Saadani National Park

Saadani is the only national park in the country with a shore on the Indian Ocean, which produces a combination found almost nowhere: elephant, buffalo, giraffe and lion in coastal bush that runs down to a beach where green turtles nest. The Wami river along the southern boundary is worked by boat for hippo, crocodile and birds, and mangrove lines its mouth. The old village of Saadani inside the park was a trading and shipping point in the nineteenth century.

What you actually see

• The beach frontage - bush and savanna meeting the Indian Ocean shore.
• The Wami river - boat trips through mangrove for hippo, crocodile and birds.
• The turtle nesting - green turtles laying on the park's beaches.
• Saadani village - the old coastal settlement inside the park boundary.

When to go

June to February, avoiding the long rains from March to May when roads close and camps shut. Turtle nesting runs mainly between June and September. The coastal humidity is heavy year round.

Honest expectations

Game densities are much lower than in the famous parks and sightings take patience. The long rains close roads and most accommodation. Tsetse fly is a nuisance in the bush sections.

Nearby

Bagamoyo is south, and Pangani is north.