The
park is situated between Dar es Salaam (200 km, 4 hours) and Tanga (75km, 3
hours) and borders the mainland coast.
The
Saadani National Park is home to a variable mix of both marine and mainland
flora and fauna. The vegetation in the park is quite unique and includes
mangrove forests around the winding Wami River and ocean, clumps of palm trees,
coral reefs in the Indian Ocean, short and tall-grass savannah, and the harsh
black cotton plains.
In
terms of wildlife, Saadani has a thriving population of waterbucks,
wildebeests, hartebeests, reedbucks, buffaloes, and giraffes. Warthogs,
baboons, and colobus monkeys are often spotted, while elephants, lions and
leopards are quite shy. But even for ornithologists this place is truly
spectacular. A boat safari on the Wami River is a true highlight for any
visitor and apart from pods of hippos and huge crocodiles, malachite, pied and
even giant kingfishers can also be seen. Other common birds include the woolly
necked stork, common sand pipers, lilac-breasted rollers, palm nut vultures,
fish eagles and ground hornbills.
In
Sadaani National Park you can enjoy game drives, boat safaris and walking
safaris accompanied by an armed ranger. Historical tours to the old Saadani
fishing village to see the remains of buildings that existed when this place
was a bustling port trading ivory and slaves, can also be organized. Even
cultural tours to the main ethnic tribes in the area (Waswahili, Wazigua and
Wadoe) are on offer. Further ethnic groups from other regions have also
migrated to the region because of better trade opportunities. The Wamangati,
originally from the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, send their cattle to Zanzibar
on traditional dhows to make a living.
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.
