Kigosi
National Park · TANAPA
Wetland and miombo on a vast scale, and almost entirely unvisited.
- Area
- 8,265 km²
- Established
- 2019
- Region
- Geita, Shinyanga and Kigoma regions
- Best time
- June–October
Wildlife
- Sitatunga
- Roan
- Sable
- Shoebill
- Hippo
- Crocodile
At 8,265 square kilometres, Kigosi is one of the largest national parks in Tanzania, gazetted in 2019 from a long-standing game reserve. It forms part of the Moyowosi–Malagarasi wetland system, the largest wetland complex in East Africa and a Ramsar site of international importance.
The country is miombo woodland, seasonal swamp and floodplain. It supports sitatunga — the swamp-dwelling antelope with splayed hooves — along with roan, sable and very large numbers of waterbirds, including shoebill in the wetter reaches.
There is effectively no tourism infrastructure. Kigosi is listed here because it is a national park and because its ecological importance is out of all proportion to its visitor numbers, not because it is currently a destination.
The Moyowosi–Malagarasi wetlands
East Africa's largest wetland complex, and a Ramsar site.
Sitatunga
The swamp antelope, at home in country that defeats most hooves.
Shoebill
Present in the wetter sections — a serious draw for birders.
Scale without visitors
8,265 km² and almost no one in it.
Remote. Overland from Kahama or Kigoma, with local guidance and self-sufficiency essential.
Driving in is not practical. Camps here run their own vehicles, and we arrange the flight and the game drives instead of a hire.
Checked against
- Tanzania National Parks — official siteTANAPA
- Kigosi National ParkWikipedia