11-Day Best of Tanzania's Northern Parks, Budget, and Zanzibar

Your safari adventure begins today. You are picked up from your hotel in or around Arusha, and during the 2.5-hour drive you take in beautiful scenery, landscapes and local communities along the way. Enjoy a full day game drive in Tarangire, famous for its large elephant herds, baobab trees and tree-climbing African pythons, before heading to your accommodation at the end of the day.

Distance: Road transfer from Arusha to Tarangire, approx. 2.5 hours

Activity: Full day game drive

Accommodation: Lodge or camp near Tarangire National Park

Meals: Lunch & dinner, breakfast not included

Today you head to Lake Manyara, known for its breathtaking panoramic views, waterfalls, babbling brooks and hot springs. Enjoy a full day game drive, with the option of also booking a two-hour walking safari, where giraffe, buffalo and other wildlife can be observed on foot from a good distance. In the afternoon, drive back to your accommodation for the night.

Distance: Full day game drive, optional 2-hour walking safari

Activity: Game drive, optional walking safari

Accommodation: Lodge or camp near Lake Manyara National Park

Meals: All meals included, drinking water provided

Head toward the Serengeti today, arriving at the park gate after a few hours’ drive. After lunch, enjoy a game drive all afternoon in this beautiful park, known for its endless plains of savannah and forest landscapes, and famous for the migration of around 1.5 million herbivores and their attendant predators. At the end of the day, arrive at your camp, perfectly located between the Serengeti’s Seronera, Grumeti and Ikorongo areas, an ideal retreat for watching birdlife or a herd of impala grazing quietly nearby, or simply relaxing to the sounds of the African bush.

Distance: Road transfer to the Serengeti, afternoon game drive

Activity: Travel day and afternoon game drive

Accommodation: Camp near the western Serengeti

Meals: All meals included, drinking water provided

Start the day with a game drive in the Ikona Wildlife Management Area, bordering the Serengeti. This area supports a wide range of wildlife across 242 square kilometres of pristine wilderness, including herds of elephant, waterbuck, black and white colobus monkeys, shy leopard, and both greater and lesser kudu. In the afternoon, explore the area on foot with a ranger on a walking safari, ending with a sundowner, a genuinely unique experience.

Distance: Morning game drive, afternoon walking safari

Activity: Game drive and walking safari with sundowner

Accommodation: Camp near the western Serengeti (second night)

Meals: All meals included, drinking water provided

Spend one more morning in the Serengeti before heading toward the Ngorongoro Conservation Area in the late afternoon, with game viewing en route.

Distance: Morning in the Serengeti, then road transfer to Ngorongoro

Activity: Travel day with game viewing en route

Accommodation: Lodge near the Ngorongoro Conservation Area

Meals: All meals included, drinking water provided

Wake up early and, after breakfast, drive into the remarkable Ngorongoro Crater, widely regarded as the largest intact volcanic caldera in the world. The crater is home to an estimated 30,000 large mammals, with a genuinely high concentration of wildlife thanks to its natural borders, including the Big Five, with the African black rhino among the highlights, alongside hyena, zebra and elephant. In the afternoon, drive back to Arusha, arriving before dinner.

Distance: Full day in the crater, then road transfer to Arusha

Activity: Crater game drive

Accommodation: N/A, transit night in Arusha

Meals: All meals included, drinking water provided

On arrival in Zanzibar, our local staff meet you at the airport and bring you to your hotel for the first night, located in a beautiful, characteristic building in the heart of old Stone Town. In the afternoon or the following morning, explore Stone Town on foot, walking through narrow streets that capture the feeling of its old colonial Arabic architecture. Highlights include the former slave market site, the Anglican Cathedral, the House of Wonders and the old Arab fort.

Distance: Flight or road transfer to Zanzibar, then Stone Town exploration

Activity: Stone Town walking tour

Accommodation: Hotel in Stone Town

Meals: Breakfast, lunch and dinner not included

Transfer to a spacious beach resort on the south-eastern coast of Zanzibar, with over 600 metres of pristine, white sand beachfront and clear blue water close to the reef, with a fresh breeze from the Indian Ocean throughout your stay. You spend three nights here on an all-inclusive basis.

Distance: Road transfer to the south-eastern coast

Activity: Free time at the beach

Accommodation: All-inclusive beach resort, south-eastern Zanzibar

Meals: All meals included, all drinks (except spirits and liquor)

A further full day to enjoy the beach at your own pace, with the resort’s all-inclusive amenities available throughout the day.

Distance: Free day at the beach

Activity: Free time at the beach

Accommodation: All-inclusive beach resort, south-eastern Zanzibar (second night)

Meals: All meals included, all drinks (except spirits and liquor)

A third full day at the beach, with time to explore the surrounding area, book an optional excursion, or simply continue relaxing on the white sand.

Distance: Free day at the beach, optional excursions available

Activity: Free time at the beach

Accommodation: All-inclusive beach resort, south-eastern Zanzibar (third night)

Meals: All meals included, all drinks (except spirits and liquor)

This is the last day of your holiday. Enjoy a final stroll on the white sandy beaches, or soak up the last of the tropical sun, before being collected from your resort and transferred to the airport for your flight home.

Distance: Airport transfer

Activity: Departure

Accommodation: N/A, end of trip

Meals: All meals included, all drinks (except spirits and liquor)