11-day safari and Zanzibar adventure

Eleven days with room to breathe: a night in Arusha to land properly, six days across Tarangire, Lake Manyara, Ngorongoro and the Serengeti, then a flight to Zanzibar for beaches, Stone Town and the forest.

• A settling-in night in Arusha before the driving starts
• A full day on the Ngorongoro Crater floor
• Three nights in the Serengeti with a flexible day
• A scenic flight from the plains straight to the coast
• Stone Town, spice farms and Jozani Forest

Day by day

The itinerary

1. 1

   Day 1

   Arrival in Arusha

   Your guide meets you at Kilimanjaro International Airport and drives you to your hotel in Arusha. The rest of the day is for adjusting to the climate and sleeping off the flight. In the evening she runs through the eleven days ahead over dinner, so you know the shape of the trip before it starts.

   Overnight Arusha hotel

2. 2

   Day 2

   Arusha to Tarangire National Park

   After breakfast, the two-hour drive to Tarangire, past Maasai villages and open country. The park is known for its elephant herds and its baobabs, and the river keeps wildlife close all year. An afternoon game drive turns up zebra, giraffe, wildebeest, buffalo and a lot of birds. Dinner at the lodge.

   Overnight Tarangire area lodge or camp

3. 3

   Day 3

   Tarangire to Lake Manyara

   A short transfer to Lake Manyara, small but varied. Groundwater forest full of baboons, blue monkeys and birds; open grassland with elephant and buffalo; and a lakeshore where flamingos and water birds gather. This is the park for tree-climbing lions resting in the acacias. Picnic lunch and an afternoon drive.

   Overnight Lake Manyara or Karatu lodge

4. 4

   Day 4

   Lake Manyara to the Ngorongoro Crater

   Up into the conservation area through highland scenery and Maasai country, then down into the crater for a full day on the floor. Lion, elephant, black rhino, buffalo and big herds of wildebeest and zebra, with a picnic lunch in the middle of it. Ascend to the rim for the evening and the sunset.

   Overnight Ngorongoro rim lodge

5. 5

   Day 5

   Ngorongoro to the Serengeti

   The road west runs through rolling highlands and past Maasai villages before the country opens onto the plains. An afternoon game drive across the Serengeti brings lion, cheetah, elephant, giraffe and the wildebeest and zebra herds. Dinner at camp, with the plains going quiet outside.

   Overnight Serengeti camp

6. 6

   Day 6

   A full day in the Serengeti

   Out early, when the predators are still working and the light is good. Breakfast either in the bush or back at camp. The day follows the herds and whatever the morning turns up: lion, cheetah, leopard and elephant. Picnic lunch in the park so you never have to come back in, then an afternoon drive.

   Overnight Serengeti camp

7. 7

   Day 7

   The Serengeti, your way

   A flexible day. Go up in a balloon at sunrise and come down to a bush breakfast, chase the migration if it is in the region, or work the wildlife hotspots your guide has been saving. Picnic lunch somewhere with a view, then more game driving into the afternoon.

   Overnight Serengeti camp

8. 8

   Day 8

   Serengeti to Zanzibar

   After breakfast, a transfer to the airstrip and a scenic flight to Zanzibar, which saves you two days of driving and a ferry. You are met at the other end and driven to the coast. The afternoon is for the beach, the water and doing nothing in particular after a week of early starts.

   Overnight Zanzibar coast

9. 9

   Day 9

   The beach, and Stone Town

   A slow morning on the sand, or out on the water for snorkelling, diving or sailing. In the afternoon, a guided walk through Stone Town: the lanes, the spice market, the carved doors and the trading history behind them. Back to the coast for dinner.

   Overnight Zanzibar coast

10. 10

    Day 10

    Zanzibar, spice farms and forest

    A day to fill or to leave empty. A spice farm inland, Jozani Forest for the red colobus monkeys, or a boat out to the reef and the sandbanks. Lunch can be on a beach or on the boat. Whatever you choose, the afternoon ends back on the coast for the sunset.

    Overnight Zanzibar coast

11. 11

    Day 11

    Zanzibar to home

    A final morning on the island: a last swim, a long breakfast, and time on the beach depending on your flight. A private transfer takes you to Zanzibar International Airport, and anything you left behind in Arusha can usually be sent on to reach you before you fly.

    Overnight Trip ends in Zanzibar

Yours, not ours

Make it yours

This is the version we start from. Here is what usually changes. Tell us which one and we will work it through with you.

• How many days Add a night in the Serengeti, or drop one and go straight for the crater.
• The camps Simple and comfortable, mid-range lodges, or canvas with a view and a bath.
• Add-ons A balloon at first light, a walking safari, an afternoon in a village.
• Pace for children Later starts, shorter drives, and a pool at the end of the day.
• Zanzibar extension Three or four nights on the coast once the last game drive is done.

Parks on this trip

Worth adding

Optional, priced separately, and easy to slot in when we build your itinerary.

• Balloon safari over the Serengeti

  An hour above the plains at dawn, then a bush breakfast where you land.

• Maasai village visit

  An afternoon in a boma, with someone who can actually translate.

Questions about this kind of trip