Saadani National Park | Tanzania Parks

Saadani is where the beach meets the bush. The only wildlife sanctuary in East Africa to boast for an Indian Ocean beachfront, it as well possesses all the attributes that make Tanzania’s tropical coastline and islands very popular with European sun-worshipers. Yet it is also the one place where those idle hours of sunbathing might be interrupted by an elephant strolling past, or a lion coming to drink at the nearby waterhole!

Protected as a game reserve since the 1960s, in 2002 it was expanded to cover twice its former area. The reserve suffered greatly from poaching prior to the late 1990s, but in recent years a marked turnaround has been seen, due to a concerted clampdown on poachers, based on integrating adjacent villages into the conservation drive.

Today, a surprisingly wide range of grazers and primates are seen on game drives and walks, among them include giraffes, buffaloes, warthogs, common waterbucks, reedbucks, hartebeests, wildebeests, red duikers, greater kudus, elands, sable antelopes, yellow baboons and velvet monkeys.

Herds of up to 30 elephants are encountered with increasing frequency, and several lion prides are inhabitants, together with leopards, spotted hyenas and black-backed jackals. Boat trips on the mangrove-lined Wami River come along with a high chance of sighting hippos, crocodiles and a selection of marine and riverine birds, including the mangrove kingfisher and lesser flamingo. The beaches form one of the last major green turtle breeding sites on mainland Tanzania.

You can be sure of a fascinating safari and beach visit to Saadani Park at any time of the year, although it is best to check on the condition of the roads if planning to travel in the south of the park during the long rains between March and May when bird watching is at its best with local avian life donning breeding plumage and migrants settling in their hundreds. 

Although accommodation may be slightly cheaper, logistical costs remain the same or even higher due to unavoidable delays on sometimes impassable roads since heavy and continuous rains, carried by changing monsoon winds, raise humidity as temperatures also rise. Some lodges close at this time. This equatorial season can still be pleasant for the seasoned  travelers and enjoyable too, although this is the time for long sleeves and trousers to protect you from mosquitoes.

From June to August, with grass still lush for grazing, herds of ungulates as well as elephants, warthogs, bush pigs, hunted by hyena, as well as more elusive lion, leopard and uncommon cheetah, can be seen with the local tracking expertise of your guide but with great luck for the predators. Temperatures are coolest, and winds seem stronger, so much so, that light a fleece may be necessary in the mornings and evenings. Game is easier to spot as it moves in from tall grass savannah to well-grazed land near waterholes and riverside plains. Hippo and crocodile are closely clustered on the banks of shrinking permanent water sources.

From June to September is the favorite time for a personalized tour in Saadani Park, although it never gets crowded. It is sunny and dry with light breezes and few mosquitoes, and animals traverse in varied areas of the park and its outskirts to few remaining freshwater sources from August onwards. Later in October and early November, the first short rains stimulate the growth of meadow flowers, and migratory birds start to gather on their favorite seasonal ranges. 

Winds get stronger, and coastal accommodation may look out on choppy white-horse waves rather than serene blue seas. Another good time for game viewing in Saadani is in January and February after the first short rains with a brief hot season in East Africa when animals begin to return to verdant pastures and the scenery is at its most beautiful. Authentic bush travel in Africa does not get more varied and rewarding than in Saadani National Park.

Saadani is usually visited from Dar es Salaam or Zanzibar, and there are scheduled flights connecting all three. The lodges in Saadani also organize road and boat transfers from Dar es Salaam on request. Your entry point in Tanzania is usually Julius Nyerere International Airport (DAR) near Dar es Salaam. In most cases, your tour operator will pick you up from the airport and handle all further ground operations or domestic flights. Chartered flights from Arusha town, the base for the northern safari circuit, are also available.

Charter flights to Bagamoyo are available from Zanzibar and Dar es Salaam. A public shuttle from Dar es Salaam goes three times per week (four each each way), but road access can be shaky. The park can be reached by road from Dar es Salaam, Tanga and Pangani, but during heavy rains the roads may be washed out.

Unlike as in other national parks in Tanzania, visitors can combine a safari with a relaxing beach stay in Saadani National Park. The beaches are clean and lined with palm trees. Saadani’s coast is hot and humid and swimming is pleasant with the ocean’s temperatures usually reaching around 25°C. Maziwe reef can easily be reached by boat from anywhere along the Saadani coast.

There are two main categories of accommodation in Saadani; tented camps and lodges, in two main categories. The ranking are  based on  factors, including location, authentic reputation, service, guiding standards, accommodation quality and more. A lodge complex serving a high number of visitors, even in an utterly gorgeous location, ranks lower than an isolated and exclusive site with more personalized attention. 

A luxury accommodation with international standards of rooming and modern aesthetics on a popular route may command a lower rating than an authentic, eco-friendly wilderness bush camp with great food, rustic luxury and enthused personable service. Standards of comfort, design, furnishing, amenities, cuisine, logistics, accessibility, guiding, and range of available activities are all taken into account.

In general, all accommodations in Saadani have comfortable beds, mosquito proofing, en-suite bathrooms, private balconies or decks, wholesome, locally produced food, and good game-viewing. More up-market locations may offer fine dining as opposed to buffets, or may have swimming pools, spas and boutiques, 24-hour electricity, air-conditioners, television, Wi-Fi, stand-alone baths, but there is also a high value placed on an authentic, unpretentious Tanzanian wilderness safari experience with open-air bush showers of smoke-scented water, fire-cooked meat potjes and wildlife no further away than your tent flap.

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