Overview
This ten-day journey pairs the classic northern safari circuit of Tanzania, Tarangire, the Ngorongoro Crater and the central Serengeti, with four nights on Zanzibar, combining game viewing at its most concentrated with the beaches, reefs and Swahili history of the Indian Ocean. The rhythm is deliberate: five active safari days while the group is fresh, then a scheduled light-aircraft flight straight from the Serengeti plains to the island, so there is no drive back to Arusha and no wasted day in transit.
On Zanzibar, the stay is split between the historic coast and the south-east. Two nights are based in Stone Town for the UNESCO World Heritage old town, Prison Island and the Nakupenda sandbank, and two nights are based at Paje on the south-east beach for kite-surfing, lagoon swimming and the quieter village atmosphere. Day 10 is departure day: a final morning at leisure, transfer to Zanzibar International Airport (ZNZ) and the flight home.
DURATION
7 days / 6 nights
DESTINATIONS
Arusha – Tarangire – Ngorongoro – Serengeti – Arusha
BEST TIME TO TRAVEL
June to October and December to March; operates year-round
TRIP STYLE
Private lodge / tented camp safari, road-based with optional return flight
GROUP SIZE
Minimum 2 guests, maximum 6 per vehicle
Day-by-Day Itinerary
Day 1: Arrival in Tanzania & transfer to Arusha
On arrival at Kilimanjaro International Airport you are met in the arrivals hall by our representative holding a name board, assisted through the exit formalities and driven approximately one hour to your lodge in Arusha. Cold drinking water and a chilled towel are waiting in the vehicle.
The remainder of the day is free to rest and adjust after your flight. In the early evening your safari guide joins you at the lodge for a full briefing: the route day by day, drive times, altitude and climate on each leg, camera and charging arrangements in the vehicle, and park etiquette. This is the moment to raise dietary needs, mobility considerations or photographic priorities so the guide can shape the drives around them.
- Overnight: Arusha lodge or boutique hotel, bed and breakfast basis.
- Included today: airport transfer, welcome drink, safari briefing, overnight accommodation.
- Driving time: roughly 60 to 90 minutes from JRO, depending on traffic
Day 2: Arusha to Tarangire National Park
After an early breakfast you depart Arusha with a picnic lunch box on board and drive south-west for about two and a half hours to Tarangire National Park. The landscape opens into dry savannah punctuated by ancient baobabs, and the Tarangire River draws game from a wide radius, particularly in the dry months.
You spend the full day on a game drive along the river circuits and the swamp fringes. Tarangire is best known for its very large elephant families, often thirty or more animals moving together, and for tree-climbing pythons, fringe-eared oryx and a strong lion population. Lunch is taken at a designated picnic site overlooking the valley before the afternoon drive.
- Overnight: lodge or tented camp inside or adjacent to Tarangire, full board.
- Included today: park entry fees, full-day game drive, picnic lunch, all meals at camp.
- Driving time: about 2.5 hours to the gate, then game driving throughout the day.
Day 3: Tarangire to the Ngorongoro Highlands
A morning game drive in Tarangire takes advantage of the cool early hours, when predators are still on the move and the light is at its best for photography. You return to camp for brunch, check out, and continue north-west through Mto wa Mbu, a busy market town at the foot of the Great Rift Valley escarpment change the details I don’t want them to return to the camp after departure.
The road then climbs through coffee and banana country to Karatu, on the outer rim of the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. You arrive in the afternoon with time to relax at the lodge or take an optional excursion, and your guide confirms the timing for tomorrow’s pre-dawn start.
- Overnight: lodge in Karatu or on the Ngorongoro crater rim, full board.
- Optional add-ons: Lake Manyara half-day game drive, Iraqw or Datoga cultural visit, coffee plantation tour.
- Driving time: approximately 3 to 4 hours including the transfer leg.
Day 4: Karatu to the Serengeti via Ngorongoro
After breakfast at your lodge in Karatu, you check out and depart for Serengeti National Park. The journey begins at Loduare Gate, the eastern entrance to the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, before climbing through the forested highlands to the crater rim.
There is no descent to the crater floor. Instead, you continue along the rim and travel west through the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, passing Maasai settlements and expansive grasslands. Wildlife may be encountered along the way, including zebra, wildebeest, giraffe and gazelle.
A packed lunch is served at a designated picnic site before you continue to Naabi Hill Gate, the southeastern entrance to Serengeti National Park. After completing the entry formalities, the journey becomes an en-route game drive across the open plains toward the Seronera region of Central Serengeti.
- Overnight: camp or lodge in central Serengeti (Seronera area), full board.
- Included today: crater entry and vehicle permit, crater game drive, packed breakfast and lunch, Serengeti park fees.
- Note: this is the longest day of the itinerary. An early departure is essential and is built into the plan.
Day 5: Full Day in the Serengeti
A full day is given to the Serengeti, and the shape of it is yours to choose with your guide. The standard pattern is a long morning drive from first light through the Seronera valley, a return to camp for lunch and rest through the hot middle hours, and a second drive out to the kopjes and river lines in the late afternoon. Guests who prefer to stay out can take a picnic lunch and game drive straight through.
Seronera holds resident lion prides year-round, along with leopard in the riverine acacias and cheetah on the open grass. Between roughly June and October the migration columns are typically in the northern and western Serengeti, while December to March brings the herds and the calving season onto the southern short-grass plains. Your guide reads the daily movement reports and plans accordingly.
- Overnight: same Serengeti camp or lodge, full board.
- Optional add-on: hot-air balloon safari at dawn followed by a bush breakfast, booked and paid in advance.
- Included today: full-day game driving, all meals, park fees
Day 6: Serengeti to Arusha via Ngorongoro Crater
After an early breakfast at your camp or lodge in Central Serengeti, you check out and depart with your luggage. The journey begins with a final en-route game drive through the Seronera region, taking advantage of the cool morning hours when predators may still be active.
You continue across the Serengeti plains to Naabi Hill Gate, exit Serengeti National Park and travel east through the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. On reaching the crater rim, you descend the steep access road to the floor of the Ngorongoro Crater for a game drive.
The crater supports an exceptional concentration of wildlife, including lions, buffaloes, zebras, wildebeest, hyenas, hippos and numerous antelope species. Flamingos and other waterbirds may be seen around Lake Magadi, while the crater is one of Tanzania’s most reliable places to search for the endangered black rhino. A packed lunch is served at a designated picnic site on the crater floor.
After the game drive, you ascend from the crater and leave the conservation area through Loduare Gate. The journey then continues through Karatu and Mto wa Mbu to Arusha, where you arrive in the evening and transfer directly to your lodge or hotel.
- Overnight: Lodge or hotel in Arusha on a bed-and-breakfast basis.
- Included today: Breakfast at the Serengeti camp or lodge, final en-route Serengeti game drive, Ngorongoro Crater entry and vehicle permit, crater-floor game drive, packed lunch, road transfer to Arusha and overnight accommodation.
- Driving time: Approximately 10-12 hours, including game viewing, gate formalities, lunch and other stops.
- Note: This is a very long day, so an early departure from Central Serengeti is essential.
Day 7: Departure & airport transfer
Breakfast is served at the lodge, after which the morning is free. Depending on your flight time your guide can arrange a visit to the Arusha craft markets and Maasai curio stalls, a coffee stop in town, or simply a quiet morning at the lodge. A day room can be reserved at additional cost for late departures.
At the agreed time you are transferred to Kilimanjaro International Airport for your onward flight, arriving comfortably ahead of check-in. Guests continuing to Zanzibar, the Kilimanjaro or Meru climbs, or a Kenyan extension can be connected directly from here on request.
- Included today: breakfast, airport transfer, guide assistance at check-in.
- Extensions available: Zanzibar beach stay, Lake Natron, Mount Kilimanjaro and Mount Meru treks, Maasai Mara add-on.