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
“Karen was very good at listening to our interests and putting together an itinerary that would meet our budget and needs, Our guides, Maningo and Nasibu were outstanding! They were very aware of maintaining the appropriate distance from the animals while still giving us views of everything we wanted to see. Nasibu, who was the guide in my vehicle, was extremely knowledgeable of animals, birds and vegetation and had an eagle eye for finding all the animals we wanted to see.”