This 12-day itinerary covers the same Northern Circuit core as our other combined safari-and-beach holidays, Tarangire National Park, Lake Manyara National Park, a full day on the Ngorongoro Crater floor and three nights in the Serengeti, before a short flight from Seronera airstrip straight to Zanzibar for three nights on the beach.
This sits between our 11-Day and 14-Day Tanzania Safari and Zanzibar Beach itineraries, the same three Serengeti nights as the 14-day version, paired with one fewer Zanzibar night to fit a shorter overall trip. Travelers who want the same safari core with a longer beach stay should look at the 14-day version, which adds a fourth Zanzibar night.
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Your SafariBando representative meets you at Kilimanjaro International Airport for a warm welcome and a short briefing, then transfers you to your hotel in Arusha for check-in.
Distance: Airport transfer, approx. 1 hour
Activity: Arrival and transfer to Arusha
Accommodation: Hotel in Arusha
Meals: Dinner
After breakfast, depart for Tarangire National Park, famed for its huge elephant herds, ancient baobab trees and a wide range of birdlife. Enjoy a full-day game drive with a picnic lunch inside the park before continuing to your lodge for the night.
Distance: Approx. 120 km from Arusha, full day including game drive
Activity: Full-day game drive in Tarangire National Park
Accommodation: Lodge or tented camp in the Tarangire area
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Start the day with an early morning walking safari along the Tarangire River ecosystem, followed by a further vehicle game drive through the park. After lunch, drive to Karatu in the Ngorongoro Highlands for the night.
Distance: Half-day in Tarangire, then approx. 1.5 hours to Karatu
Activity: Morning walking safari and game drive, then transfer to Karatu
Accommodation: Lodge or tented camp in the Karatu area
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Descend into the Ngorongoro Crater for a full day of game viewing across grassland, marsh and acacia forest. This UNESCO World Heritage Site is one of the most densely populated wildlife areas in Africa, with an estimated 30,000 animals, including the endangered black rhino, living within its enclosed walls. A picnic lunch is taken on the crater floor.
Distance: Crater floor game drive, then return to your lodge
Activity: Full Ngorongoro Crater floor game drive
Accommodation: Lodge or tented camp near the Ngorongoro crater rim
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Drive to Serengeti National Park with game viewing en route as the landscape opens onto the plains. A picnic lunch is taken along the way, with arrival at your camp inside the park in the evening.
Distance: Approx. 4-5 hours driving with en-route game viewing
Activity: Drive to the Serengeti, with game viewing en route
Accommodation: Lodge or tented camp inside the Serengeti
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Spend the day exploring the central Serengeti's open savannah, chasing recent sightings of the Great Migration when it is in the area, and watching for the big cats this part of the park is known for. Game drives with a picnic lunch maximize time in the bush.
Distance: Game drives within the park, distances vary by wildlife sightings
Activity: Full-day game drive in the central Serengeti
Accommodation: Lodge or tented camp inside the Serengeti (second night)
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
A second full day in the Serengeti, with morning and afternoon game drives covering different parts of the central plains. Wildlife here often seems to find you rather than the other way around, what you see depends on the season and what's been moving through the area.
Distance: Game drives within the park, distances vary by wildlife sightings
Activity: Second full-day game drive in the central Serengeti
Accommodation: Lodge or tented camp inside the Serengeti (third night)
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
A third full day dedicated to the Serengeti, giving your guide time to range further and follow recent wildlife movements. Morning and afternoon drives continue with a picnic lunch out on the plains, rounding out your time in the park before tomorrow's flight to the coast.
Distance: Game drives within the park, distances vary by wildlife sightings
Activity: Third full-day game drive in the central Serengeti
Accommodation: Lodge or tented camp inside the Serengeti (fourth night)
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
After breakfast, enjoy one last Serengeti game drive en route to Seronera Airstrip for your scheduled flight to Zanzibar. On arrival you're met and transferred to your beach resort to begin the relaxation half of the trip.
Distance: Scheduled flight, Seronera to Zanzibar (approx. 2 hours)
Activity: Final Serengeti game drive, then flight to Zanzibar
Accommodation: Beach resort on Zanzibar
Meals: Bed and Breakfast
A free day to relax on the beach at Zanzibar, or join an optional excursion such as the Spice Tour, a Stone Town walking tour, a Prison Island boat trip or a dolphin tour, arranged locally based on your interest and the day's tides.
Distance: Free day, optional excursions available locally
Activity: Beach relaxation or optional excursion
Accommodation: Beach resort on Zanzibar (second night)
Meals: Bed and Breakfast
Your final full day on Zanzibar, with time to fit in any remaining excursions or simply enjoy the beach before tomorrow's departure.
Distance: Free day, optional excursions available locally
Activity: Beach relaxation or optional excursion
Accommodation: Beach resort on Zanzibar (third night)
Meals: Bed and Breakfast
After breakfast, transfer to Zanzibar Airport for your connecting flight to Dar es Salaam and onward international flight home.
Distance: Airport transfer, plus connecting flight via Dar es Salaam
Activity: Departure transfer
Accommodation: N/A, end of trip
Meals: Breakfast
The safari portion is mostly vehicle-based, no fitness threshold applies for the game drives. Day 3 includes a morning walking safari of roughly 2 hours at a gentle pace. The Zanzibar portion is entirely a beach holiday with no fitness requirement at all, beyond getting yourself to and from the optional excursions. Travellers with limited mobility are accommodated, let us know in advance.
June to October is the dry season on the mainland, with the highest game-viewing reliability and Tarangire's elephant herds at their largest, this also coincides with Zanzibar's driest, sunniest weather. January and February is the southern Serengeti calving season, with large predator concentrations and good Zanzibar weather. The long rains in April and May bring the lowest rates of the year on both halves of the trip but can affect road conditions on the mainland and bring more rain showers on Zanzibar.
Across the mainland route you are highly likely to see lion, elephant, buffalo, giraffe, zebra, wildebeest, hippo, baboon and a wide range of antelope and birdlife. Black rhino is likely on the Ngorongoro Crater floor. Leopard is possible, the Serengeti has the highest leopard density in East Africa, and three full days there meaningfully improves your odds, but leopards remain solitary and elusive. Cheetah is likely on the Serengeti plains. No operator can guarantee specific sightings.
The price covers a private 4x4 safari vehicle with pop-up roof and English-speaking driver-guide on the mainland, all park entry and conservation fees for Tarangire, Lake Manyara, the Ngorongoro Conservation Area (including the Crater service fee) and the Serengeti, full-board accommodation for the safari nights, the scheduled flight from the Serengeti to Zanzibar, and bed-and-breakfast accommodation for 3 nights on Zanzibar. International and connecting flights to Tanzania, Tanzania visa, travel insurance, alcoholic drinks, tips, optional Zanzibar excursions, lunches and dinners on Zanzibar, and personal expenses are not included. See the full "What's included" and "Not included" sections on this page for the complete breakdown.
The 11-Day Tanzania Safari and Zanzibar Beach covers two Serengeti nights and two Zanzibar nights, a more compact trip. This 12-day version adds a third Serengeti night for the same three Zanzibar nights. The 14-day version keeps the same three Serengeti nights but extends the beach stay to four nights. Choose based on whether the extra day is better spent on safari or on the beach.
Popular half- and full-day options include the Spice Tour through a working spice farm, a Stone Town walking tour through the UNESCO old town, a Prison Island boat trip to see giant tortoises, and dolphin tours off the southeast coast. With three days on the island, most travelers fit in one or two excursions alongside beach time.
Yes, this itinerary works well for families: the safari days accept children of 5 years and older with discounted park fees under 12, and the Zanzibar half is a straightforward beach holiday that most resorts cater for with family rooms. The three consecutive Serengeti days are the main consideration for younger children on long game-drive days, bring books, snacks and patience.
Most nationalities can obtain a Tanzania tourist visa online via the eTA system before travel, or on arrival at Kilimanjaro Airport (JRO). The visa costs USD 50 for most nationalities and USD 100 for US citizens, and covers both the mainland and Zanzibar as they are part of the same country. Yellow fever vaccination is only required if you are arriving from a yellow-fever-endemic country. Malaria prophylactics are recommended for the mainland portion. Comprehensive travel insurance covering medical evacuation is required for the safari days, we cannot accept bookings without it.
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