National Parks in Tanzania – Saadani

Picture this. You standing on a beach of golden sand with the serene invitation of the deep blue ocean on one side and the intrigue of a tropical forest on the other. Now, imagine lazing on this beach, while you watch elephants come in from the forest to frolic in the sun and the surf. Fancy canoing through a dark and dense mangrove forest sighting hippos and massive crocodiles, while flocks of flamingos pass you by. That in a nut shell is Saadani National Park for you, a perfect natural harmony of marine and terrestrial wildlife. Saadani is one of the lesser known national parks in Tanzania, but it is certainly not a lesser one.

Baobob tree at Saadani National Park in TanzaniaSaadani is located just 38 Km from the exotic island of Zanzibar and 140 Km from the busy Dar es Salaam and is East Africa’s only forest reserve that has a stretching coastline with the Indian ocean on one side. Saadani had been a game reserve since the 1960s; recently, in 2003 it was converted to become the newest attraction among the national parks in Tanzania. Under the direction of TANAPA its boundaries were expanded to cover a total area of more than one thousand square kilometers of diverse vegetation and animal population.

It has only been a few years since people have started visiting the Saadani region and a few luxury safari lodges and eco-community lodges have come up within the perimeters of the National Park and a few others outside the boundaries. Communication to the area has not been standardized yet, but it is possible to access the park almost all year round from Dar es Salaam and Zanzibar with chartered flights and from Dar es Salam via about a four hour ride by vehicle.

A lot of people plan visits to the other more popular national parks in Tanzania, like Serengeti. But, Saadani offers to them a kind of exotic diversity that is impossible to find elsewhere. This coupled with the fact that Saadani provides extremely economical packages for weekend safari trips makes it one of the most alluring getaways in the East of Africa.

The Saadani region is home to a variety of wildlife including lions, elephants, buffaloes, leopards, spotted hyenas, black backed jackals, reedbucks, common waterbucks, wildebeests, greater kudu, sable antelopes, red duikers, warthogs, eland, vervet monkeys, and yellow baboons. And, once you take to the Wami river on boat safaris you can treat your eyes to some of the most exotic varieties of fish eagle, kingfishers, hammerkops, flamingos, hippos, huge crocodiles, and green turtles.

An adventure expereince with game drives, boat safaris, and bush walks that arouse the sense and stimulate the inner thrill seeker. Travelers also like to camp near the beach– spending their time in tranquility bird watching and canoing into the brackish backwaters of the Wami river. In keeping with the spirit of ecotourism fostered among the national parks in Tanzania, the authorities at Saadani National Park have also preserved some of the ruins from the nineteenth century when the region was one of the major trading ports in Eastern Africa, and sustained a fishing village that gives travelers a chance to get acquainted with Swahili culture.

Conquering Mt. Kilimanjaro

by mzaun November 16, 2010

Great African adventure travel begins with the climbing of Mt. Kilimanjaro. The rush you get from conquering the highest location on Africa standing on the snow-capped peak peering over the valley knowing you did it is unlike any other. All of the sudden, the grueling five-day hike is all worth it. Just as soon as we arrive, it is time to descend, but that does not matter – you have made it.

Located in the East African nation of Tanzania, Mt. Kilimanjaro is the tallest mountain in Africa ranging over 19,000 feet. There are multiple routes that can be taken varying in degree of difficulty, traffic and scenery.

Marangu, Rongai, Machame, Shira and Limosho are the routes that can be taken. The least difficult routes are longer (6 days, to and fro) which allow for the climbers to become more acclimatized, therefore making your chances greater of making it to the top. These longer western routes also allow you to start your summit day at a more reasonable hour.

The most popular route for tourists is the Marangu (also known as the “Coca Cola” or “tourist”) route, which is located on the eastern side of the mountain. Marangu is supported by comfortable solar-powered; sleeping huts at every camp, these camps for overnight stopover and rest at Mandara, Horombo and Kibo camps.

Ascent of the Marangu route begins after breakfast with a briefing detailing what you will encounter and the days will entail. After the briefing, there is a 45-minute drive to the Marangu Gate where registration with the national park takes place, and the hiking begins…

Day one ends at the Mandara camp for a short night’s rest just to get up early the next morning to make way to the Horombo camp while trying to cope with the take one step forward, one-half a step backwards “progress” until reaching Horombo camp for another short night sleep and early wake-up to make way for the Kibo camp.

The Kibo camp is the last camp before ascending to the highest point of Kilimanjaro, the Uhuru Peak. Adrenaline flows as completion nears and then it happens, you have made it. This nearly one week of agony is forgotten. After taking pictures and enjoying the scene, you will then descend back to Kibo camp for lunch and trek back to Horombo for an overnight stay and rest. Early morning after breakfast, you will continue with your descent to Mandara camp and finally back at the Marangu Gate, where typically you will head to your hotel in Moshi town for an overnight rest and then on to more adventure travel, cultural tours, or game drives in the parks.

There is a sense of accomplishment, even a moment of invincibility, which fills your senses. You have done it accomplished some of the greatest adventures by climbing the highest point on the continent of Africa.

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