There is a strong co-existence between Saadani National Park Tanzania and its extraordinary protection of the mangrove forest and imperiled green sea turtles. What makes Saadani National Park so special to tourists is its rare black and white colobus monkey species found in the park’s coastal forest. This is the only National Park which borders the sea and meanwhile manages to avail varieties of wildlife animals.
The park allows a vast of activities to be performed on the tour. While walking by a guide, game drives, and making safari on the boat across the Wami River are the most favoured activities, sunbathing, swimming, a variety of bird watching, and traditional tours of the surrounding villages are also interesting quest activities. For clarity, let’s navigate around Saadani National Park as follows.
Where is Saadani National Park Located?
Saadani National Park covers a total area of 1062 Km2 (410 sq. mil). It is fun and interesting to understand specifically where the park is located. But the truth is that the Southern part of the Saadani National Park is administratively located in Pangani District of Tanga Region whereas its Northeast part is located in Chalinze District of Pwani Region. This is to say, the park is 131 and 146 Km away from Dar es Salaam and Tanga respectively. Therefore, it offers a proper avenue to be reached by tourist by roads, marines or airways as it can be accessible from Zanzibar, Tanga, Bagamoyo and Dar-Es Salaam.
What are true attractions of Saadani National Park?
It is due to the existence of large number of attractions found in Saadani National Park the rationale for the increasing number of tourists yearly in the park. It is true that many travellers around the world do visit the park only for the purpose of seeing the Africans big five which are all available in the park. Those big five are; Lions, Elephants, Zebras, Leopards and Giraffes. Nevertheless, other animals like Hyenas, Black-backed jackals, Saadani Vervet Monkeys and Colobus Monkeys, Reedbucks, Buffalos, Harte and Wildebeests, as well as Warthogs add to the animals which attract many travellers and tourists. If animals are not enough, Saadani National Park offers an attractive scenery and view of dolphins, humpback whales, and green turtles which are accessible in the Indian ocean and can be seen on the beach. Both land and sea animals, scenery and the view of Saadani National Park do not come near the variety of amazing bird species, as well as attractive flowers which are found in Saadani National Park. Consequently, the park offers amazing experience entirely after beach safari to traditional walk around villages surrounding Saadani National Park.
What is the finest season to plan a trip to Saadani National Park?
Due to its geographical location and the availability of variety of animals and birds, the best period to visit the park remains the dry season. Although, this doesn’t mean that the park is not accessible throughout the year. Therefore, the month of January, February, June, July and August offers the best time to plan a visit to Saadani National Park with dry and animal congregation in hydrated waterholes being the rationale for the selection. What fun is that only wet season offers the best time for birding safaris for it is time for migratory birds. This is the reason why many tourists visit the park during dry and wet season.
Saadani National Park Safari
The geographical location of Saadani National Park offers visitors a variety of choices on picking transportation to take them to the park. Visitors may opt to choose between marine, airplanes and buses or cars to get to Saadani National Park. Travellers can schedule flights from all over the world or take charter flights from Zanzibar and Dar es salaam. For travellers who prefer the road surface transport are advised to use 4×4 wheel drive vehicles especially during rainy season and take the Moshi Road for about 160 km tarmac before taking 60 km murram road due to lack of strait road from Dar es Salaam long the coast. Nevertheless, for marines’ travellers are advised to book for Azam marine from Zanzibar to Dar-Es Salaam.
Accommodations in Saadani National Park.
Unlike other Tanzania safari destination like Ngorongoro National Park, Saadani National Park do not offer wild safari experiences. Saadani offers an unconventional bush and beach encounters all at the same terminus. Due to its nature of bushes and beaches Saadani National Park ensures you are as enchanted in the park as incarcerated for whole period of expedition holiday. In this case you will need accommodation which can be found both in and out of the park. Lodges like Saadani River and Sanctuary Saadani Safari, special campsites like kiwandi, rest houses and Bandas are some of nice accommodation you will find at Saadani National Park.
