Katavi is a genuine wilderness, isolated, unspoiled, and seldom visited, giving the few brave individuals who make it there a thrilling taste of Africa as it must have been a century ago. It's located Southwest Tanzania, east of Lake Tanganyika.

Hippos and crocodiles are the main focus. The Katuma River and its accompanying floodplains, including the seasonal Lakes Katavi and Chada, are the primary areas for game watching inside the park. These beautiful, marshy lakes provide a haven for myriads of waterbirds as well as Tanzania's densest concentrations of hippo and crocodile during the rainy season.

Towards the end of the dry season (August – October), up to two hundred hippos might wallow together in any marginal pool of sufficient depth. As so many hippos are gathered together in one place, male rivalry heats up – bloody territorial fights are an everyday occurrence with the vanquished male being forced out onto the open plains until it gathers sufficient confidence to mount another challenge.