Simply Saadani, Safari and Beach hotel

Unique Safari & Beach Hotel

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)

Rooms

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.

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What Our Clients Say

Safaris from the Camp

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.

Activities around the Camp

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.

Experiences

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

SAFARI AND BEACH HOLIDAYS

9
Days

Zanzibar Beach Holiday &
3 day safari

Zanzibar beach & culture
Safari in Saadani national park
Boat safari on Wami river
Safari in open Land Rovers
Amazing wildlife
Canoe ride on Mafui creek

US $2235

Family safari holidays

11
Days

Family learning holiday
The Young Safari Guide

Saadani national park
Wami river boat safari
Selous Game reserve
Maasai village visit
Stone town
Zanzibar beaches

US $4370

Safari from Zanzibar

2
Days

Two day Safari in Saadani from Zanzibar

20 minutes from Zanzibar
Best of Tanzania’s wildlife
Safari in open Land Rovers
Foot & Boat safaris
Excelent food
Stunning accommodation on the wild beach

US $865

HONEYMOON IN TANZANIA