Though the park is isolated in the south western parts of Tanzania the park has gained its momentum due to the increasing tourism attractions that remain un tapped by the majority tourists who visit the country. The park is 40km south of Mpanda town and the park headquarters are found at Sitalike. The park can be accessed by both flights and road transport.
Charter flights can be got from Dar- el- salaam or from Arusha. By road the park is 550km from Mbeya town or from Kigoma but this route is only recommended to be used in dry seasons. Those who wish to use railway transport it is available from Dar-el-salaam via Tabora to Mpanda and here you are picked by car to Sitalike.
The park has got a dramatic scenery with a varied pristine including the flood plains which has rendered it to be a wilderness place, this is the third largest park within Tanzania with a truncated arm in the rift valley penetrating into lake Rukwa. The parks flora is characterized with thick reed, woodland and other tree shrubs that support the existence of large herds of animals.
The park supports game drives due to the herds of buffaloes and elephants, lions, zebras, impalas and reed buck plus the spotted hyenas that converge around the water points. The park has got seasonal lakes during the rainy seasons filling the holes within the park with dirt waters which attracts animals from all corners of the park, here is where you can see the roan antelopes which are rare plus the sable antelopes hence making your visit to the country a valuable one.
This is combined with a visit to Katuma River within the park which hosts a number of games including the elands, other game viewing areas include Lake Katavi and Chada plus other floody plains containing a great number of Hippos and crocodiles.
Around Lake Katavi is the historical tamarind of the legendary hunter known as Katavi, this place is still honored by the local people and offerings are still placed in the place by the local community hence being one of the enthusiastic places to see before leaving the park. It is said that the park was named after this legendary hunter who used to stay around the areas where the park was gazzeted.
