Tanzania and Zanzibar · 10, 12 or 14 nights
The northern Tanzania parks with your own guide and 4x4, a direct flight, and a Zanzibar beach to finish. Priced in US dollars.
10 nights
From $4,050
northern parks and five beach nights
12 nights
From $7,350
with the central Serengeti
14 nights
From $7,350
a slower, longer version
Per person, double occupancy, land only: international flights from the US are extra. Each price comes from a real quote we wrote and locked for two adults in Australian dollars (December, June and October respectively), then converted at our current exchange rate and rounded. Your own quote fixes yours in US dollars.
The trip at a glance
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.
Day by day
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)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 ManyaraA 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 ManyaraA short drive on paved road, 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 KaratuDown 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
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 neighboring camps, so the nights feel private.
Night: Tukaone Weavers Camp, central SerengetiFull 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
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, NungwiSleep in, swim, snorkel or sail on a dhow. Stone Town, a spice farm and the dolphin and snorkeling trips are all optional days we can add.
Nights: The Z Hotel, Nungwi
A transfer to Zanzibar airport timed to your flight home.
Shorter or longer
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.
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
Arusha · 1 night
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 center, so it is an easy first night.
Lake Manyara · 2 nights
Maasai boma unit · full board
A mid-range resort on the Lake Manyara shore, our base for Tarangire and the lake.
Karatu · 2 nights
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
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 neighboring camps.
Nungwi, Zanzibar · 3 nights
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
| 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 | $4,050 |
| 12 nights | Arusha, Lake Manyara, Karatu and the crater, central Serengeti, then Zanzibar (north coast) | June, budget camps and lodges | $7,350 |
| 14 nights | Kilimanjaro foothills, Lake Manyara, Karatu and the crater, central Serengeti, then Zanzibar | October, mid-range camps and lodges | $7,350 |
Per person, double occupancy, land only: international flights from the US are extra. Each figure is the price of a real quote we wrote and locked for two adults in Australian dollars, with a private vehicle and guide on safari and the flight to Zanzibar included, then converted at our current exchange rate and rounded. 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 US dollars.
Good to know
Tell us a little about your trip and the Kingse team will come back to you personally, usually the same day.
Email us or book a call
Samara looks after our guests from the US. Email her or book a call at a time that suits you, or message her on WhatsApp, and she'll come back to you the same day, US time.
Samara Imhoof
Bookings & Client Care