Tanzania and Zanzibar Safari: 10 to 14 Nights from A$5,500

The trip at a glance

Safari first, then the beach, and nothing in between to spoil it

This is the most popular way to end a Tanzania safari, and it works because the logic is simple: early starts and long days first, sand and an empty diary last. The only moving part is how you get across, and we use a direct light aircraft so there is no doubling back through Arusha.

Planning a honeymoon instead? See the honeymoon itinerary.

Where: Arusha, Tarangire, Lake Manyara, Karatu and the Ngorongoro Crater, the central Serengeti, then a Zanzibar beach
Nights: 10, 12 or 14. The day by day below is the 12-night version
Best for: Couples, friends and families who want a proper safari first and a beach to finish
Order: Safari first, beach last, with one light aircraft in between
Getting around: Your own 4x4 and guide on safari, a direct flight to Zanzibar, private island transfers
Pace: Two or three nights in most places, the crater on its own day, one longer game-drive day

Day by day

The 12-night trip, from Kilimanjaro to the beach

Day1

Land at Kilimanjaro, settle into Arusha

Your guide meets you at Kilimanjaro airport and drives you the short way to Africa Safari Arusha, a small lodge in Sakina with Mount Meru behind the gardens. Dinner is included. After a long flight the aim is a hot shower and an early night.

Night: Africa Safari Arusha (dinner, bed and breakfast)

Day2

Tarangire, then the Lake Manyara shore

Out of Arusha for about three hours to Tarangire, then a full game drive among ancient baobabs and some of the biggest elephant herds in northern Tanzania. It's one long, rewarding day. In the late afternoon you drive on to Lake Manyara and Jungle Pearl, on the water's edge.

Night: Jungle Pearl Resort, Lake Manyara

Day3

Lake Manyara, at your own pace

A morning in Lake Manyara National Park, with its groundwater forest, hippo pools and baboons, then the afternoon at the lodge. If you'd like an early start, breakfast with the hippos on the lake shore at sunrise is an optional extra.

Night: Jungle Pearl Resort, Lake Manyara

Day4

Up to the highlands at Karatu

A short drive on tar, up the escarpment to Karatu and its coffee farms, with the afternoon free. Africa Safari Karatu sits on a hilltop with views over the highlands and Lake Eyasi. An optional dawn visit to the Hadzabe and Datoga people at Lake Eyasi can be added.

Night: Africa Safari Karatu

Day5

The Ngorongoro Crater at first light

Down into the crater at dawn, before most vehicles, and out again by early afternoon. It's a half-day with a long, slow return to the lodge, and one of the best places in Tanzania to look for black rhino. We give it its own day and a second night at Karatu, so nothing is rushed.

Night: Africa Safari Karatu

The crater from the rim

A black rhino on the crater floor

Day6

Karatu to the central Serengeti

A game-drive-en-route day: the crater rim viewpoint, a stop at Naabi Hill gate, and a game drive in from there, arriving late in the afternoon. Door to door it is about five and a half to six and a half hours, which is why the crater has its own day. Tukaone Weavers Camp has no neighbouring camps, so the nights feel private.

Night: Tukaone Weavers Camp, central Serengeti

Day7 to 9

Three days in the Serengeti

Full days with your guide across the central plains around Seronera, the part of the Serengeti with big cats all year. We read where the animals are each morning and follow them, with a long break at camp in the heat of the day.

Nights: Tukaone Weavers Camp, central Serengeti

The central Serengeti

Your own vehicle, your own pace

Day10

Fly to Zanzibar

A last morning drive, then a light aircraft from the nearby Seronera airstrip direct to Zanzibar, so you do not backtrack to the mainland. A private transfer takes you to The Z Hotel at Nungwi, on the island's northern tip, where the sea swims at every tide.

Night: The Z Hotel, Nungwi

Day11 and 12

Two beach days

Sleep in, swim, snorkel or sail on a dhow. Stone Town, a spice farm and the dolphin and snorkelling trips are all optional days we can add.

Nights: The Z Hotel, Nungwi

A dhow off the coast

Stone Town, if you want a day away from the beach

Day13

Home

A transfer to Zanzibar airport timed to your flight home.

Shorter or longer

The 10-night and 14-night versions

10 nights: the northern parks, then five nights of beach

One night in Arusha, three at the Lake Manyara escarpment with Tarangire and Lake Manyara as day drives, a night at Karatu for the crater at dawn, then a light aircraft from Lake Manyara to Zanzibar and five nights on the east coast. There is no Serengeti in this one, which is what makes it the lowest price. It is priced for December, in the green season.

Lodges: Africa Safari Arusha, Africa Safari Manyara Escarpment, Africa Safari Karatu and Samawa Living, a boutique hotel among palm groves at Paje on the south-east coast.

14 nights: more Serengeti, a slower first week

One night near Kilimanjaro, two at the Manyara escarpment, three at Karatu with the crater and a free day, three in a tented camp on the central Serengeti plains, then a direct light aircraft to Zanzibar and five nights on the beach. It is the version for people who want the safari to breathe. It is priced for October, in the dry season.

Lodges: Kaliwa Lodge, Africa Safari Manyara Escarpment, Africa Safari Karatu, Serengeti Kati Kati and Zanzibar Beach Resort, a beachfront resort ten minutes from Stone Town.

Where you stay

The lodges on the 12-night trip

Arusha · 1 night

Africa Safari Arusha

Standard room · half board

An intimate lodge in Sakina, just outside Arusha town, with green gardens and Mount Meru behind it. It sits between the airports and the centre, so it is an easy first night.

Lake Manyara · 2 nights

Jungle Pearl Resort

Maasai boma unit · full board

A mid-range resort on the Lake Manyara shore, our base for Tarangire and the lake.

Karatu · 2 nights

Africa Safari Karatu

Safari Comfort tent · full board

A hilltop lodge on the edge of the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, with a private balcony on every bungalow and tent, over the Northern Highlands and Lake Eyasi.

Central Serengeti · 4 nights

Tukaone Weavers Camp (Central Serengeti)

Standard tent · full board

A tented camp in the heart of the central Serengeti, with 15 en-suite tents among scattered acacias, close to the Seronera airstrip and with no neighbouring camps.

Nungwi, Zanzibar · 3 nights

The Z Hotel

Sea-facing room · bed and breakfast

A relaxed boutique hotel in tropical gardens that open onto one of Nungwi's best white-sand beaches, with an infinity pool and a rooftop bar.

What it costs

Prices in Australian dollars, from real quotes

Nights	Where you go	Priced for	From, per person
10 nights	Arusha, Lake Manyara, Karatu and the crater, then Zanzibar (east coast)	December, budget camps and lodges	A$5,500
12 nights	Arusha, Lake Manyara, Karatu and the crater, central Serengeti, then Zanzibar (north coast)	June, budget camps and lodges	A$10,000
14 nights	Kilimanjaro foothills, Lake Manyara, Karatu and the crater, central Serengeti, then Zanzibar	October, mid-range camps and lodges	A$10,000

Per person, twin share, land only: international flights from Australia are extra. Each figure is the price of a real quote we wrote and locked for two adults, with a private vehicle and guide on safari and the flight to Zanzibar included, rounded down to the nearest A$500. The 10-night price is low because it leaves out the Serengeti and is priced for the green season; 12 and 14 nights include it. Your own quote is built for your dates and fixed in Australian dollars.

In the price

A private 4x4 and guide for every safari day
Every night in the lodges named, with the meals each lodge rate includes
Park, conservation and crater fees
The light aircraft to Zanzibar, and airport transfers on the island
Drinking water and soft drinks in the vehicle

Not in the price

Flights from Australia (how people fly from Australia)
The Zanzibar infrastructure tax (US$5 per person per night), which you pay at the hotel
Travel insurance, visas and vaccinations
Tips, drinks and optional extras such as Stone Town, a spice farm or a Mnemba snorkelling trip

Good to know

Questions about Tanzania and Zanzibar

How many nights do you need for Tanzania and Zanzibar?+

Ten nights is the shortest trip we would plan: five on safari and five on the beach, without the Serengeti. Twelve to fourteen nights is the comfortable version, with the central Serengeti and a rest at the end. Add a day at each end for the flights. We would not plan fewer than two nights on Zanzibar itself, and three or four is better.

Is this price with flights?+

No, it is land only. International flights from Australia are extra, and so is the Zanzibar infrastructure tax you pay at the hotel. The flight from the Serengeti or Lake Manyara to Zanzibar is in the price. Several of the cost guides you will see online bundle international flights into one figure, which is why they look different. Our Tanzania safari cost guide shows the flights separately.

How do you get from the safari to Zanzibar?+

By light aircraft, direct from the Serengeti or from Lake Manyara to Zanzibar, so you do not backtrack to Arusha. We put the safari first and the beach last, because it is the easier way round after long, early days.

Which part of Zanzibar is best?+

It depends on the month. The east coast, around Paje, is lovely but tide-timed for swimming, and seaweed is common from about November to April. The north coast, around Nungwi and Kendwa, swims at every tide all year. The long rains from mid-March to May are the time to avoid, and some beach hotels close then.

When is the best time to combine Tanzania and Zanzibar?+

June to October is the dry season on the mainland and a good beach season too. January to March suits the calving plains at Ndutu, and the beach is hot. April and May are the months we steer people away from: roads and camps close and Zanzibar is in its long rains. Best time to visit Tanzania has the month-by-month detail.

Is Zanzibar part of Tanzania?+

Yes. Zanzibar is part of the United Republic of Tanzania, and flights from the mainland are domestic flights. Entry rules and health advice depend on your passport and history, so we point you to the official sources rather than advise: smartraveller.gov.au and a travel doctor for vaccinations and malaria cover.

Is this a honeymoon trip?+

It can be, but this page is the straightforward version for couples, friends and families. If you are planning a honeymoon, our Tanzania and Zanzibar honeymoon itinerary has more romance built in, from the lodges to the beach finish.

How do we get a quote for our dates?+

Fill in the short form on this page, call us on 1800 KINGSE (1800 546 473), or WhatsApp Samara on +61 492 037 622. We come back to you personally, usually the same day, and build the trip around your dates, with every lodge named and the price fixed in Australian dollars.

Keep planning

Kenya and TanzaniaThe Mara and the Serengeti on one trip Tanzania and Zanzibar honeymoonThe same shape with more romance ZanzibarBeaches, Stone Town and when to go Tanzania safarisThe Serengeti, the crater and Tarangire What a Tanzania safari costsThe price guide, line by line Reviews and who to book withDated guest reviews and the facts to check

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Tanzania and Zanzibar: a safari, then the beach, in 10, 12 or 14 nights