The northern parks first, then the Indian Ocean. On a Tanzania safari and Zanzibar trip the order matters: wildlife while you have the energy, the coast to let it settle.
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Overview
A safari asks a lot of you: starts before dawn, hours in the vehicle, and a lot of attention. That is easiest at the beginning of a trip. The coast asks nothing, so put it at the end and it does its real job: a few days to let what you saw settle, and to sleep before a long flight home.
Zanzibar's coasts are not interchangeable, and the tide decides more of your day than the hotel does. The north (Nungwi and Kendwa) is swimmable at all tides and the busiest stretch; the east (Paje and Jambiani) has big tides, kitesurfing and a quieter, more local feel. Stone Town is worth one night either way.
At eight days something gives, usually one Serengeti night or one beach night. At eleven to thirteen, add Serengeti nights first, then beach nights. Avoid April and May for the coast: that is the long rains, and some beach hotels close for it.
Safari first, then the coastThe parks while you have the energy, the beach to let it all settle.
Two Serengeti nightsOne full day on the plains with nowhere to be.
Your choice of coastNorth for swimming at any tide, east for big tides and quiet.
About an hour to the coastThe flight from the mainland to Zanzibar is included.
Itinerary
Every eXvo journey is designed around the traveller, so treat this as an illustration of pace and routing rather than a fixed itinerary. Days move, nights get added, whole regions get swapped.
These are examples, and every journey can use any of them. Final choice depends on availability on your dates.
Met at Kilimanjaro International Airport by your guide and driven about an hour to your lodge outside Arusha. Nothing else is planned: the rest of the day is for getting over the flight.
Meal plan: B&BB&B: breakfast only. Half board: breakfast and dinner. Full board: breakfast, lunch and dinner (on safari, lunch is often a picnic in the park).
Tarangire is a park of baobabs and seasonal swamps along the Tarangire River, about two hours from Arusha. In the dry months the river is the main water for a wide area, so animals tend to gather along it, and it sees far fewer vehicles than the Serengeti.
Today
Collected from your lodge and into Tarangire by late morning. A picnic lunch, then a first afternoon drive among the baobabs and along the river.
Meal plan: Full boardB&B: breakfast only. Half board: breakfast and dinner. Full board: breakfast, lunch and dinner (on safari, lunch is often a picnic in the park).
About Ngorongoro
The Ngorongoro Crater is the collapsed caldera of an old volcano, about 19 km across and 600 m deep, inside a wider conservation area where Maasai still graze their cattle. Vehicles go down to the floor for the day and come back up to the rim by late afternoon.
Today
An early start up into the highlands to the Crater rim, then down to the floor for the rest of the morning and a picnic lunch, and back up to the rim for the night.
Meal plan: Full boardB&B: breakfast only. Half board: breakfast and dinner. Full board: breakfast, lunch and dinner (on safari, lunch is often a picnic in the park).
About the Serengeti
The Serengeti covers almost 15,000 km² of grassland, rocky kopjes and river woodland, running north to the Kenyan border. The great herds move with the rains, which is why where you stay inside it depends on the month.
Day 4
Across the highlands and down onto the Serengeti plains, game driving from the park gate to camp. Two nights, positioned for your month.
Day 5
One full day on the plains with nowhere to be: out early, back to camp in the heat if you like, and out again until dusk.
Meal plan: Full boardB&B: breakfast only. Half board: breakfast and dinner. Full board: breakfast, lunch and dinner (on safari, lunch is often a picnic in the park).
About Zanzibar
Zanzibar is an island off the coast, about an hour's flight from Arusha, with Stone Town's old streets on the west side and long white beaches to the north and east.
Today
A morning drive to the airstrip, then the flight to the coast: about an hour from Arusha, a little longer from the Serengeti. An evening in Stone Town's old streets.
Day 6 | Accommodation
Overnight: Stone Town
Meal plan: B&BB&B: breakfast only. Half board: breakfast and dinner. Full board: breakfast, lunch and dinner (on safari, lunch is often a picnic in the park).
Stone Town
About Zanzibar
Zanzibar is an island off the coast, about an hour's flight from Arusha, with Stone Town's old streets on the west side and long white beaches to the north and east.
Day 7
A morning in Stone Town if you want one, then the transfer to the coast you chose: north for swimming at any tide, east for the big tides and quiet.
Day 8
A day by the sea: the reef, a spice farm, or nothing at all.
Day 9
A last full day on the coast, with the evening free for a sunset dhow trip if you want one.
Nights 7–9 | Accommodation
Comfort
Comfort in Zanzibar: on request. Tell us what you have in mind and we’ll suggest options.
Meal plan: Half boardB&B: breakfast only. Half board: breakfast and dinner. Full board: breakfast, lunch and dinner (on safari, lunch is often a picnic in the park).
Today
Transfer to Zanzibar airport for your flight home or onward.
Price
Pick a level to see its lodges and guide price.
Every level keeps the same vehicle, guide and route. Only the accommodation changes.
Where you stay at Comfort: En-suite tented camps and simple lodges, usually just outside the park gates. See the Comfort lodges
Guide price · Comfort · 10 days
$3,000
per person
Based on 2 people sharing in low season. Your exact price depends on dates, group size and lodges, and is confirmed in writing before you book.
What your price covers, and what to budget for separately.
Included
Every park entry, conservation and Crater fee on the route, paid by us in advance. They are a large share of what a safari costs, and they are what fund the parks.
The lodges for the level you choose, with the meal plan shown on each day of the itinerary: full board on safari, and bed and breakfast or half board in town and on the coast. Prices assume two sharing; a room to yourself costs more, and the supplement is in your quote.
A 4x4 with a pop-up roof, used by your party alone and never shared. One English-speaking driver-guide stays with you from the first game drive to the last.
Met at Kilimanjaro airport when you land, and taken to your flight home at the end, whatever time it leaves.
Water in the vehicle on every safari day, so you never have to ration it on a long drive.
The flight from the mainland to Zanzibar, about an hour, and transfers on the island.
Not included
International flights. Flights to and from Tanzania are booked by you. We will suggest arrival and departure times that fit the trip.
Visa. Paid by you, usually online before you travel. Visa information
Travel insurance. A condition of travelling with us. It must cover medical treatment, emergency evacuation and repatriation.
Tips. Always your choice. As a guide, we suggest $30–50 per day per vehicle for your driver-guide, plus a little for camp staff. How tipping works
Personal spending. Drinks beyond water and what the camp serves with meals, laundry where it is charged, souvenirs, and optional extras such as balloon flights, quoted separately if you want them.
Diving and water sports. Booked separately on the coast, if you want them.
Packing
Less than you think, in neutral colours, and in a soft bag if any leg is flown. Bring a warm layer: early mornings in an open vehicle are cold, even when the middle of the day is hot.
Most nationalities need a visa: $50 for a single entry. US citizens pay $100 for a multiple-entry visa. Apply online before you travel to avoid the queue on arrival. Fees and rules change, so check with the Tanzanian embassy in your country.
Yes, and some flight times make it easier. We still recommend safari first: early starts and long drives are easier at the start of a trip, and a beach at the end lets everything settle before the flight home. Beach first tends to make the safari feel like hard work.
For visitors, generally yes. Take the usual city care in Stone Town after dark, keep valuables out of sight on the beach, and dress modestly away from the resorts, since Zanzibar is a conservative, mostly Muslim island. We'll brief you on anything specific to your dates, such as Ramadan.
Three is the least we'd suggest, so you get two full days that aren't about travelling. Four or five is better if the trip is long or the safari part was busy.
No. Zanzibar is part of Tanzania, so your Tanzanian visa covers it. Carry your passport, though: it's checked when you arrive on the island. We confirm the current entry requirements when we send your itinerary.
Eight at the least, and at eight something gives: usually a Serengeti night or a beach night. The sample route here is ten days, which we think is the comfortable length. With eleven to thirteen, add Serengeti nights first, then beach nights.
Yes. Climb first, then the parks, then the coast: your legs rest in the vehicle and on the beach, rather than carrying safari fatigue up the mountain. A climb adds seven to nine days, so the whole trip runs to two and a half weeks or more.
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