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SAADANI SAFARI LODGE - SAADANI NATIONAL PARK - TANZANIA:
Saadani Safari Lodge, exclusively set in the Heart of Saadani National Park, Tanzania.
Saadani is unique for it's extraordinary diversity of scenery and wildlife. Beach, Bush and river have been thrown together in such a colourful clash of ecosystems that there is nothing to compare with it anywhere on the Eastern Coast of Africa.
At Saadani Safari Lodge, the only lodge in the National Park, the Indian Ocean breaks almost to the foot of your bed directly onto African Bush and forces its way into the Wami River on the rising tide, just down the coast. Elephants have been known to cavort on the beach and just a stone's throw from the open sea, Hippos wallow in the river estuary.
The Lodge is a delicate blend of rustic chic and eco-cool. Whether you choose to spend your day spotting wildlife or simply relaxing by the swimming pool or beach, Saadani Safari Lodge is your home from home. |
Location:
In typical Saadani style there are almost as many ways to get to Saadani Safari Lodge as there is variety of nature in the park.
By car It is a four hour drive from Dar es Salaam to Saadani via Chalinze. The Lodge has its own four wheel drive and can arrange pick-ups from Dar.
By air It is is just a 20 minute flight from Dar es Salaam and 15 minutes from Zanzibar to the Saadani airstrip.
By boat Via Bagamoyo, just north of Dar es Salaam, it is possible to reach the Wami River from the south, from where Saadani Safari Lodge will meet you by boat to take you to the lodge across the ocean. |
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The Lodge:
Neatly described by one guest in the visitor's book as a"symbiosis of luxury with nature" Saadani Safari Lodge has recently been taken over, rebuilt and fully refurbished.
The enthusiasm for nature is infectious and the lodge provides everything you need as a haven from which to explore - comfort, warm and generous spirited service, a true love of the natural world and the prettiest surroundings.
What makes the Lodge unique is the absence of coconut trees. Whilst this distracts from the typical image of tropical beaches, it means the true indigenous plants of the Savanna are conserved in one of the last coastal nature reserves in Africa.
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Saadani Beach:
The white sandy beach at Saadani Safari Lodge disappears to the horizon in both directions. You can pad barefooted directly from your veranda onto the beach for a gentle stroll or to watch the fishermen bringing in their prawn nets.
Out at sea there is a small tidal sand island set in clear waters, which makes a lovely full day ocean boat trip. Here, you can picnic lunch under shade on the cool island sand and there are good snorkelling spots just offshore.
Dolphins and green Turtles are often seen at the island and love to play around the boat.
The Wami River:
Tanzania’s glorious Wami River ends its journey in Saadani, just down the coast from Saadani Safari Lodge. A water adventure from the lodge into the estuary to explore the lower reaches of the river is unforgettable. Flamingoes are often seen in the shallow estuarine waters, as are flocks of pelicans perched in dead trees in the dawn light. You will see hippo and crocodile literally round the corner from the open sea, and the diversity of birdlife and variety of vegetation as you boat upstream is outstanding.
There’s no best time of day to be on the river because in true Saadani style access to the river is entirely at the mercy of nature - the ebb and flow of the tides.
The Saadani Bush:
Saadani’s wildlife is plentiful with lion and other predators jousting for position with a wide range of plains game including elephant, giraffe, kudu and large herds of buffalo. The landscapes are varied and distinctive combining coastal forests, acacia woodlands, open grasslands and the mangrove vegetation at the mouth of the river.
Walking safaris and game driving provide very different bush perspectives. The pace is entirely flexible and you can explore in your own time, catching the odd glimpse of sparkling blue sea as you watch the African animals go about their business. Game drives are paused for feasting on a fresh picnic breakfast or for evening sundowners at a waterhole. And there is nothing more lovely than ending a bush walk with a refreshing barefoot wander back to the Lodge through the surf.
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Fly Camping:
Fly camping Saadani Style combines the excitement of experiencing the real African Bush at night with luxurious camping amenities. Whilst we try to retain all the qualities of camping under the stars we also ensure that you are well looked after. We therefore provide you with cold drinks, freshly prepared meals, open air toilet, hot shower, soap, towels, transport and a field expert. You also have the choice of two sleeping arrangements, the first which we thoroughly recommend is a comfortable mattress in a custom made mosquito net, this allows you to sleep directly under the stars with a delicate sea breeze to cool you as you sleep. If however the noises of the Park become too intimidating for you, we also provide you with your own solid tent. This is one experience you do not want to miss. The only thing we recommend you bring is some good stories for the camp fire.
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Reservations and Enquiries |
SAADANI NATIONAL PARK - TANZANIA:
Saadani National Park is the perfect union of beach and bush. Located just 70 km north of Bagamoyo and immediately accessible by paved road from Dar es Salaam, Saadani has recently become a fully protected national park and is a popular day-trip from beach resorts scattered along Tanzania’s northern coast.
Saadani Game Reserve was gazetted in 1964, covering an area of some 250 sq km from the Wami river in the south to the Mligaji river in the north, with the Moshi railway line as the western boundary. Once Saadani became a Game Reserve new species of animal were introduced to compliment the existing diversity which includes the extremely rare Roosevelt's Sable Antelope. In 2003 Saadani was upgraded to become Tanzania's latest National Park and boundaries have been expanded to include land north of the Mligaji as well as North Mkwaja, the Zaraninge forest, noted for its variety of indigenous vegetation, and land south of the Wami river. The total protected area now covers over 1000 sq km.
Today, a surprisingly wide range of grazers and primates is seen on game drives and walks, among them giraffe, buffalo, warthog, common waterbuck, reedbuck, hartebeest, wildebeest, red duiker, greater kudu, eland, sable antelope, yellow baboon and vervet monkey. The Wami River, which passes through Saadani National Park and empties into the Indian Ocean, hosts a large population of hippos, crocodiles, flamingos, and many large bird species.
Herds of up to 30 elephants are encountered with increasing frequency, frolicking in the sands and sometimes venturing into the crashing surf, which alone makes Saadani one of the more special and unique parks to visit in Tanzania. Several lion prides are resident, together with leopard, spotted hyena and black-backed jackal. Boat trips on the mangrove-lined Wami River come with a high chance of sighting hippos, crocodiles and a selection of marine and riverine birds, including the mangrove kingfisher and lesser flamingo. Dolphins are sometimes seen offshore and whales pass through the Zanzibar channel on their migration. Of particular interest is the green turtle project at Madete, this endangered species is under particular threat from fishing practices offshore from Saadani and a conservation project has been established to help protect both turtles and their eggs.
Saadani is dominated by acacia woodland, coastal thickets and miombo woodland. It also protects a large area of mangrove swamps around the mouth of the Wami river on the south boundary, and includes several species of palm including the mysterious looking 'walking palm', not actually a palm at all. |
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