What to do and where to stay in Saadani National Park?

Extraordinary Africa>Tanzania>Saadani National Park

Saadani is a pretty, but little-visited game reserve in Northern Tanzania. It was long promoted with tourist board descriptions of elephants coming down to the waters of the Indian Ocean. If we’re honest, we think this is a bit romanticised, but nonetheless, it’s a nice spot for a few nights, especially for anyone who doesn’t want too full-on a safari. Game drives are gentle potters – we’ve enjoyed nice sightings of plains game- giraffe, warthogs, and buffalo- though we didn’t find lions or elephants to be quite as relaxed as those in Tanzania’s better-known game reserves.

Towards the southern end of the park, there’s the Wami River where you can take boat safaris- it’s a lovely thing to do at sunset, with fish eagles calling overhead and tiny kingfishers darting in and out of the water. Crocodiles slither silently into the water and pods of hippo splutter as you pass. In addition to this there’s the beach and for those who wake early enough, some rather glorious sunrises.