SaadaniNational Park

Saadani National Park is the only park in East Africa where the savannah meets the Indian Ocean. On the same day you can watch elephants and giraffes in the bush, take a boat along the Wami River among hippos and crocodiles, and walk on an empty beach. Close to Dar es Salaam, Bagamoyo and Zanzibar, Saadani is a relaxed, uncrowded way to combine beach and bush.

Saadani became a national park in 2005, joining a former game reserve with surrounding forest and ranch land. Its landscape is unusually varied: coastal thicket, open grassland, mangroves, the Wami River estuary and long sandy beaches.

Wildlife densities are lower than in the northern parks, but the setting is unique. Elephant, buffalo, giraffe, waterbuck and hartebeest are seen on game drives, and boat safaris on the Wami reveal hippos, crocodiles and a wealth of water birds, including kingfishers and flamingos in season. Green turtles nest on protected stretches of the beach.

Saadani is ideal for travellers who want some wildlife without long drives, families looking to add variety to a beach holiday, and anyone who has already seen the big parks and wants something different.