Saadani Safari accommodation

country:	Tanzania
location:	Adjacent to Saadani National Park
price:	From US $220 per person per night full board. Price includes full board accommodation, drinks & all activities within the wilderness area, Government taxes, district tax & village levy. Children under 6 stay for free. Children 6 to 12 years old pay half adult price
vouchers:	Gift vouchers can be used with this holiday

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Tanzania safaris

Bush Camp safaris

Family safaris

description

Our private conservation area borders the coastal Saadani National Park. This area contains open woodland, areas of savannah and pristine riverine forest. Our wilderness camp is comfortable, discrete, environmentally sound and rustically elegant in its simplicity, underscoring our desire to leave a minimal human footprint in this pristine area.

The camp consists of a restaurant pavilion and five double “Star Gazer” tents with ensuite natural bathrooms open to the sky, all with breathtaking natural views. All were built by villagers using the local building style and materials. Meals are fixed menu, wholesome and nutritious, drawing on local produce, dishes and flavours.

Disabled access: We don’t discourage disabled guests. There are no stairs in camp and we have one tent specifically allocated close to the dining pavilion. However we are a rustic bush camp with unmade paths and uneven surfaces. We have plenty of willing staff who can offer support.

Family friendly: Share this experience with your family and become part of ours. Be open to the wider world and offer your family a transforming experience. Share with your loved ones the natural beauty, tranquility and isolation as you watch the sun melt rapidly into the wilderness of the Wami River Valley. Teach your child to build a campfire. Savour the special moments. Be together.

Baby friendly: If they are part of a family group, babies are most welcome but we don’t specifically market as a baby friendly destination due to privacy issues of living in a tent!

special things to do and see here

At this Saadani safari accommodation we specialize in the walking experience, particularly noted for birding and butterflies. Activities are also offered including vehicle safaris (on the property and into the Saadani National Park), night game drives, river safaris, canoe trips, fishing, village visits and aerial scenic flights.

Family/child friendly activities

Climb a tree - pitch a tent and make camp - build a temporary shelter - paddle in a dug out canoe - learn to fish in a remote forest stream - catch a frog and let it go again - meet the night creatures on a night safari - tell or hear a story by the campfire - learn about animal tracks - visit a Tanzanian home - collect firewood or water for the evening meal - assist cooking on a traditional camp oven - assist in a search for turtle nests on a remote beach - assist local fisherman pull in their nets of the daily catch - assist in an anti-poaching flight or animal count in a light aeroplane - help build a village toilet or school - enjoy a day’s introduction to Kiswahili or learn a local dance - attend a Kiswahili church service - play soccer with the local football team - have a picnic and fly a kite on a sandy beach - bird watch - plant trees with a primary school - visit a Tanzanian farm and assist with planting the crop - walk with a cattle herder and his cattle.

Inclusive activities

Walking

Birdwatching

Fishing

Picnics

Game Drives

River Canoe Safari

Village Visit

Activities in Saadani National Park
Zaraninge Forest Walk: US $30 per person (minimum charge US $60)
Full Day Game Drive Saadani National Park: US $40 per person (minimum charge US $80) Includes picnic lunch
Full day Wami River Mouth Boat Safari and Saadani National Park Game Drive (includes picnic lunch): US $80 per person (minimum US $160). Saadani activities exclude park fees

Saadani National Park Fees:
Residents: US $15
Non Residents: US $20
Child: US $5
N.B. Activities are subject to weather, river conditions and other uncontrollable factors

how to find this Saadani safari accommodation

By air: Our own private airstrip is 2 km from camp, 30 minutes for Dar es Salaam and Zanzibar.
By car: We are 5 hours north of Dar es Salaam by road.

travellers' tales

Visiting the nearby village was a real eye-opener and an experience I could not have obtained any other way in a short holiday of three weeks in Tanzania. The Barbours were most welcoming and kind and I felt part of the family. (more)

rooms, food and facilities

"Star Gazer" tents
Bathrooms open to the sky with hot water bucket showers
Dining pavilion and reading area with extensive library
Walking trails
Viewing areas, picnic spots
Local canoe for river trips
Fishing equipment

We have recently built three new 'bandas'. These are spacious open areas with no walls under a thatched roof. Guests sleep under mosquito nets. All have ensuite shower and toilet facilities.

how this holiday makes a difference

Social/Economic Responsibility
We are dedicated to the social well being of the local community. To this end we employ a Community Development Officer who assists with any village negotiations and translations. He lives in the village in a house we have built for him and, among other duties, attends village committee meetings on our behalf. We are assisting him with his further education by funding him through a post graduate course in Community Economic Development at the Open University of Dar es Salaam.

Our policy includes:

Our company leases the land from the village for which we pay a monthly rental.
Employing from the local community, and training our staff - 16 out of 18 fulltime employees are from the local area and we employ up to 50 casual labourers to assist on maintenance, construction etc., all of which are done completely by hand to maximize local employment. In the two years since we started construction there has been a noticeable rise in the spending power of our staff. All but one now have a bicycle, several have mobile phones and several are making improvements to their own homes.
Purchasing local produce.
Encouraging guests to partake in village activities and see development projects e.g. school, medical clinic and donations often result. We pay the village committee a levy for each visitor to the village.
Staff and guides are sensitive to the impact of our guests on village cultural life, and all guests are briefed to respect these sensibilities.
We have also attracted substantial funding to the surrounding area for many projects including: drilling a village bore hole & installing a pump and building a toilet block in the village school.

Environmental Responsibility
Concern for the environment is a cornerstone of our business. We aim for world’s best practice and consider compliance with local and international law and conventions as critical to our success.

Our policy includes:

A comprehensive Environmental and Social Impact Assessment was completed prior to commencement of the project.
In the construction of the camp we have ‘carved tracks’ rather than ‘made roads’ making sure that not a single tree be felled in the process, we have used local building materials where possible and furnished almost entirely with furniture made from recycled timber.
We use rechargeable torch and light batteries, limit electricity use, collect rain water and conserve as much water as possible (including educating guests, and only washing linen when necessary ie. not daily!).
We are trialling the use of biodiesel as a fuel for our vehicles and generator. The advantage being that the village may be able to grow the plants that produce the vegetable oil.
The establishment of a bee industry both in the Camp and through loans in the village, has become an ongoing educational tool in teaching environmental principles to the local population.

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