Overland from Ruaha to Katavi; anyone done it?

Old Aug 17th, 2009, 10:53 PM
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Overland from Ruaha to Katavi; anyone done it?

Hey all,

I know this is a bit of a long shot; Katavi only gets about 1000 visitors per year, and most of them come by privately chartered plane. But I hope there's just ONE adventurous person out there...

Here's the deal; I'm looking at different itineraries, and one of them is a trip through the southern parks of Tanzania. I've got this crazy idea in my head of ending that trip with Katavi, but I'm not too keen on forking over the dough for that private plane back & forth. Well to be more precise; the cost of it would make the total price of the trip exceed my budget.

So I've been Googling, looking at maps, etc... And I'm thinking of doing Ruaha to Katavi overland, in two days.

But where to stay half-way??

I know there's some hotels in Mbeya, and some are OK for one night. But Mbeya is not really half-way, is it? I mean; after Mbeya it's still a one hour drive to Tunduma, at the border with Zambia. Only then the tarmac stops, and from there, according to one site I found, it's a TEN HOUR DRIVE ON DIRT ROADS to get to Katavi. Sounds like hell to me.

So, is there anyone who knows of any alternatives?
Like perhaps drive past Mbeya and Tunduma on the first day and then drive to lake Rukwa and camp there? Or is lake Rukwa too far from the road?
Or are there other alternatives? Other good places to camp etc?

Thanks a lot,

J.

(fingers crossed now...)
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Old Aug 18th, 2009, 12:25 AM
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If you drive Mbeya and Tunduma to get to Katavi from Ruaha, it is more then a couple days.
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Old Aug 18th, 2009, 01:21 AM
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I have been doing some research on visiting these parks as part of a year out next year. I was thinking about getting the Tazara train to Mbeya (from Zambia) and have been corresponding with a safari company based in Mbeya (Gazelle safaris) who do overland trips into both Katavi and Ruaha. I was hoping I might be able to organise something that would end in Dar. In the end I gave up on the idea as too expensive to do on my own- it would actually work out cheaper to fly into Ruaha/Selous from Dar than go overland. As for Katavi, I've abandoned the idea. I might enquire nearer the time in case they've got a group I can join.

The drive from Mbeya to Katavi is indeed 2 days. I found a lot of info on the net that suggested it was a "tough" one day drive, but apparently you can only do it in one day if you leave at 3am. So the safari company were proposing spending a night in Sumbwanga. Their suggested itinerary mentioned the Nkwila Hotel.
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Old Aug 18th, 2009, 09:35 AM
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Hey Stokeygirl,

Thanks for the info. I'm thinking of dropping Katavi as well. OK, it is supposed to be one of the least unspoilt safari destinations, but still the trouble seems not worth it. Here's some info I got recently;

- Ruaha to Iringa is nearly 3 hours then its about 6-7 hours down to Mbeya from Iringa. In other words; there's no way you can get further than Mbeya on "day one" of the Ruaha-to-Katavi trip. So indeed, seems like I am almost stuck with that "leave at 3AM in Mbeya, arrive at 10PM in Katavi" scenario. And visiting lake Rukwa is out of the question, unless you split that day up again. But then I'd be 3 days on the road to Katavi. Which is about as much as I had intended to stay there.

- Katavi is remote, and as a result (I guess) the infrastructure is rather basic; again according to a TA "Katavi doesn't have a great many game drive routes even though its huge". On average, the variety in sightings seems better in Ruaha & Selous as well.

- Getting to Katavi is one thing. Getting back is another. Again, it's the same way back overland, or an expensive private plane. Kigoma is serviced by Precision Air, but it is NOT an option. According to one TA "Driving Katavi-Kigoma is not a fun experience, I don't think the road has changed since the Arab slave caravans went through in the mid 1800s!" Plus the TA will need to get his cars back to Dar once you boarded a plane in Kigoma, which is again a serious cost.

Best regards,

Jochen
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Old Aug 18th, 2009, 11:52 AM
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Katavi has regularly scheduled flights in and out two days a week via Ruaha, Thursdays and Mondays. You wouldn't need a private charter. Check with an outfitter such as Authentic Tanzania or The Wild Source for pricing on camps and transportation. Next month, five of us are traveling via road from Dar to Mikumi and on to Ruaha. From Ruaha, we're flying to Katavi and on to Mahale, then back to Dar. "Predator Biologist" went to Katavi back in May and had fantastic things to say about the park. We're all looking forward to it!
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Old Aug 18th, 2009, 03:42 PM
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Shaytay PLEASE post a trip report on your return. We're looking into southern Tanz. and Mozambique and can use any and all info. Sounds like a fabulous trip.
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Old Aug 18th, 2009, 07:40 PM
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I'm sure either Sundowner, RickMcK, or I will do so, LAleslie. I think it's going to be a great combination.
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Old Aug 19th, 2009, 05:28 AM
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I have nothing of substance to add here, but just want to say it's fun to see posts of a more adventurous nature. I'm always interested in hearing about the out-of-the-way parks and reserves.
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Old Aug 19th, 2009, 05:50 AM
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I nominate Rick to do the trip report
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Old Aug 19th, 2009, 08:25 AM
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Gritty, I have noticed a slight uptick in interest in more adventurous African places here, so I share your interest. We've only "done" Southern Africa twice (Bots, SA, Zam, Zim falls), but we're ready for new horizons. My big question is: Is it TOO adventurous for me? From PB's report, sounds quite comfortable.
Shaytay, are those scheduled flights from Ruaha to Katavi run by Nomad?
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Old Aug 19th, 2009, 08:39 AM
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I believe all of the operators (Nomad, Foxes, Mbali Mbali, Flycatchers) that have camps in Ruaha and Katavi have their own scheduled charters.
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Old Aug 19th, 2009, 05:41 PM
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Thanks Patty, very helpful. Hadn't even heard of Mbali and Flycatchers. I need to start crawling thru the East AFrica trip reports to see what I can find...
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Old Aug 19th, 2009, 07:04 PM
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Hey, Sundowner, I second the motion! My trip reports sound too much like a business letter.

I'm not sure who's us flying between camps. It could be SafariAirlink: http://www.safariaviation.info/home.htm Mbali Mbali's sister company is Zantas Air, so we may also use them for a segment such as Katavi - Mahale. They go out of Arusha instead of Dar, though. I think it's the same with Flycatchers (via Arusha.)
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Old Aug 19th, 2009, 11:04 PM
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Flying there is exactly the thing I wanted to avoid.

As far as I can see, all (aforementioned) operators have high prices. Where those prices come from? Because of the private flights? Yes. Because of the rather luxurious camps? Yes that too, often. Because of the aura of exclusivity of Katavi? For sure!
But also; they can afford to set these prices because they have very very limited competition from more reasonably priced operators; almost nobody provides trips overland to Katavi, to just camp there.
That is a bit strange to me, as the area in between Ruaha and Katavi is quite beautiful. There's the escarpment, and Rukwa lake, to name but two things. There's plenty to see and do in that area.
So I'm too soon, it seems. I'm waiting for the first lodges to pop up on this trajectory. If they organize themselves and bundle their efforts, they could come up with an interesting program to entertain people going back and forth between Ruaha and Katavi by road.
The first lodge is there already. Check out the Kipili lake shore lodge! URL: http://www.laketanganyikaadventuresa...omodation.html

Ciao,

J.
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Old Aug 20th, 2009, 09:49 AM
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LALeslie,
Mbali Mbali used to be Chimpanzee Safaris so looking through previous trip reports you might see references to that instead. Also the name of their camp in Mahale, Kungwe, used to be Nkungwe.

Eben posted a report on Flycatcher http://www.fodors.com/community/afri...katavi-etc.cfm I think they're the more "affordable" option to Mahale/Katavi.
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Old Aug 20th, 2009, 10:47 AM
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Just thought I would mention this. Unless you are in to driving, this particular destination-Katavi- is one I recommend a pass on. I drove this once, and I plan on avoiding it in the future.
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Old Aug 20th, 2009, 03:08 PM
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Pixelpower, you have my admiration for wanting to try this, but not me. I figure the high prices are the penalty you pay for fewer people, more pristine landscapes. The prices will go down when humanity invades and competition happens. I fear these days you can't have it both ways.
Thanks for the heads-up Patty.
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