01
Day 01
Arrive Kilimanjaro, overnight Arusha
Airport pickup and the drive into Arusha for your first night.
- StayHotel in Arusha or Moshi
- MealsBed and breakfast
01 · Overview
About this safari
The most common Tanzanian holiday there is, and for good reason: the parks and the reef are a ninety-minute flight apart, and they are nothing like each other.
The trick is not to waste days moving between them. Flying from the Serengeti or Arusha straight to Zanzibar turns what would be two travel days into one short morning.
Five days on safari is enough for Tarangire, two Serengeti nights and the crater. Four on the coast is enough to stop thinking about the alarm clock.
Tour length9 days / 8 nights
Start / endArusha → Zanzibar
PlacesTarangire, Serengeti, Karatu, Ngorongoro Crater
AccommodationHotel, lodge, lodge or permanent tented camp, beach hotel
Meal planBed and breakfast; Full board
Vehicle4×4 with pop-up roof
Tour typePrivate, on your dates
Group sizeTo confirm
02 · The price
What the price covers — and what it doesn't
Included 7 items
- Park and conservation-area entry fees for every park listed in the route
- Government taxes and concession fees that apply to those parks
- A 4×4 safari vehicle with a pop-up roof, fuel and an English-speaking driver-guide
- Accommodation on the basis shown for each night
- Meals as marked on each day
- Drinking water in the vehicle throughout
- Transfers between Kilimanjaro International Airport or Arusha town and your first night
Not included 6 items
- International flights, and internal flights unless a day says otherwise
- Tanzania visa, passport costs and travel insurance
- Tips for your guide, cook and camp or lodge staff
- Drinks, laundry and other personal spending
- Optional extras — balloon flights, night drives, spa treatments, private vehicle upgrades
- Anything not listed as included
03 · At a glance
Itinerary highlights
- Day 1Arrive Kilimanjaro, overnight Arusha
- Day 2Tarangire
- Day 3Into the Serengeti
- Day 4A full Serengeti day
- Day 5Serengeti to the crater highlands
- Day 6The crater, then fly to Zanzibar
- Day 7Zanzibar
- Day 8Zanzibar
- Day 9Departure
04 · Prices
Prices and what moves them
Every quote is written for the dates and the number of people travelling, because park fees, season and vehicle sharing move the figure more than anything else. We itemise it: park fees, accommodation, vehicle, meals.
Mid-range
Luxury
Mid-range
Per person, sharing · international flights not includedSingle supplement: To confirm
| Group size | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Per person, 2026 | To confirm | To confirm | To confirm | To confirm | To confirm | To confirm |
| Rooms | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3+ |
Luxury
Per person, sharing · international flights not includedSingle supplement: To confirm
| Group size | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Per person, 2026 | To confirm | To confirm | To confirm | To confirm | To confirm | To confirm |
| Rooms | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3+ |
Children. Child rates depend on age, the camps and how rooms are shared. Child policy to confirm
05 · The route
The route, day by day
02
Day 02
Tarangire
A full day in the park, then up to the highlands near Karatu in the late afternoon.
- StayLodge on the Ngorongoro highlands rim or in Karatu
- MealsFull board
03
Day 03
Into the Serengeti
Across the conservation area and down onto the plains, game viewing from the gate onwards, and an afternoon drive in the central Serengeti.
- StayLodge or permanent tented camp, central Serengeti
- MealsFull board
04
Day 04
A full Serengeti day
Dawn and late-afternoon drives with the hot hours off, working the Seronera valley or the herds, depending on the month.
- StayLodge or permanent tented camp, central Serengeti
- MealsFull board
05
Day 05
Serengeti to the crater highlands
A morning drive out of the park and the long leg east, arriving on the rim in the afternoon.
- StayLodge on the Ngorongoro highlands rim or in Karatu
- MealsFull board
06
Day 06
The crater, then fly to Zanzibar
The early descent and a half day on the crater floor, then the drive to the airstrip or Arusha and the afternoon flight to the coast.
- StayBeach hotel, east coast of Zanzibar
- MealsBed and breakfast
07
Day 07
Zanzibar
Free. Snorkelling, diving, kitesurfing on the east coast, or nothing at all.
- StayBeach hotel, east coast of Zanzibar
- MealsBed and breakfast
08
Day 08
Zanzibar
Free again, or a spice farm and Jozani forest, where the red colobus monkeys live and nowhere else on earth.
- StayBeach hotel, east coast of Zanzibar
- MealsBed and breakfast
09
Day 09
Departure
Transfer to Zanzibar airport for your flight.
- StayNone — the trip ends today
06 · Camps
Where you stay
Each night gives the kind of place and the area. The property itself is chosen for your month and your budget, and named in your quote.
Night 1
Hotel in Arusha or Moshi
Bed and breakfast.
Nights 2 & 5
Lodge on the Ngorongoro highlands rim or in Karatu
Full board.
Nights 3–4
Lodge or permanent tented camp, central Serengeti
Full board.
Nights 6–8
Beach hotel, east coast of Zanzibar
Bed and breakfast.
07 · Add-ons
Optional add-ons
Not in the standard price. Arranged on request and priced in your quote.
Serengeti · sunrise
Hot-air balloon flight
An hour over the plains at first light, followed by breakfast in the bush.
Before the beach
A safari first
The parks of the north are a short flight from the coast. Safari first, beach after.
On the route
Cultural visit
Time with a community near the route, arranged with people who welcome visitors.
Before the safari
An extra night in Arusha
Useful after a long-haul flight, so the first day does not start tired.
08 · The ground
Where this safari takes you
The big question
Where are the herds in your month?
The migration is somewhere in the Serengeti ecosystem all year. Pick a month to see where the herds usually are — rainfall moves their timing by weeks. For a route built around them, see the 7-day migration safari.
Calving, southern plainsRiver crossings, northern SerengetiHerds on the move
This monthWhere the herds are
09 · Season
Best time to take this safari
Jun – Oct
The dry season
Short grass and animals close to water. The busiest months, and the clearest game viewing.
Late Jan – Mar
Calving on the southern plains
The herds are on the short-grass plains around Ndutu, with predators to match.
Apr · May · Nov
The green season
Rain, long grass and far fewer vehicles — and some camps close for the long rains.
10 · Flights
Flights
Arrive
Kilimanjaro International Airport
The international airport for Arusha and the northern parks. The transfer to your first night is included.
Depart
Zanzibar
The trip ends on the coast. International flights leave from Zanzibar, or connect through Dar es Salaam.
11 · Extras
Budget for these extras
Not in the package price, and worth planning for before you travel.
Most visitors need a Tanzania visa. What applies to your passport, and how to apply, is on our visas and vaccinations page.
Take a policy that covers medical evacuation from remote areas. More on our travel insurance page.
Tipping is customary but yours to decide. Our tipping guide sets out what is usual for guides, cooks and camp staff.
Water is provided in the vehicle. Other drinks at camps and lodges, laundry and souvenirs are paid locally.
12 · Why us
Why book this with us
01
Every route is a draft
Add a night, cut a day, finish on the coast. Most trips we run started as one of these and then moved.
02
Every quote itemised
Park fees, accommodation, vehicle and meals, line by line, for your dates and group.
03
Private, on your dates
Your own 4×4 with a pop-up roof and an English-speaking driver-guide.
04
Planned from Arusha
Ask on WhatsApp and you reach the people who plan the trip.
13 · Reviews
Reviews
Guest reviews for this route will appear here. To confirm
14 · Questions
Asked about this trip
Because a safari needs early starts and the coast does not. Going bush first also means you are not flying out of a beach holiday at five in the morning.
Fly. It is about ninety minutes from Arusha and a couple of hours by light aircraft from a Serengeti airstrip. Driving to Dar and taking the ferry costs two days.
It is the sensible minimum. Three feels short once you subtract the arrival afternoon and the departure morning.
Yes. Mnemba atoll off the north-east is the best-known site; Pemba, further north, is better still and needs its own flight.
