Saadani National Park - Day trip from Zanzibar

The price is USD 492/= per person based on 2 persons

Sadaani is one of Tanzania’s newest national parks and, though relatively small compared to others in the country; it has an enticing location on the shores of the Indian Ocean. It’s quite likely that visitors to the reserve will be treated to sightings of elephant and other wild animals roaming on its beaches, which are among the few remaining green turtle breeding sites on Tanzania’s mainland. Also encompassed by the park is the Wami River, flanked by mangroves and home to hippos, crocodiles and a high concentration of riverine birds. Sadaani also features in famed explorer, Richard Burton’s research writing and visitors a look forward to other highlights including: The Old Boma Hotel, the Saadani village graveyard and the ruins of ancient settlements in Mkwaja Village.

Your safari starts today! Your driver will pick you up at your hotel in Zanzibar early in the morning and take you to the nearest port and board a boat to Saadani National Park where you will be met by your guide who will immediately whisk you away for a game drive through the beautiful Saadani National Park. Wildlife in Saadani includes four of the Big Five, namely lions, African bush elephants, Cape buffaloes and leopards. Masai giraffes, lichtenstein’s hartebeest, waterbucks, blue wildebeests, bohor reedbucks, common and red duikers, Dik-Diks, yellow baboons, vervet monkeys, blue monkeys, Colobus monkeys, mongooses, genets, porcupines, sable, antelopes, warthogs, hippopotamuses, crocodiles, nile monitors are also found in the park. It is advised to take with you lunch boxes in order to explore much in this wilderness park.

Later in the evening a driver will take you to nearest port and board a boat to Zanzibar.

Saadani National Park, Day trip, Game Drive

Half Board Plus – Lunch (Packed) and Activities

After your game drive in Saadani National Park you will have a game drive en-route to Saadani shore for you transfer back to Zanzibar

Your day trip has come to an end. An unforgettable journey with long lasting memories that you share together.

In Kiswahili we say Kwa Heri (goodbye) and Karibuni Tena (welcome again).

Included

Meals: Breakfast and lunch

The name Tanzania conjures up images of wildebeest stampeding across vast savannah, rain forests teeming with monkeys and birdlife, and great plains brimming with legions of game. All of these natural wonders and more are on offer in this exceptionally diverse African nation. Visitors typically visit Tanzania to partake in at least one of the four well known Tanzanian tourist experiences: a relaxing seaside vacation on the picturesque island paradise of Zanzibar, an underwater tour of some of the world’s most renowned dive sites around the gorgeous Spice Islands, a safari adventure in some of Africa’s most impressive game reserves, or a hiking excursion around Mount Kilimanjaro National Park. Whichever of these incredible holidays you choose, you will undoubtedly be welcomed by some fabulously friendly and peaceful inhabitants who, despite being divided into 120 different ethnic groups and cultures, live in harmony with one another and provide some of the most wonderfully exotic local cuisine you could imagine. With all of this diversity on offer, the most difficult part of your Tanzanian holiday experience is likely to be deciding where to go!

Banking and Currency

Currency

In Tanzania, the unit of currency is the Tanzanian Shilling, which is divided into 100 Cents. Notes are issued in denominations of 500, 1000, 2000, 5000, and 10000 Shillings. Coins are issued in denominations of 50, 100 and 200 Shillings.
Banking
Banks are open from 9:00am to 3:00pm Monday to Friday. Many banks are equipped with 24-hour ATM machines.
Credit cards and travellers’ checks are not widely accepted in Tanzania. Where they are accepted can high service fees and poor exchange rates be expected. Major foreign currencies – particularly US $ – are accepted in Tanzania and are convertible at banks and bureau de changes in the main towns and tourist areas. If bringing cash in US $, please make sure bank notes are in good condition, with no cuts or damage and are not older than 2004. Most banks offer higher exchange rates for US $ 100 / US $ 50 bank notes compared to US $ 20 / US $ 10 or US $ 5 bank notes.

Travel, Transport and Getting Around
If you are visiting a number of parks and reserves in Tanzania, you can either drive or fly between them. Roads in most of the wilderness areas are in poor condition and unmarked, and self-driving is not recommended. Operators will supply you with a driver who doubles as an informal guide; alternatively, you can arrange to fly to your destination and utilize a car and driver supplied by the lodgings. Elsewhere in Tanzania, towns and cities are linked by a steady stream of buses and dala-dalas (minibuses), and in the cities, there is public transport in the way of buses, dala-dalas, taxis, and, in some places, bicycles or tuk-tuks.
Precision Air run regular services, mostly via Dar es Salaam, Kilimanjaro or Zanzibar, to all main towns and other destinations in East Africa and beyond. All national parks and some of the top-end luxury lodges have airstrips and Coastal Air operates between these and the main airports on the mainland and the islands of Zanzibar, Pemba and Mafia. ZanAir has frequent connections between Zanzibar, Pemba and the mainland.
Driving is on the left-hand side of the road

Food, Drink and Cuisine Advice
Most camps, lodges or hotels cater specifically to tourists and serve Western-style food, ranging in standard, but generally are excellent. Game lodges tend to offer a daily set menu with a limited selection, so it is advisable to have your tour operator specify in advance if you are a vegetarian or have other specific dietary requirements. First-time visitors to Africa might take note that most game lodges in and around the national parks have isolated locations, and driving within the parks is neither permitted nor advisable after dark, so that there is no realistic alternative to eating at your lodge.
Tap water in Tanzania is generally not safe to drink, and most travellers try to stick to mineral water. Filtered and bottled water can be difficult to find you are travelling outside of main town and so it is advisable to stock up. Most camps, lodges and hotels have bottled water readily available.

Climate and Weather
Just south of the equator, Tanzania is huge and its sheer size means that the climate varies considerably within it. However, generally the main rainy season, or the ‘long rains’, lasts during about March, April and May. Afternoon tropical downpours are the norm – which are heavier and more predictable beside the coast and on the islands. The humidity is high and daily temperatures reach the low-mid 30°s.

The long dry season lasts throughout June, July, August, September and October is when rainfall is unusual, even on the islands. Temperatures vary hugely with altitude and location, but it’s usually a fine, clear sky and sunny weather – it’s a great time to visit Tanzania. During November and December there’s another rainy season: the ‘short rains’. These are much lighter than the main rains and less reliable.

If it has rained during the short rains, then it normally dries up for a few months, January and February, which is Tanzania’s ‘short dry season’, before starting to rain again in earnest in March.
Clothing and Dress Recommendations
It never gets really cold in Tanzania so lightweight clothing, preferably cotton or linen, is recommended. While on a game viewing safari, avoid brightly coloured clothing, stick to whites, beiges, khakis and browns. There may be long days sitting in safari vehicles, so it is advisable to wear light comfortable clothing such as short sleeved shirts and cotton/linen trousers or shorts. Denim will become too hot and extremely uncomfortable. Walking shoes and socks will be required.
The evenings will be chilly, so long-sleeved shirts and trousers should be worn. A sweater may be needed. These will also prevent you being bitten by insects. A hat should be worn at all times outside. The sun may sometimes not feel hot, but it can still easily burn, especially if it is cloudy and overcast.
If visiting Zanzibar or any coastal town don’t forget to take a swimsuit, as it is invariably warm. Ladies are recommended to take cotton skirts, blouses and dresses. Sandals are a must for this environment! On the beaches and within the confines of hotels, normal swimwear is acceptable but nudity is not.
As over a third of the population in Tanzania is Muslim, it is therefore not etiquette for ladies to walk around in public displaying their legs and shoulders. Remember to dress modestly as short shorts, miniskirts, vests and tank tops will be frowned upon.

Internet Availability
Tanzania has good Internet Service Providers with email and internet services offered by many hotels and lodges (free / paid). In most towns there are plenty of private business centres and cyber cafes offering email and internet access, although the speeds might be somewhat slower than what you are used to.

Electricity and Plug Standards
The electricity supply in Tanzania is 220/240 volts at 50Hz. Plugs are 3-point square (UK Type). Adapters are available at major airports.

Visa

You can arrange the visa for Tanzania on arrival in Tanzania. In the plane you often get a form to fill in. If not, the forms will be ready in the terminal upon arrival. Upon arrival at the airport, you first have to queue to pay. It is convenient to have $ 50 per person cash with you (for American citizens it is 100 USD per person), changing is often a problem. Then you go to the next row to put fingerprints and the visa is arranged.

As you will understand it goes the African way so not always very efficient, so you have to have a bit of patience.

You can also arrange the visa yourself in advance by going to the Tanzanian Embassy in your country or by applying it online though the below website:

https://eservices.immigration.go.tz/visa

Vaccinations

I would always go to a tropical doctor to tell you about the necessary vaccinations. They are aware of the most recent travel information. It is also important to take the vaccination record with you when traveling. At the airports one can ask for it.

It is always advisable to take a good look at the policy of your health insurance. Sometimes an insurer gives discount or even free vaccinations when you go to a company with which the health insurer has a contract.

Money matters

The payment traffic in tourism in Tanzania is entirely in US dollars. You can always pay with Tanzanian shillings. Most hotels set the exchange rate once a month for this.

At local shops you can only pay in Tanzanian shillings. It is therefore always handy to have some shillings with you during the trip.

Before you go home it is useful to spend or change the shillings as at home you can hardly change them in your currency.

At many accommodations you can pay with the credit card. However, a surcharge of 4% to 7% is charged on the bill. Convenient for emergencies, but a waste to pay daily.

Withdrawing at ATM’s during the trip can be done at Kilimanjaro airport, in Arusha, in Karatu (on the way and back from the Serengeti). On Zanzibar you can find ATM’s in Stone Town. At the beach accommodations, the ATM options are nil.

It is advisable to bring some cash dollars. It is important that the banknotes are younger than the year 2006. In that year there was a big fraud with dollar notes in Africa. People still do not trust it and you hardly lose old notes. It is therefore not convenient to use the dollar cash machines at Airports at home. Go rather to a cashier, as soon as you say you are going to East Africa, they already know it.

Luggage

For all flights from Arusha to Zanzibar you can carry, besides hand luggage, 20 kilos of checked luggage per person, packed in soft bags / soft bags. The planes are small and round, hard cases do not stow so easily.

By the way, during the journey you will never have to carry the luggage yourself!

Tipping

In terms of tips, I keep the guidelines that the Tanzania Tourist Board gives. The guideline for a safari guide is $ 25 per day per car. That sounds like a lot, but a safari guide makes or breaks the journey. The guide speaks English, knows everything about animals and nature and more. He has a special driver’s license; is a car mechanic and he is also very social.

In the hotels you usually tip when checking out at the reception, the tips are shared with all employees of the hotel. You do not have to give a tip every time someone carries your bags. For all other services you give what you want.

Allowance

I always find it difficult to indicate how much pocket money you will spend per person on drinks, meals and tips. It makes a difference whether you drink a bottle of wine or a glass of water when eating.

A small indication:

– A bottle of wine costs about 25 USD

– A beer (half liter) 3 to 4 USD

– A soft drink 2 to 3 USD

During the safari, all meals are most of the time included.

Lunch is often not included in Arusha.

If you have bed and breakfast and Zanzibar then see below an indication for lunch and dinner.

A lunch or dinner will cost about $ 15 per person.

Towels

Towels are provided at all accommodations. It is also common in Tanzania that there are bath towels for the swimming pools.

Wi-Fi

Most Accommodations in Tanzania now have Wi-Fi. However, the connection will not be as strong as you are used to in your own country. Downloading large files is difficult, sending a WhatsApp is fine.

• • All excursions/ Activities shown in itinerary. (Unless labelled as optional)
  • A professional driver/guide
  • All transfers (Unless labelled as optional)
  • Boat Transfer from and to Zanzibar.
  • All Taxes/VAT
  • Meal’s plan (HB– Full Board)
  • Drinks (As specified in the day-by-day section)

• Flights to and from Zanzibar Tanzania.
• Additional accommodation before and at the end of the tour

• Visa.
• All alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks.
• Tipping (recommended).
• Test for PCR COVID-19.
• Extra services such as drinks, laundry, telephone calls etc.
• Additional accommodation before and at the end of the tour can be arranged for an extra cost.
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