Africa
Who: Joe McDaniel of Parker.
Where: Tanzania; the Hippo Pools at Ikuu, Katavi National Park.
Best meal: There are no restaurants in Katavi National Park. Visitors will have to arrange to visit with a reputable private tour operator
Best deal: Just getting there is an unbeatable deal.
Best time to go: The only practical time to go is June to October, during the dry season. My visit was a photography assignment for Tanzania National Parks at the end of September.The river pools are drying up and huge numbers of hippo are packed into ever-shrinking muddy pools in the Katuma River.
Best travel tip: Book through someone who knows Tanzania well. The tented luxury bush camps are very comfortable. Katavi had less than 500 visitors in 2004 and it offers a unique glimpse of raw Africa as it would have been 200 years ago. Go soon, while it is still unknown. Pack light. You have to fly into Katavi in a light aircraft.
