allowed at the moment.

Whilst staying at Chada, it's well worth taking the chance to flycamp.