Saadani National Park, Tanzania’s first coastal wildlife sanctuary is located on the Indian Ocean coast some 45 km north of Bagamoyo and directly west of Zanzibar. It is Tanzania’s youngest national park, covering 1,100 sq km and offers a completely unique safari environment, combining that most rare of recipes – river, bush and beach.

The astonishing Wami River forms the southern boundary of the Park. From the open sea, you can boat into the river mouth and within minutes you are passing pods of hippo and basking crocodiles. The game is plentiful in the inland bush: lion, leopard, hyena giraffe, greater kudu, red duiker, reedbuck, warthog, waterbuck, wildebeest and zebra. The entire eastern boundary of the Park is set along the Indian Ocean where white beaches stretch to the horizon in both directions, and sand islands off-shore provide good snorkeling and swimming.

The park contains many indigenous species including Liechtenstein’s hartebeest and the rare Roosevelt sable. Good populations of elephants live in Saadani as do several herds of buffalo and numerous large groups of hippo and crocodile. The bird life is also extensive here.

Walking safari is an exciting experience – as the realization of the unknown presence around you is emphasized by every noise, your senses become attuned to your surroundings and you gain a greater appreciation of the environment.

Bottlenose dolphins are common off the southern coast of the park, whales pass through the Zanzibar channel in October and November and green turtle breed at Madete Beach.