A Tent With a View
Where the bush meets the beach
About Simply Saadani Camp
Built on an old coconut plantation, Simply Saadaani camp can play tricks with the mind. On arrival, guests are led through a lush natural tunnel of overhanging trees with surround sound of the bush until suddenly, at the end of the tunnel, you are facing a stunning deserted white-sand beach and Indian ocean which is the last thing you’d expect to find at the end of the trail.
As the only coastal wildlife preserve in east Africa, there is nowhere quite like Saadani. With just nine beautiful rustic tented rooms, all with sea views and raised up high on large wooden platforms, it feels like you have been washed up on your very own desert island. From the cheeky Vervet monkeys on the balconies to the cute wide-eyed bush babies who visit the bar at night, to the stunning variety of bird life, it’s a tranquil, unique and beautiful place.
As well as game drives and boat safaris arranged from the camp, the camp has its own wildlife research centre where elephant and green turtle lectures take place as well as short canoe safaris and nature trails. The nearby turtle sanctuary which that camp supports is also another wonderful element to this little gem of a place.
Accommodation & Amenities
Where Bush meets Beach restaurant
9 banda suites
Family rooms
En-suite bathrooms
Private outdoor area
WiFi (in restaurant)
Private parking
Solar-powered
camp
KEY DETAILS
Open: June - March
Airstrip: Saadani (30 minutes from camp)
Daily schedules from Zanzibar
By car: Dar Es Salaam (4 hours)
Simply Saadani
Simply Saadani
Simply Saadani
Simply Saadani
Simply Saadani
Simply Saadani
The nine raised suites at Simply Saadani are expansive with makuti thatched roofs and spacious verandas overlooking deserted beach and Indian ocean.
All rooms have en suite bathrooms with flushing toilets and rain showers.
Beds are king sized in double rooms and family room's main bedroom. Twin rooms and family room's second bedroom feature single beds.
Out on the deck, guests can get comfy on the chairs, relax on the sunbeds or enjoy amazing sunrises.
As well as traditional game drives in 4x4’s, Saadani also offers the chance to head out on foot and also by boat which the more famous parks of the north, like Serengeti and Ngorongoro Crater don’t allow. The variety of safari on offer makes this a great Tanzania safari holiday option. All of the below safaris can be done from the camp with the camp’s own vehicles and safari guides so if you have booked just full board rather than game package, you can book a safari and pay on the ground. Take a look what’s on offer.
The best time for game drives in the park is early
morning and late afternoon avoiding the heat of the day, like us, the wildlife
like to hide away when it’s too hot and are far more active in the early mornings
and early evenings. No Tanzania safari
would be complete without a game drive in one of our super custom-made safari
vehicles, all open allowing fantastic photo opportunities. We take our guests out for 3-4 hours either
departing early after a quick cuppa just before dawn or following afternoon tea
at the end of the day.
The exception to the early morning and late
afternoon game drives is when we go on the boat. We combine the boat generally with an
extended day game drive and tend to leave after a leisurely breakfast and head
straight down to the Wami river for a few hours on the boat where we have our
packed lunch amongst hippo and crocs. The birdlife along the river is also
incredible and Pells Fishing Owl have been seen in this area. We would then game drive back to camp
arriving just before dark.
The unusual salt flats in Saadani offer super foot
safaris as the salt tells us so much of what went on the night before due to
the clear tracks left by resident lion, elephant, buffalo and much more. Head out on foot with your guide and maybe
set a camera trap which you can collect a few days later when out on safari
again to see what the lens has caught.
This terrain is open, flat and easy to walk.
The marine park forms
part of Saadani National Park and is just a few miles south of Simply Saadani
Camp. A Tent with a View began the
project to protect the green turtles and supported a local youngster Hamisi in
looking after the turtles and making suer as many eggs hatched as
possible.
From here, the Seasense
organisation gave it greater weight and worked with Hamisi for many years
before it falling under the umbrella of the Tanzania National Parks authority
when they took charge of the park. Today
Hamisi works full time in Saadani as a guide and will happily take our guests
to watch hatchings when they happen. It’s quite magical watching these
newly-born baby turtles head straight to the vast Indian ocean and disappear
out to sea.
For days when you are not in the park on safari, kick back and enjoy a good book on your terrace overlooking the beautiful warm Indian ocean, play on the beach, swim in the sea or indulge in the many activities offered in and around the camp, all complimentary to our guests. Sadaani has so much more to offer and is truly a one stop Tanzania safari and beach holiday.
A lovely way to spend a few hours in the late
afternoon is to row along the camp’s very own creek. You can go alone or take a
guide with you. The creek is very
tranquil with distant sounds of the Indian ocean. The mangroves are full of
beautiful birds such as rollers, kingfishers such as Pied, Mangrove and
stunning Malachite. You can watch tiny
crabs as well and the smaller fauna often overlooked when in the car or even on
foot. The canoe can be combined with a
talk at the wildlife research centre or one of the nature walks. The canoe is tide-dependant but your guide
will advise you of the best time on the day you’d like to go.
The research centre was built to be the home
of the Saadani elephant collaring project which took place in 2010-2012 and
which gave valuable information about the elephant corridors vital to their
protection. Involving the local
community with the park authority TANAPA meant that the 3 way working together
with us as private stakeholder resulted in a greater understanding of the
important of these corridors and the enabling of elephants to be protected
along the routes. We names the collared
elephants and had 2 years before the collars dropped off to gather the
information and follow these majestic creatures with our guests. Since then, we
have collared zebra and have a lion project soon underway. Here you can learn about our historic work.
There are 4 colour-coded nature walks around the
camp grounds of varying lengths. The walks can be done independently or with a
guide.
Enjoy the tranquility of the bush,
fantastic for birders and a great chance to see the smaller fauna around the
grounds from duika and bushbuck to elephant shrew, mongoose and warthog.
This gives a wonderful insight into life in a
typical Tanzanian fishing village. After breakfast, we walk north along the
beach and then take a look at life on the coast, visit the local hospital that
we helped set up and sometimes play an impromtu game of football with the local
children when they’re not in school.
Afterwards, we head back to camp by car for lunch.
There is a small
charge for this guided tour.
Simply Saadani Camp is a part of exciting tours organised by A Tent With A View.
We prepared itineraries to fit all needs, if it is an exciting safari, honeymoon, cultural tour, family holiday or just a relaxing beach holiday with an extraordinary wildlife bonus
9
Days
Zanzibar Beach Holiday &
3 day safari
US $2235
11
Days
Family learning holiday
The Young Safari Guide
US $4370
2
Days
Two day Safari in Saadani from Zanzibar
US $865
11
Days
Tanzania Honeymoon
The Secret Safari Parks
US $4400
Simply Saadani Camp is located at a wild deserted beach of Indian ocean just outside Saadani National Park, 5 km north from Madete gate.