Mbali Mbali Katavi Lodge — Hotel in Katavi Region

As other reviewers have noted this lodge in now called Mbali Mbali Katavi lodge. Mbali Mbali means "far, far away" in Swahili. My husband and I stayed at this lodge for 3 nights in August 2019 during the dry season in Katavi National Park. On arrival at the Ikuu airstrip in the NP we were met by Fabian, the lodge manager, and Yusiin, our safari guide for the next 3 days. Upon arrival at the lodge we were introduced to the other 7 members of the all male staff. We were the only guests of the lodge for the 3 nights we stayed.||||The main lodge building is an open air structure two stories tall with thatched roofing. It has multiple tables for dining in small or large groups, multiple seating arrangements of couches and love seats, some of which are on the non-covered portion on the wooden verandah, a fire pit and an incredible view of the Katsunga plain. This plain is a vast grassland during the dry season but we are told is mostly covered in water during the rainy season. An incredible place to watch the sunset in the evening. Animals are easily visible from the main lodge...apparently even more so during the rainy season. During our stay we had an elephant, hippo, civet and a leopard visit the camp after dark and numerous impala, warthogs, and other fauna during the mornings and afternoons. Wifi at the main lodge is surprisingly fast (1 Mb/s) for such a remote location. There are two toilet/sinks at the main lodge for guest use. Note: at this time there is no pool.||||The sleeping quarters are safari style tents placed on raised wooden platforms covered by thatched roofing. Our tent was set back in the brush. The front deck faced the Katsunga plain but the view was somewhat obstructed due to the surrounding vegetation. Two wooden armchairs with cushions and a small table make up the porch furniture. The spacious main room of the tent had a four poster bed with mosquito netting set in the middle of the room, a wooden bench, two nightstands, a desk (with built in electrical outlets for charging) with chair and free standing shelving for guests' personal items. The bathroom was at the back of the tent separated from the main area by a curtain. The bathroom had a pedestal sink, flushing toilet and shower with a rainfall showerhead with amazing flow. Two fluffy cotton bath towels, two hand towels, two washcloths, shampoo, conditioner, lotion and pillow spray were provided. Water was heated for our tent via an individual direct solar system and the hot water was delightful! An airhorn is available for emergency need during the night. A fire extinguisher is located on the wooden platform that the tent sits on.||||Since we were the only guests mealtimes were arranged when convenient for us. On safari days we ate simple breakfasts of coffee, pastries (like banana bread) and hard boiled eggs in the bush. Lunch and dinner were at the lodge on the verandah. My husband and I are vegetarian (lacto, ovo) and were were very pleased with the food. Dinners were multi-course with soup, rolls, entree with starch, salad and dessert. Very generous portions. South African wine, Tanzanian beer and liquors are available. There is also a coffee/tea station available for guest use at all hours.||||We enjoyed morning (8-12:30) and afternoon (4:30-7) safaris with Yusiin who acted as driver and safari guide. Tse Tse flies were an annoyance during the hottest parts of the day but no mosquitoes at all (due to visiting in the dry season). The animals in this NP are not as used to humans and safari vehicles as those in other more visited Tanzanian parks but the remoteness is part of the magic of this place. During safari drives we never saw more than 1 or 2 other vehicles and frequently we were totally alone when we spent time at the hippo pools, along the Katuma river which cuts through the park near the airstrip or in the place called Paradise that Yusiin took us for bush breakfast one morning. We saw herds of water buffalo, zebras, elephant, giraffe, hippos, impala, Nile crocodiles and many variety of antelope and birds. Yusiin spotted 3 male lion our last morning and we had a fleeting glimpse of a leopard during one afternoon safari. The night is amazingly dark and the night sounds are spectacular--lions roaring, hippos sounding as they walk near the camp to forage, the cadence of an elephant walking just by the tent. Each morning the two Maasai who served as camp security during the night would tell us of the animals that passed through the camp during the night.||||We enjoyed dining and chatting with Fabian several evenings while we visited and discussed many interesting topics including East Africa history, other Tanzanian NPs, Zanzibar and the challenges of managing such a remote lodge. Yusiin is a lovely young Tanzanian who taught us many things about the flora and fauna of the Katavi NP. We enjoyed learning about his life and interests during the 3 days we spent with...

Mbali Mbali means far far away and the Katavi lodge certainly lives up to its name. It was a nine hour drive to get there from Kigoma but the welcome we got from the team when we arrived was warm and enthusiastic and we quickly felt at home. It was the low season, and we were the only guests at the lodge and it felt as if we had the whole of the Katavi National Park to ourselves as well. We met only one other jeep on the four days that we were there. Our guide, and the supervisor of the lodge, Baracka was a brilliant guide and was more than happy to stop while we identified the smallest birds while all the time searching for the big game. Because it was the rainy season, the animals were harder to find but that actually made it more exciting when we spotted something special. There were no other jeeps to give information about the whereabouts of animals and Baracka used all his skill, and the eyes that seem to be in the back of his head to find the wonderful animals of Katavi. The biggest thrill was seeing a pack of African Wild Dogs and watching them start a hunt. We were escorted from our tent to the main building in the morning and evenings and we understood why when the security man showed us hyena and hippo tracks on our path. We could hear the hippos behind our room in the night.|Our tented room was excellent and the team were always on hand if we needed anything. Before dinner, the fire pit was lit and we enjoyed a sundowner, watching the sunset behind the palm trees. The freshly made samosa that came with the beer, were something else. Worth the nine hour drive all by themselves! We can't recommend Katavi Lodge highly enough and if you want to get away from the crowds, this is the place to come. Thank you everyone at Mbali Mbali...

As I began to think about writing regarding our wonderful stay in Mbali Mbali's Katuma Bush Lodge, I read through KristinC's August '19 review, and I would have to echo most all of her comments! We visited a few weeks later (Sept '19), and had very similar experiences. Likewise, we were the only visitors at the Lodge at this time, and we received the utmost attention and flexibility throughout our stay. I will share a few things that stood out to us.||||Yasin was a wonderful guide. He was energetic, and very knowledgeable. He knew details about the animals, and was happy we loved looking at the birds also (as he knows a LOT about them!). We did take an all day safari to Paradise Valley, which was recommended by Fabian. Yasin was excited for us to have both breakfast and lunch in the bush, and we learned why. Breakfast was on the edge of the valley, sitting a stone's throw from a hippo pond, with the who's who of grassland animals in the background. It was amazing, and one of the moments we still talk about from the visit. Lunch was as a watering hole, where we stayed, all alone, for an hour, watching elephants, warthogs, giraffes Waterbuck, etc, drinking and getting mudded! Stunning to see. ||||Evenings and nights from our lodging were exciting, and somewhat rowdy, as we had elephants, giraffes, impala, and even a leopard, visit us through the stay.||||Fabian was a gracious host, and a fine dinner guest for us. He even joined us on a safari. His team was excellent, and Godwin stood out as an exceptional cook! ||||The Katuma Lodge was very comfortable and relaxing, and the 4 days/3 nights there were one of the highlights of our 30 day...