This park is amazing and this camp is simply fabulous!. Apart from the French film crew of 3, there were only 4 of us staying there and 3 at Chada so we had the park to ourselves. The camp is quite small so provides a really personal and friendly service. Nothing was ever too much trouble. Fabulous views over the plains, super food and being woken up at night by the lions, the hippos, the nightjars or a combination of all three was all part of a wonderful experience. Although finding a scorpion in my bathroom on the last morning was a bit unusual!
Our guide and driver were incredibly knowledgeable and had quite ridiculous eyesight! Spotting a giant eagle owl hidden away in a tree 200 metres away was extraordinary! It took me a a bit of time to find it even with binoculars! The camp is also really well located for the game drives. Most days we came across the people staying at Chada Camp who had a bit of a drive down to areas closer to us for their viewing. I honestly can’t think of anything negative to say about the 4 nights I spent here other than it wasn’t long enough!
It is a bit of a trek to get to Katavi but so worth it. Stopping off for a few days in Ruaha breaks the journey up nicely. The journey back to Dar was long and pretty tiring. Six flights in all, including 3 stops in Selous. On the last leg from Saadani to Dar, with only two of us left on board, the pilot let me sit next to him and once we were up he switched off the auto pilot and handed controls over to me for 10 minutes!! Not sure who was more scared - the other passenger or me but quite a cool experience!
The highlight for me was certainly the leopard sightings in Katavi. I don’t go out with a wish list of animals I want to see but if I did then leopard would have been top of the list. I feel very fortunate to have spent such a long time with the male. Once you had gout used to the smell, the hippo pools were also quite a special sight and sound. As they were so densely packed together, there was a lot of of aggressive behaviour to watch and listen to. My guide for one day in Ruaha and our guide in Katavi were both brilliant at identifying the birds. I now have a list of 94 birds that were identified (a few only by their call) which is only a fraction of the total number of species there but it adds another level of interest.
- Gurth, October 2019
Rating:
At the end of August I spent time in Katavi. I enjoyed it very much. Everything was well run, the staff most helpful and efficient, and the food was good. Overall, good.
However, what raises this camp from the merely good to the outstanding is Nick Greaves. In many years of travelling, he is certainly the best guide I have had the privilege to meet. Not only is his knowledge encyclopaedic, he has a great understanding of the ecology of the park, and the git of explaining everything clearly. He is an excellent host, charming and amusing. Finally, he displays all these talents in a quiet and modest fashion. I hope you realise what an outstanding asset he is to the property. I cannot speak too highly of him and I hope you will pass on these comments to him.
Thank you.
- Richard, August, 2014
Rating:
Milesho the guide was excellent and listened to my feedback about the game drives starting at 8am and finishing at 4pm which missed the prime time to see animals. Milesho is training himself and really good however the camp should encourage Milesho to train FGASA training. There is no backup for Milesho ie one guide only ! Katuma river drive is excellent as there is a lot to to see and very scenic.
- Samir and Sheila, Oct, 2013
Rating:
This was the right place to "save" some money when it comes to the place of stay, no doubt. The camp and the tent was fine, although there's a big gap between Foxes and our other lodges. (Editor's note: the clients stayed in Greystoke Mahale and Vamizi Island) But wildlife (which was the reason to go to Katavi) was so fantastic, we even saw lions hunting a warthog from our tent. We really enjoyed all the sightings, Katavi is Africa as it's best, and our guide Youstin (or Justin or Houston) and his capabilities to spot the animals was awesome.
The staff was not so experienced, but did quite well and the food was very good too. Nich Greaves, the new manager, seems to be more the writer, photographer, guide and hunter than the service oriented manager. Next to us, there were 7 other guests at Foxes. Nick, three guests and a Masai took one car, we shared our car with the two other couples and our guide. As I mentioned before, the sightings have been amazing, but I expected a more individual care from Foxes, it was the only place I did not feel favoured. Also, we asked for a "early morning game drive" for the day we had to leave, as our plane was at about 11am. For some reasons (problems with the car; pick up the new guests from the airport;...), it was not possible.
So, management was not the best, but the adventure was.
- Martin and Karine, Oct, 2012
Rating: