Destinations | Saadani National Park
About 70 km. north of Bagamoyo, Saadani was gazetted as a National Park in 2003 and is the only National Park in East Africa where the beach meets the bush.
A surprisingly wide range of grazers and primates is seen on game drives and walks, among them Giraffe, Buffalo, Warthog, Common Waterbuck, Reedbuck, Hartebeest, Wildebeest, Red Duiker, Greater Kudu, Eland, Sable Antelope, Yellow Baboon and Vervet Monkey.
Herds of up to 30 Elephants are encountered with increasing frequency, and several Lion prides are resident, together with Leopard, Spotted Hyena and Black-Backed Jackal. Boat trips on the mangrove-lined Wami River come with a high chance of sighting Hippos, Crocodiles and a selection of marine and riverine birds, including the Mangrove Kingfisher and Lesser Flamingo, while the beaches form one of the last major Green Turtle breeding sites on mainland Tanzania.
About Saadani National Park:
Size: 1,100 sq km
Location: On the north coast, roughly 100km northwest of Dar es Salaam and a similar distance southwest of the port of Tanga.
How to get there:
Charter flight from Zanzibar or Dar es Salaam with possibility of scheduled flights in the future.
No road access from Dar es Salaam along the coast - follow the surfaced Moshi road for 160km , then 60km on dirt. Road access from Tanga and Pangani except after heavy rains. 4x4 required.
What to do:
Game drives and guided walks. Boattrips. Swimming. Visit Saadani fishing village, which lies within the reserve, where a collection of ruins pays testament to its 19th century heyday as a major trading port.
When to go:
Generally accessible all-year round, but the access roads are sometimes impassable during April and May. The best game-viewing is in January and February and from June to August.