A Photographers Dream
THE park is half way up Lake Tanganyika and below Gombe Stream National Park (see map). It was created to protect 1,000's of chimpanzees and is set in the Mahale mountains which are stunning. It is reknowned for fantastic sunsets over Lake Tanganyika and Eastern Congo which makes it an essential stop for the keen photographer. The habitat combines rain forest, grasslands, alpine bamboo and woodland. The best time to visit is between May and October.
Activites and Special Interests
Climbing; snorkelling to observe the 90 species of cichlid and other fish in Lake Tanganyika; photography; walking safaris.
Great clouds of dust rise from the feet of over 3,000 buffaloes moving across the short grass plains and woodlands of Katavi. These comprise the largest herds of buffaloes on earth. You can be sure that where there are buffalo there are predators, and lions prefer buffalo meat above all else.
Leopards prefer smaller prey like impala while hyenas are content with zebras.
Of the more aquatic creatures, Lake Chada in the south of the park is said to contain the largest population of hippos and crocodiles in Tanzania with hippo pods containing up to fifty individuals.
Considerable numbers of waterfowl can also be seen here including many pelicans. About 400 different species of birds have been noted in this region.
