Saadani National Park
Description: One of Tanzania’s newest national parks, Saadani bills itself as one of the few spots in the country where you can enjoy the beach and watch wildlife at the same time. It’s easily accessible from Dar es Salaam as an overnight excursion and is a good choice if you don’t have time to explore further afield. To the south of the reserve is the Wami River, where you’ll probably see hippos, crocodiles and many birds, including lesser flamingos, fish eagles, hamerkops, kingfishers and bee-eaters. Wildlife-watching can’t be compared with that in the better-known national parks, animal numbers are slowly increasing now that poaching is being brought under control. You’ll also likely see giraffes, and elephant spottings are increasingly common. With more effort, you may see hartebeests and even lions, although these are more difficult to spot. The birding is also wonderful.
Things 2 Do: Game drives, Boat trips, Bush walks, Village tours
Accommodations
“We are so happy we ultimately chose Access 2 Tanzania as our tour operator. I loved that the guides were all staff members and knew each other. The initiatives to give back to the local community was a big plus for us in choosing A2T. I also liked that it’s a smaller company so I felt the experience we got was completely customized to what we wanted. Everything from the initial sales call to the trip was just so easy and seamless. I will highly recommend A2T to anyone looking to do a trip and hopefully one day will be able to come back ourselves. Africa is a truly special place that we will never forget.”