The best time to visit Saadani National Park

There is no bad month at Saadani, but there is a wrong month for what you came for. The park does two things at once — a coastal savannah and the Indian Ocean — and they do not peak together.

The short answer

If you want to see animals, come between June and October. If you want the ocean — swimming, snorkelling, a dhow at sunset — come between December and February. If you want both and are willing to accept some rain, late November or early December is the best compromise on the calendar.

The long rains, roughly March to May, are the one period we would talk you out of unless you know exactly why you are coming.

Jun — OctJune to October — dry, cool, and the best game viewing

The rains have stopped, the grass is short and the water has retreated to the Wami and to a handful of pans. Animals concentrate around what is left, which is why this is when a game drive rewards you. Elephant, giraffe, buffalo, warthog and a dozen antelope species are all easier to find when they have fewer places to be.

Mornings are genuinely cool — bring a layer for the early start on the river. The sea is swimmable but the southeast monsoon puts wind on the water, so a dhow crossing is choppier than it looks in the photographs.

This is also high season across Tanzania. If you are combining Saadani with the northern circuit or with Zanzíbar, book earlier than feels necessary.

Dec — FebDecember to February — hot, clear, and the ocean at its best

Between the short rains and the long ones the coast settles. The water goes flat and clear, the snorkelling on the sandbank is at its best, and the light in the last hour before sunset is the reason people book the dhow twice.

It is hot. Not unpleasantly so on the beach, where there is always something moving off the water, but a midday game drive in February is a different proposition from one in July. Go early, come back for the pool, go out again at four.

Green turtles nest along this coast, and hatchlings are most often seen in this window. Nothing about a turtle can be promised on a date — that is the whole point of them — but if it matters to you, this is when to try.

Mar — MayMarch to May — the long rains

We would rather tell you this than have you find out. The tracks inside the park become difficult and some become impassable; a game drive can be cancelled on the morning. The camp stays open and the ocean is still there, but you are gambling with the half of the experience most people come for.

What you get in exchange is real: the park is green in a way it never is in August, the birdlife is extraordinary, and you will have the place close to yourself. If you are a photographer or a birder, that trade is worth making. If this is your one safari, it is not.

November — the short rains, and the best compromise

The short rains arrive as afternoon storms rather than as days of grey. They tend to clear as fast as they came. Game viewing is still good, the grass has not yet grown tall, the sea is warming and the camp is quiet. It is the month we would pick for a first visit if the calendar allowed it.

All yearWhat does not change

• The park is open all year, and so is Cterra.
• The Saadani day-trip fee is charged per person for each day you are inside the park, in every season. What it costs.
• Every rate here is full board, in every month.
• The five kilometres of beach in front of the camp are empty in August and empty in March.

In shortSo which month?

Pick the half of Saadani you care about most and let it choose for you. Then tell us what you want to do while you are here — the boat safari up the Wami, the dhow, the bonfire with the Maasai dancers — and we will tell you honestly whether your dates suit it.

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