Saadani National Park is Tanzania’s 13th national Park, with an area of 1,062 km2 (410 sq mi). It was officially gazetted in 2005 and is managed by the Tanzania National Parks Authority. The Park is located administratively in the southeast Pangani District of the Tanga Region and the northeast Chalinze District of the Pwani Region.
INTRODUCTION
Located in the center of the historic triangle of Bagamoyo, Pangani, and Zanzibar, Saadani National Park covers 1100km square. It is the only wildlife sanctuary in Tanzania bordering the sea. The climate is coastal, hot and humid. The Park uniquely combines marine and mainland flora and fauna in a culturally fascinating setting. About 30 species of larger mammals and numerous reptiles and birds are present. Besides many species of fish (over 40), green turtles, humpback whales, and dolphins occur in the nearby ocean.
Gazetted in 2005, it encompasses a preserved ecosystem, including the former Saadani game reserve, the former Mkwaja ranch area, the Wami River, and the Zaraninge Forest. Many villages exist around the boundaries of the Park. Before being included in the National Park, the Zaraninge forest was managed by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), whose goal was to preserve the extremely high botanical diversity of one of the last coastal rainforests remaining in Tanzania.
HISTORY AND CULTURE
Saadani village once was an important harbor town and slave trading center in East Africa. It is now a small Swahili fishing village with about 800 inhabitants who mainly fish. Other villages adjacent to the Park live through farming, and coconuts grow significantly there.
After periods of Portuguese and Arab domination, the region gained importance in the 18th and 19th centuries following a rising international demand for ivory and enslaved people. The Saadani village emerged with towns like Bagamoyo and Pangani as new trading centers connecting Zanzibar with long-distance trade routes from Tabora. At the end of the 19th century, Bwana Heri bin Juma ruled Saadani. In oral tradition, he is the mythological founder-hero of the village as he resisted all Zanzibari attempts to occupy the town and defeated the sultan’s troops in 1882. In 1886, the German protectorate’s borders were established. Two years later, the coastal people organized resistance against the Germans under the joint leadership of Abushiri bin Salim al Harth and Bwana Heri. On 6th June 1889, Saadani was bombarded and taken by the Germans. Bwana Heri, considered by the Germans an honorable enemy, was told to rebuild Saadani.
Saadani’s and Bagamoyo’s caravan trade declined at the end of the 19th century while Dar-es-salaam rose to be the most important trading center of the coastal region. Commercial production along the coast, such as rice, sugar, and copra, exported to Zanzibar and the Indian Ocean, disappeared after the German invasion. These were replaced by cash crops such as coffee, cotton, and sisal for the European market. Following the transfer of the protectorate to the British after the First World War, sisal, kapok, cashew estates, and cattle ranches were established in the Saadani area. Ruins of stone houses still bear testimony to the former flourishing condition.
An old German boma (government house) and several graves can still be found in Saadani.
SAVANNAH
The humid savannah of Saadani National Park can be divided into three easily distinguishable types: tall grass savannas with herbaceous cover growing up to 2m and scattered palms, short grass grazing land mainly situated on former sisal plantations, and black cotton plains, where the clay soil creates particularly harsh conditions.
Different degrees of tree cover can be distinguished. Acacia Zanzibarica, with its long spines, is typical for Saadani, which covers large areas of the Park. Buffalo, which weighs up to 850kg, inhabit the tall grass savannas. Several herds of hartebeests can be observed grazing in Saadan National Park.
The common waterbuck occurs all over the park area. Weighing up to 270kg, the white ring around their tails can easily recognize these grazers. The density of reedbucks is exceptionally high in Saadani National Park. However, this medium-sized antelope (45kg) might be challenging to spot in tall grasses where they lie down for shelter. Warthogs are omnipresent and even come into Saadani village. As most of the villagers are Muslims, warthogs have learned that they will not be harmed.
Giraffes, the tallest animals in the world and Tanzania’s national symbol are numerous in Saadani National Park. Their tongues have special callus plates, which make them particularly well adapted to browsing on spiny acacia trees. Large herds of white-bearded wildebeest graze in the short grass savannas. They were released in the area in the 1970s. Other introduced species are plains, zebra, and eland.
The lion, the largest of the African carnivores, is also found in Saadani, although it is rarely seen. You may hear the hyenas at night and encounter genets, porcupines, and give, ts. Other species seen within the perimeter park’s perimeterbucks are bush pigs, yellow baboons, vervets, and monkeys.
RIVER AND OCEAN
From East to West, the open ocean with coral reefs changes to a brackish water ecosystem characterized by mangrove forests, salt pans, and bare saline areas. Further inland, the Wami River is the most critical freshwater source, along with numerous temporary rivers and dams.
The sea retreats up to 100 meters at low tide, forming a convenient passage for local people and wild animals. These beaches are the only place north of Dar-es-salaam where sea turtles still come to lay their eggs. The most common species is the green turtle, the largest of the hard-shelled sea turtles. Besides nest thieves on the beach, turtles are particularly threatened by commercial fisheries and water pollution. The marine extension of the Park includes the Mafui sandbanks, whose colorful coral reefs are important breeding sites for many fish species.
Evergreen mangrove trees grow in the transactional zone, just above the mean sea level. Salt-tolerant tidal forests provide a resting and feeding place for many bird species, bats, monkeys, hippos, and reptiles. Numerous fish species, such as prawns, also lay their eggs in these protected habitats.
The high demand for resistant mangrove wood leads to overexploitation, making protecting these forests even more important. In Saadani National Park, an enormous mangrove forest grows along the Wami River. Large groups of hippos and Nile crocodiles can also be observed here. The Wami River is perfect for watching birds such as kingfishers, fish eagles, and many wading birds.
FOREST AND SHRUBS
The less-known coastal forest is characterized by a high biodiversity, with many plants occurring only in this area (endemics).
Forests play a vital role in protecting soil against erosion and thus regulating the water cycle. In addition to the two extensive forests of Zaraninge and Kwamsisi, many of the smaller patches of forest and shrubs represent essential animal habitats. However, these forests and shrubs are vulnerable to illegal logging, charcoal production, and farming expansion.
In Saadani, elephants are relatively shy and usually hide in woody parts of the Park during the day. Leopards are also found in dense bushes and trees (thickets). These rarely-seen animals are mainly nocturnal and can live near humans. Other showy animals living mostly in woody areas are the greater kudu and smaller antelopes such as Suni and Duiker. The tree crowns are inhabited by colubus monkeys, which exist mainly on leaves, strictly nocturnal bush babies, and many fruit-eating bird species, insects, and butterflies.
TOURISM ACTIVITIES
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Boat safari at the delta of the Wami River and the ocean, mangrove vegetation, water-loving birds, Hippos, and Nile crocodiles.
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Visit the Green Turtle Breeding site in the Madete area.
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Visit Mafui Sand Bank Island, which opens during the day and closes in the evening. This sand bank is where you snorkel in the caves with colorful fish and green turtles. Lunch and sunbathing can give maximum relaxation.
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Walking safari on the natural trails of Saadani gets you close to nature.
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Day game drive.
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Night game drives for sighting nocturnal animals.
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Relax on the cleanest beach on the coasts of Bagamoyo and Tanga, where one gets to see the sunrise.
TOURIST ATTRACTIONS:
- Clean beach and the Indian Ocean.
- Wild mammals such as waterbuck, giraffe, warthog, yellow baboon, hartebeest, wildebeest, zebra, elephant, and lion are abundant.
- Green turtles breeding site.
- Wami River.
- Zaraninge coastal forest.
- Over 220 species of birds, including migratory birds.
- Historical remains.
- Swahili culture.
PARK ACCESSIBILITY
By road
Saadani National Park is located about 44km North of Bagamoyo town. The Park can be easily accessed through the Wami River from Bagamoyo.
The Park can also be accessed by a 271km drive from Dar es Salaam—Mandela village via Chalinze town. From Mandela, drive on a rough road for 61km to the Saadani Park entry gate.
A daily public bus commutes from Dar-es-salaam / Bagamoyo and Saadani village to Tanga City and Mkwaja village.
Furthermore, one can get to Saadani from Arusha—Moshi-Segera-Tanga-Pangani OR Arusha—Moshi-Segera—Kwamsisi-Mandela, about 561 Km.
From Tanga City, one can reach Saadani by driving and crossing the Pangani River on a public ferry. It is about a 3-hour drive (130 km) on a rough road to the Park Entry gate.
By air
Flights (light aircraft) can be arranged to Mkwaja or Saadani airstrip from any part of the country, such as Arusha, Zanzibar, Mwanza, Manyara, Dar es Salaam, etc.
Zanzibar Island is about 40km away from the Park. It takes about 14 minutes to fly from Zanzibar to Saadani Airstrip.
By Water
One can reach Saadani by boat from Dar-es-salaam, Tanga, Pangani, Bagamoyo, and Zanzibar.
NOTE: In the rainy season (March-April), the muddy roads can make traveling in the southern parts of the Park tough. It is advisable to inquire about the condition of the road before traveling.
Best time to visit the Park:
It is advisable to visit the Park during the season. However, the Park has lots of attractions all year round. July to March is the best time for flamingo-watching in the salt pans.
ACCOMMODATION
The Park offers various types of accommodation and facilities for both Residents and Non-residents visiting the Park.
- The rest house is near the beach, with a furnished sitting room, main bedroom, three single rooms, and a fully equipped kitchen.
- Bandaz, which are located along the beach, each with two rooms of four bedding and
single rooms for couples with outside dining and a kitchen equipped with cooking gas, a deep freezer, and utensils.
These facilities offer campers an opportunity to sleep at camping sites by pitching
tents at the public campsite, which is located along the beach of Saadani,
- Particular campsites: Kiwandi campsite is in the Zaraninge forest, Kinyonga campsite is along the Wami River, and Tengwe campsite is in the wilderness zone.
Visitors are advised to bring their own food, which they may cook using park facilities.
Other private accommodation facilities inside and outside the Park include Sanctuary Saadani Safari Lodge, Saadani River Lodge, KISAMPA, Saadani Park Hotel, Tembo Kijani Lodge, and A Tent with View Lodge. Please visit their websites for more information.
PARK RULES AND REGULATIONS
Because of the situation in the coastal part of Tanzania and many conflicting interests in developing this region, Saadani National Park faces many threats to its survival. The most severe is the ever-increasing demand for land to feed a growing human population that borders the Park. Your behavior can be as damaging as a poacher’s snare.
Driving off-road, where it is not allowed, damages these sensitive ecosystems’ fragile soils and plants and can disturb species during critical breeding periods. You can help preserve Saadani National Park and its unique character by respecting our general rules and regulations hereunder:
- Keep to the 50kph speed limit. This is for your safety and the safety of the wildlife.
- Driving at night is not allowed (7 pm to 6 am).
- Stay on the designated roads/tracks.
- Do not harass, feed, or interfere with wildlife.
- Do not leave/ stand on/ hang out of the vehicle near any animal.
- Green Turtles are endangered, and their breeding sites are limited. Do not disturb the adults, hatchlings, or nests on the beach.
- Coral reefs are sensitive habitats for marine life. Do not break off or walk on the fragile corals.
- Please leave all plants, animals, skulls, bones, rocks, or any other object in the Park where they belong.
- Do not bring any animal, plant, or object into the Park.
- Picnic at authorized places.
- Please do not leave any trash behind: take it with you or dispose of it properly.
- Extinguish cigarettes in your vehicle’s ashtray to avoid bush fire.
- Do not start a fire unless at authorized camps.
- Remember that the park gates open at 6 am and close at 6 pm.
- You enter the Park at your own risk.
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