Saadani, the only coastal park in Tanzania, is where the savanna meets the ocean.
Only 27 kilometres far from Zanzibar, Saadani is geographically its closest nature reserve.
Acacia forests, coastal groves and miombos dominate in Saadani National Park. At the South, there are vast mangrove swamps.
Giraffes, buffaloes, warthogs, cobs, reduncas, hartebeest, wildebeest, greater kudus, elands, baboons…. can be seen regularly. Elephants and lions are present but rarer as leopards, hyenas and jackals.
Dolphins do pass close by occasionally and whales sometimes cross the Zanzibar channel.
And the beaches of Saadani are home to one of the most important nesting grounds for sea turtles.
A boat safari on the Wami River offers chances to see hippos, crocodiles, but also colobus monkeys and a good variety of sea and river birds.
An excursion to the fishing village, with still some Swahili ruins, is also possible.
