WHERE TO STAY IN KATAVI PARK

Within the AfricanMecca Safari Tiered ranking system, there is great flexibility as each camp and lodge in Katavi offers a specific ambience in a very individual manner, so that a rigid hierarchical star rating is not possible of any authentic safari camp or lodge. Excellence in one aspect, such as location, exclusivity, rustically luxurious accommodation or cuisine, is offset against another, such as quality of guiding, range of permitted activities, difficulty of access, varied amenities, ecological footprint and community involvement.

Tented accommodations in Katavi are canvas suites, some raised on platforms with thatched roofs while others are tarp covered, all with en-suite bathrooms, but there is great variability from camp to camp, so that a three-tier standard has been applied.



Safari Tier 1 premier accommodations combine beautiful settings with personal service and a very limited client base. Opulent furnishings, gourmet cuisine, strategic camp location, superlative guiding with multiple services and amenities ensure a unique and individual travel experience. Top ranking Palahala Luxury Camp set at Tier 1 overlooks spectacular action on the Kapapa River from the heights of Paradise Hill.

With superbly designed suites, butler service, exceptional guiding and fine sumptuous cuisine, not to mention add on luxuries such as Cuban cigars and fine Malt whisky as to make up for deficiencies in modern amenities, such as lack of telephones, limited solar power and the need to conserve water, Palahala promises a uniquely personalized African adventure holiday experience in Katavi.

Safari Tier 2 accommodations offer slightly lesser standards of wild luxury setting or service, possibly to a less restricted clientele not wanting the finest of what Katavi can deliver. The deluxe Tier 2 Chada Katavi Camp is delightfully integrated into the wilderness ambience, allowing you to feel utterly alone, immersed in the spectacular scenery and raw immediacy of the fight for survival enacted in this unforgiving ecological system.



Cheerful staff and comfortable tents complement the rustic simplicity of bush showers, eco-toilets and bush-cooked meals served in a simple mess tent, all liberally flavored with wood smoke.

The value Safari Tier 3 accommodations provide more basic standards of hospitality, usually to more visitors at a time and therefore with less flexibility to guests for whom the safari experience is more important than sybaritic self-indulgence. Katavi Wildlife Camp, one of a string of Fox Family sites, provides unpretentious accommodation for a less exclusive client group. Screened bathrooms, healthy, fresh cooked meals and close contact with local wildlife provide all that is necessary for an adventurous vacation in Africa.

Lodges are more enduring constructions, usually of local building materials, but also vary greatly on many parameters. There is only one AfricanMecca recommended hybrid lodge in Katavi, Mbali Mbali Katavi Lodge at Safari Tier 3, a character filled choice with well-appointed chalet style rooms consisting of sturdily constructed decking and corrugated roof covering a tented canvas interior. The main lodge area is quite striking, uniquely privileged in having a small swimming pool on its wide dining and viewing deck.