Covering an area of 4471 sq km, Katavi National Park is located about 40km from Mpanda town in southwest Tanzania, to the east of Lake Tanganyika, lying within a truncated arm of the Great Rift Valley that terminates in the shallow expanse of Lake Rukwa.
Wildlife features include large animal herds, particularly of Cape Buffaloes, zebras, wildebeest, giraffes, and elephants, plus along the Katuma river, crocodiles and hippopotami which upon annual dry seasons results in mudholes that can be packed with hundreds of hippos. Carnivorous animals that roam this park are cheetahs, wild dogs, hyenas, leopards, and lions
