Explore Destination
Saadani National Park
Tanzania
About This Destination
Why visit Saadani National Park
Saadani National Park is one of the few places in East Africa where a safari landscape runs straight onto an Indian Ocean beach. Lying on the coast between Dar es Salaam and Tanga, opposite Zanzibar, it combines coastal grassland and forest, mangroves, the Wami River and long, empty beaches in one protected area.
Game drives bring sightings of giraffe, buffalo, waterbuck, hartebeest, warthog and elephant, with lions and leopards present but less often seen. Boat safaris on the Wami River pass hippos, Nile crocodiles, colobus monkeys and a wealth of waterbirds among the mangroves, and green turtles nest on the park's beaches. Saadani suits travellers who enjoy variety — a morning game drive, an afternoon on the river and a walk on the beach — more than those looking for a classic Big Five safari.
When to go
The best months are from June to October and from January to February, when it is drier and the tracks are in good condition. Some lodges close during the long rains, usually in April and May.
Saadani is reached by road from Dar es Salaam or by short flights from Dar es Salaam and Zanzibar, which makes it a natural bush-and-beach combination without long internal flights. It can also be added to a coastal route with Mkomazi. Ask us to plan a bush and beach itinerary.