Roland and Zoe Purcell first saw Katavi from the air, on a low flight that revealed buffalo herds massing on the plains below. Drawn back to the ground, they pitched camp beneath a spit of tamarind and acacia on the edge of the Chada Plain, and from that first simple beginning grew Chada. It has kept the pioneering character of those early days: strong guiding, few comforts beyond the ones that matter, and a setting that puts guests among the animals rather than behind glass.
Nothing here stands between you and the plain
Katavi has few permanent camps, and Chada is smaller than most of them. Six canvas tents stand well apart, each looking onto open grassland where elephants, giraffes and buffalo move within sight of the decks. Nothing here stands between you and the plain. The camp asks only that you meet the country on its own terms, and rewards you when you do.
As the dry season tightens from June to October, the Katuma River and the scattered pools of the plains begin to shrink, and the wildlife concentrates around what water remains. Hundreds of hippos crowd the dwindling pools while crocodiles line the banks and buffalo gather in their thousands directly in front of camp. This is one of the great concentrations of the African dry season, unfolding a short walk from your tent.
Elephants come for the tamarind fruits and wander through the tents
The camp sits inside the drama it describes. Elephants come for the tamarind fruits and wander through the tents. Giraffes browse the surrounding trees, sometimes framed by the gap of an outdoor shower, and lions turn up so regularly they feel almost expected, with leopards, roan and sable the rarer prizes. More than 400 bird species have been recorded across the park’s rivers, floodplains and woodland, so the air is rarely still and never quiet for long.
Katavi holds only a handful of permanent camps for a park of this size, which means guests at Chada tend to share their sightings with almost no one, often crossing an entire drive without meeting another vehicle. That solitude has a cost. The park is remote, reached most often by light aircraft on flights from Arusha that run several hours before a short road transfer or game drive from Ikuu airstrip brings guests into camp. It is a long way to come, and that is precisely the point.
The days turn on morning, afternoon and full-day game drives in open 4×4 vehicles, and because Katavi’s regulations allow more than the busier parks, they need not stop there. Walking safaris set out with an experienced guide and an armed ranger, open to guests aged 12 and over. Those who want to go further can fly-camp, walking out after a three-course candlelit dinner in the bush to sleep under a mosquito net in a satellite camp. Even the meals follow the country, breakfasts and lunches laid out at scenic spots, sometimes beside a hippo pool.
Evenings gather around the campfire for drinks and stories before dinner
The six tents are classic safari style, set apart on raised wooden platforms that catch the breeze and the views. Open fronts and shade-net windows draw in light and air, and inside are fine linens, wooden furniture and woven rugs, with a private veranda and safari chairs just beyond the canvas. Each has an en-suite bathroom whose eco-flush toilet and bucket shower, filled with hot water on request, answer a landscape where water is scarce and worth respecting.
Evenings gather around the campfire for drinks and stories before dinner, served at a long communal table in the dining tent or out under the stars, the food carrying a hint of wood smoke from open-air cookery. Then night falls and the plain takes over, the grunt of hippos close by, the calls of lions and hyenas working the grass beyond the fire. You sleep with the country all around you, which is the whole reason to come this far.
accommodation
Six canvas safari tents stand apart on raised wooden platforms for privacy, their open fronts and shade-net windows letting in the air. Inside are fine linens, wooden furniture and woven rugs, with twin or double beds, while a private veranda with safari chairs leads to an en-suite bathroom fitted with an eco-flush toilet and a bucket shower filled with hot water on request.
activities
The days turn on morning, afternoon and full-day game drives in open 4x4 vehicles across the Chada Plain, with walking safaris led by a guide and armed ranger inside Katavi National Park for guests aged 12 and over. Beyond the drives lie fly-camping under mosquito nets, birdwatching across more than 400 species, and bush breakfasts and lunches at scenic spots.
conservation
Chada Camp supports the Landscape and Conservation Mentors Organization (LCMO), which runs conservation, environmental and education projects in communities around Katavi, including intern programmes and village ambassador schemes. The camp also hosts dental outreach clinics for remote schools and communities near the park.
Get in touch and let’s start the conversation. An initial consultation helps us understand what you’re looking for, whether that’s specific experiences, luxury touches, or marking a special occasion, and from there we’ll guide you through what’s possible so you can decide if we’re the right fit.
Katavi is one of the hardest parks in Tanzania to reach, which is much of why so few people do. You fly into Kilimanjaro or Dar es Salaam on your international flight, then join a light aircraft heading west to the park airstrip, from where a short game drive brings you to camp. We build these charters into your itinerary so the connections line up in a single day.
Seats are shared and the exact departure is fixed the day before, once the airline sets its routing, so the final timings firm up close to the day. If you would rather set your own timings, we can arrange a private charter instead, typically a Cessna Caravan or Pilatus PC-12, flown direct to the Katavi strip. Luggage is soft bags only, with a weight limit of around 15 to 20kg depending on the airline, which we confirm with you before you pack.
Yes. Katavi sits well below 1,800 metres on low, wet floodplains, and current UK guidance from TravelHealthPro treats all of mainland Tanzania below that height as a malaria area. The camp screens its tents and provides nets and repellent, but the real defence is antimalarial tablets and covering up once the sun drops.
Health advice can change from year to year, so we always ask you to confirm the current position with a travel clinic or your doctor before you travel, and to take the usual care against bites after dark.
Katavi runs hot and dry through the June to October safari season, with warm days, dust and only a mild cool at dawn rather than genuine cold. The heaviest rains, from March to May, close the camp altogether.
Pack light, breathable clothes in neutral colours, a fleece for early starts, a wide-brimmed hat, sunglasses and strong sunscreen. The camp is deliberately simple, with bucket showers filled on request, so travel light and practical.
Come in the dry season between June and October, when the shrinking Katuma River pulls buffalo, elephant and predators to the few remaining pools near camp, alongside the hippo pods Katavi is known for. August and September are the sweet spot, and October is the busiest and hottest. In the green season the game disperses and the going is quieter.
Katavi's wildlife swings hard with the seasons, so timing matters here more than at most parks, and the long journey in is worth repaying with at least three nights. It pairs naturally with Mahale's chimpanzees or Ruaha's big game on the same western loop, since the aircraft already run between them, and we will shape the routing so the days flow rather than backtrack.
It can work for older children, but this is a wild, remote camp with open-fronted tents and animals moving freely through it, so it suits confident older families rather than young children. Walking safaris here carry a minimum age of twelve.
Tell us the children's ages and how they are in the outdoors, and we will say honestly whether Chada is the right fit or point you to a camp better set up for them.
Not really, and that is part of the point. Chada is one of the most remote camps in the country, deliberately simple and off the grid, so you should not count on wifi or a mobile signal here. Any connection is limited and unreliable at best.
Most guests find a few days genuinely disconnected is part of Katavi's appeal. If you need to stay reachable for work or family, tell us before you travel and we will confirm what is currently possible and set expectations.
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our approach
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