Saadani Safari Lodge

Safari on the beach: tented cabins perched on the golden fringes of the Indian Ocean, with game watching in bush, river and coastal settings

Saadani is East Africa's only park with sea frontage, so it's a unique opportunity to go game-watching and swimming the same day. And this lodge provides plenty of style in which to do it. Its 15 tented cottages are hidden amongst the screw palms on a tranquil beach overlooking the Indian Ocean. The main building, grass-roofed and perched on stilts, houses a bar and restaurant with gorgeous views of the golden sands. Nearby, there’s a quirky ‘boat bar’ where we happily whiled away an afternoon, plus 2 decked swimming pools and a hidden treehouse overlooking a waterhole - great for spotting reedbuck, baboon, giraffe, lion and buffalo.

Aside from safari drives, you can swim to one of the off-shore sand islands, take a walking tour to the local village with a knowledgeable guide or enjoy a boat trip along the sinuous Wami river to watch pods of hippo and basking crocodiles. Hop on a plane and in 20 minutes you can be in Zanzibar or Dar. It's an easy add-on, perfect for gentle game viewing with a dose of beach - and without the long drives or the dusty crowds of inland circuits.

Highs

• Right on a glorious beach with few, if any, tourists
• Plenty of wildlife in 3 different settings: river, bush and coast
• Spacious and comfy tent-roofed rooms, plus a fab honeymoon suite at the end of a walkway into the bush
• Sociable atmosphere, especially at sunset when guests meet for cocktails and camp fires on the beach
• Social responsibility is high on the agenda, and Saadani helps fund many local projects (they will happily take you to visit them)

Lows

• Game is less plentiful or varied than in other Tanzanian parks (although we still saw lions, hippos and kudu)
• You can't swim in the sea when the tide is out (but there are a couple of lovely swimming pools)
• Flights from Dar or Zanzibar are pricey given the distance; but you could drive from Dar to Bagamoyo and then transfer to Saadani by speedboat (1.5 hours)
• The lodge is not suitable for children under 6 - though older kids will love it