Saadani national Park shares its eastern border with the Indian Ocean, making it the only game reserve with a cost. The big five are plentiful here, as well as their prey. Dolphins and whales are frequently sighted off the coast, and green turtles breed nearby. Boat trips along the Wami River and along the coast are ideal excursions for this park.

SAADANI NATIONAL PARK FACTS, FEATURES

Size:

1,062 sq km (415 sq mi).

Location:

100km (60 mi) northwest of Dar es Salaam.

Getting to:

About 4 hour drive from Dar es Salaam

Best time to visit:

Generally accessible all year around, but the access roads are sometimes impassable during April and May. The best game -viewing is in January and February and from June to August.

Why should you visit

Saadani National Park is the only wildlife sanctuary in East Africa to boast an Indian Ocean beachfront. Perfect for a beach holiday, the park is also famous for its elephant, lion, leopard, giraffe, buffalo, warthog, common waterbuck, harterbeest, wildebeest, red duiker, greater kudu, eland, sable antelope, yellow baboon and vervet monkey. The park contains many indigenous species including Liechtenstein's hartebeest and the rare Roosevelt sable.

The park also boasts the rich Wami river perfect boat trip and the sighting of hippos, crocodiles, dolphins and marine birds. An additional treat is that whales can be seen passing through the Zanzibar channel in October and November. Saadani village is one of the oldest communities on the African coast, and the Kaole ruins and historic Bagamoyo are nearby.