Katavi National Park lies south of Mpanda. Little known, little visited, Katavi is a dry season park of the highest order. There seems to be some discrepancy as to the annual precipitation pattern, with some authorities claiming a unimodal pattern, others bimodal. In reality Katavi experiences one rainy season, November to April. On average, it receives 930mm of rain per annum, most of it in the wet season. At this time the game is dispersed, elusive and very difficult to spot. More, the park is genuinely uncomfortable, the roads impassable, the air muggy, the nights stiflingly hot.
Conversely, the Katavi dry season is cooler and much less humid and makes for much easier travelling. The cover is greatly reduced, seasonal lakes and rivers are all but dried up and the game masses along the Katuma River, presenting viewers with a litany of extraordinary sights.