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8-Day Tanzania Safari and Zanzibar Beach

8-Day Tanzania Safari and Zanzibar Beach

Eight days from the Ngorongoro Crater and the plains of the Serengeti to the white sand and warm shallows of Zanzibar's north coast, privately guided on safari

8 DaysDuration TanzaniaCountries PrivateGroup type
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Overview

A Classic Safari and Beach Holiday in Tanzania

The 8 Days, Safari and Zanzibar Beach is a private, tailor-made Tanzania safari and Zanzibar beach holiday.

It travels from Arusha to the Ngorongoro Crater for two nights and the central Serengeti for two, then flies to Zanzibar’s north coast for three nights by the sea before the flight home. It is at its finest from June to October and in January and February, when both the parks and the island are at their driest.

Some journeys ask you to choose between the wild and the restful. This one declines to. It opens on the rim of the Ngorongoro Crater, with a full day on the floor of a caldera some 20 kilometres across, where lion, buffalo, elephant and black rhino share a world apart. It continues across the highlands to the central Serengeti, whose plains run without a fence to every horizon and whose lion prides keep their territories in every month.

Then a small aircraft carries you east, over the mainland to the Indian Ocean, and the second half of the story is written in a different hand: three nights on Zanzibar’s north coast, where the water stays deep enough to swim at any tide, and the sun sets over the sea. No honest guide can promise a particular animal, and the pages that follow are plain about that. The sunsets, we find, keep their own appointments.

At a glance

  • Duration8 Days
  • CountriesTanzania
  • Group typePrivate

Activities

A few additions past guests have chosen on this journey.

A dawn hot air balloon safari over the central Serengeti, with breakfast laid in the bush
A guided walk through Stone Town, Zanzibar's old quarter and a UNESCO World Heritage Site
A sunset dhow cruise off Zanzibar's north coast
A spice farm visit, or a walk in Jozani Forest amongst the Zanzibar red colobus
Moments to note

Standout moments

The moments past guests on this journey mention most

I

A Full Day in the Ngorongoro Crater

A dawn descent onto the floor of a caldera some 20 kilometres across and 600 metres deep, home to around 25,000 large animals and one of the last places in Tanzania to see black rhino.

II

Two Nights on the Crater Rim

Evenings above the caldera in the cool highland air, with the crater floor spread out below in the last light and the first sight of it waiting at dawn.

III

The Heart of the Serengeti

Central Serengeti near Seronera holds resident lion prides all year, with leopard country along the river and ancient granite kopjes rising from the grass.

IV

From the Plains to the Sea by Air

A scheduled light-aircraft flight carries you straight from the Serengeti to Zanzibar, so the safari ends on the plains in the morning and the beach begins the same afternoon.

V

Zanzibar's North Coast

Three nights on the island's north coast, where the water stays deep enough to swim at any tide and the sun sets over the Indian Ocean.

VI

Stone Town and the Spice Island

Stone Town, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2000, the spice farms that gave Zanzibar its old name, and Jozani Forest's red colobus, all within reach of the beach.

Day by day

How the days break down

A starting shape: pace, order and length of each stage are all adjustable.

Day
01
Ngorongoro Crater
Arusha to the Ngorongoro Crater rim

Climb From Arusha Into the Ngorongoro Highlands and Watch Dusk Settle Over the Crater

Your guide collects you in Arusha, or from Kilimanjaro International Airport on a morning arrival, and the road leads west across the floor of the Rift and up its great wall, past the market town of Mto wa Mbu and the coffee farms of Karatu, roughly three and a half to four hours in all. Beyond the Loduare Gate the road climbs through cool, misted highland forest to the very rim of the crater.
The Ngorongoro Conservation Area was created in 1959 and inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1979, and the first sight of the caldera from its rim, a world entire some 600 metres below, is one few travellers forget. The afternoon is left at leisure, to rest after the journey or simply to watch the light change over the crater floor as evening comes on.

Where you rest

A lodge on the Ngorongoro Crater rim · Two nights here, positioned for a full day on the crater floor

Day
02
Ngorongoro Crater
Full day on the Ngorongoro Crater floor

Descend at First Light Into the Ngorongoro Crater for a Full Day on Its Floor

The descent begins soon after the gates open at dawn, down a steep track into a collapsed volcanic caldera some 20 kilometres across, holding an estimated 25,000 large animals. The morning brings lion, buffalo, elephant, zebra, wildebeest and hippo, and the crater is one of the few places in East Africa where black rhino may still be seen, though never with certainty. Giraffe, curiously, are absent from the floor.
Poaching once reduced the crater's black rhino from over 100 in the 1960s to fewer than 20 by the mid-1980s, and today's population of around 30 is the largest single group left in Tanzania. Luncheon is taken beside a hippo pool on the crater floor, and the climb back to the rim follows in the afternoon, leaving an evening above the caldera to remember it by.

Where you rest

Second night on the Ngorongoro Crater rim · Second night here

Day
03
Serengeti
Ngorongoro Crater rim to the central Serengeti

Leave the Crater Rim Behind and Roll Out Onto the Serengeti's Endless Plains

After breakfast the road follows the crater's outer rim and descends from the highlands onto the short-grass plains, roughly three to five hours to the central Serengeti depending on stops, with Olduvai Gorge, one of the most important palaeoanthropology sites on Earth, a short detour if time allows. At Naabi Hill Gate the Serengeti begins in earnest.
The Serengeti covers close to 15,000 square kilometres and has been a national park since 1951 and a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1981. The last hours to Seronera are a game drive in their own right, across plains that hold zebra, gazelle and, in their season, the herds of the Great Migration, and you reach camp in the afternoon as the light begins to soften.

Where you rest

A lodge or tented camp in the central Serengeti, near Seronera · Two nights here, positioned for a full day exploring the park.

Day
04
Serengeti
Full day exploring the central Serengeti

Spend a Full Day Amongst the Serengeti's Kopjes, Lion Prides and Leopard Trees

The day begins before sunrise, whilst Seronera's resident prides are at their most active and the light is at its kindest. Morning drives wind amongst the granite kopjes, ancient outcrops where lion like to rest and survey their country, and across plains of zebra, gazelle, topi and buffalo, with cheetah often found on the open grass.
After luncheon and a rest at camp, the afternoon follows the Seronera River, whose fringe of trees is some of the finest leopard country in Africa, though a leopard can never be promised, and the pools where hippo lie in the shallows. A dawn hot air balloon safari is available this morning, for those who would see the plains from above before the day's drives begin.

Where you rest

Second night in the central Serengeti · Second night here.

Day
05
Zanzibar
Serengeti to Zanzibar, by scheduled flight

Fly From the Serengeti to Zanzibar and Watch the Sun Set Over the Indian Ocean

A final early drive, or a slow breakfast with the plains before you, and then your guide takes you to the airstrip for a scheduled light-aircraft flight east across the mainland, roughly two to three hours depending on stops. The golden grass gives way to farmland and forest, and at last to the impossible turquoise of the Zanzibar Channel.
A private transfer carries you north from the airport to the island's north coast, where the water stays deep enough to swim at any tide. You arrive in the afternoon, in good time to exchange your safari clothes for something lighter and to watch your first sunset sink into the Indian Ocean from the shore.

Where you rest

A beach hotel on Zanzibar's north coast · Three nights here, by the sea.

Day
06 & 07
Zanzibar
Two days at leisure on Zanzibar's north coast

Swim at Every Tide on Zanzibar's North Coast, With Stone Town Within Easy Reach

These two days are entirely your own. After the early starts of the safari there is a particular luxury in waking without an alarm, swimming before breakfast in water as warm as a drawn bath, and letting the hours pass between the shade and the sea. The north coast's deeper water means the beach is never lost to the tide, as it is on parts of the east coast.
For those who would see more of the island, your specialist can arrange a guided walk through Stone Town's narrow streets and carved doors, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2000, a visit to the spice farms that gave Zanzibar its old name, or a morning in Jozani Forest amongst the Zanzibar red colobus, found nowhere else on Earth. Evenings belong to the sunset, perhaps from the deck of a dhow.

Where you rest

Second and third nights on Zanzibar's north coast · Two full days here.

Day
08
Zanzibar
Zanzibar to Abeid Amani Karume International Airport, for your flight home

Take a Last Swim in the Indian Ocean Before Your Flight Home From Zanzibar

There is time, depending on your flight, for a last swim and a slow breakfast by the sea before a private transfer carries you south to Zanzibar's Abeid Amani Karume International Airport for your journey home.
Eight days after arriving, the story closes as gently as it began, having travelled from the floor of the Ngorongoro Crater and the plains of the Serengeti to the warm shallows of the Indian Ocean. Most guests leave with sand still in their shoes, and a quiet intention to return.

What you'll likely see

Key species on this route

Based on past travellers' experiences, here's what this route is really about.

· · · · · · ·
Zebra
Zebra
97% chance
Lion
Lion
95% chance
Wildebeest
Wildebeest
92% chance
Buffalo
Buffalo
92% chance
Hippo
Hippo
92% chance
Spotted Hyena
Spotted Hyena
90% chance
Giraffe
Giraffe
88% chance
Elephant
Elephant
85% chance
Cheetah
Cheetah
65% chance
Black Rhino
Black Rhino
40% chance
The details

What's included

What's included

  • Collection from your Arusha hotel or Kilimanjaro International Airport on Day 1
  • Private vehicle and driver guide throughout the safari
  • Ngorongoro Conservation Area and Serengeti National Park fees, and the Ngorongoro Crater descent fee
  • Scheduled flight from the Serengeti to Zanzibar on Day 5
  • Private transfers on Zanzibar, between the airport and your beach hotel
  • All meals during the safari (full board)
  • Accommodation on Zanzibar's north coast for three nights
  • Game drives on every day of the safari
  • Bottled water on safari

What's not included

  • International flights to Kilimanjaro and home from Zanzibar
  • Tanzanian visa fees, Travel insurance, including Zanzibar's mandatory visitor insurance
  • Meals on Zanzibar beyond the hotel's included plan
  • Alcoholic drinks and premium beverages
  • Optional extras such as the hot air balloon safari, an Olduvai Gorge stop, Stone Town, spice farm, Jozani Forest or dhow excursions
  • Tips and gratuities for guides and hotel staff
  • Personal expenses (laundry, phone calls, curio purchases)

Notes about this trip

  • The Big Five are a real chance on this route, never a promise. Black rhino are possible only in the Ngorongoro Crater, and leopard is never certain anywhere
  • Crater visits are generally limited to about six hours on the floor. Descents begin at 6:00 am and all vehicles must leave by 6:00 pm
  • The position of the Great Migration varies by month and from year to year, and your specialist will advise where the herds are likely to be for your dates
  • Luggage on the Day 5 flight is generally limited to 15 kg per person in soft bags, hand luggage included, so pack beach and safari clothes with care
  • Flights between the Serengeti and Zanzibar may stop on the way, so flight times vary between about two and three hours
Responsible travel

From the Crater to the Coral

We believe a responsible safari and beach holiday should care for the sea as faithfully as it cares for the plains. On this journey the fees you pay help to protect a crater, a national park and an island's reefs and forests, and your guides will gladly tell you how.

I

Guarding the Crater's Black Rhino

Poaching once reduced the Ngorongoro Crater's black rhino to fewer than 20, and today's population of around 30, the largest single group left in Tanzania, survives because of constant protection that visitors' fees help to sustain.

II

Park Fees That Keep the Serengeti Wild

Serengeti National Park fees, paid on every day of your stay, help to fund the rangers and anti-poaching patrols of Tanzania National Parks, who have protected these plains since 1951.

III

Caring for Zanzibar's Reefs and Forests

On the island we encourage reef-safe sunscreen, never touching or standing on coral, and licensed boat operators, and a visit to Jozani Forest helps to protect the Zanzibar red colobus, a monkey found nowhere else on Earth.

IV

Plain About What We Cannot Promise

We would rather tell you the truth than a pleasing story. The Migration moves with the rains and leopard and rhino are never certain, so every promise on this page is one we intend to keep.

Make it mine

Whether this is a honeymoon safari, an anniversary or simply a long-promised escape, tell us, and your specialist will arrange every night, flight and small surprise around it.

Of all the journeys we arrange, a safari and beach holiday is the one most often chosen for a honeymoon, and we take that trust to heart. Add a night in Tarangire on the first day for its elephants and baobabs, stay a third night in the Serengeti to follow the Migration, or linger longer by the sea. A Serengeti and Zanzibar journey can close with a private dinner on the sand, a dhow at sunset or a quiet day in Stone Town, and we would be delighted to arrange whichever you would remember most.

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Common questions

Before you enquire

It is a private Tanzania safari and Zanzibar beach holiday of eight days and seven nights. It spends two nights on the Ngorongoro Crater rim with a full day on the crater floor, two nights in the central Serengeti, and three nights on Zanzibar’s north coast, joined by a scheduled flight from the Serengeti to Zanzibar.

By a scheduled light-aircraft flight on Day 5, which takes roughly two to three hours depending on whether it stops on the way. Luggage is generally limited to 15 kg per person in soft bags, hand luggage included, so it is worth packing light for both the safari and the beach.

You descend soon after the gates open at dawn into a caldera some 20 kilometres across, home to around 25,000 large animals including lion, buffalo, elephant and black rhino. Luncheon is taken on the crater floor, and visits are generally limited to about six hours, so you return to the rim in the afternoon.

You have a real chance at all five, but no sighting can be guaranteed. Lion and buffalo are seen most days, elephant are present in both parks, leopard is the one most often missed, and black rhino are possible only in the Ngorongoro Crater, where around 30 survive.

June to October and January to February are the finest windows, when the parks are dry and Zanzibar’s weather is settled. The long rains, roughly April and May, bring heavier showers to both the parks and the island, and some camps and hotels close for part of that time.

Ready when you are

Ask about 8-Day Tanzania Safari and Zanzibar Beach

Tell us your dates and we'll confirm whether the timing works, then adjust the route from there.

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