Tanzania safari from Zanzibar
A safari from Zanzibar is a flight away: by scheduled flight and then road, or a fly-in safari straight to a park airstrip. Which trips fit, and how to plan the flights around them.
Yes. A Tanzania safari from Zanzibar means a flight to the mainland, a safari, then a flight back to Zanzibar or home. We arrange the safari, and we can book the flights so the two connect.
Two ways to get there
Flights are quoted separately from the safari, and we give you the exact price on request.
Scheduled flight, then by road
A scheduled flight from Zanzibar to Arusha or Kilimanjaro, where your guide meets you. The safari then runs by road, the way most of our safaris do. It suits every trip on this page, from a day trip to a group safari or a private journey.
Fly-in safari
A light aircraft straight to a park airstrip, in the Serengeti or near Ngorongoro and Lake Manyara, where your guide meets you with the vehicle. Less time on the road, and the most direct Zanzibar to Serengeti route. It suits a private safari, where the guide and vehicle are yours.
Which safari fits
Every safari from Zanzibar starts with a flight to the mainland, so each guide price here is the safari only. Most travellers choose the 3-day group safari or the Essential Adventure.
Day trips
One park from Arusha, back the same evening. Best with a night on the mainland either side.
1 dayNgorongoro CraterA long, tiring day, about three hours each way, and worth it if you only have one.Price on requestQuoted for your dates+ flights from ZanzibarSee this day trip
1 dayTarangireElephant herds and baobabs, out at 6:30 and back by 18:30. Best July to October.Price on requestQuoted for your dates+ flights from ZanzibarSee this day trip
1 dayLake ManyaraGroundwater forest, baboon troops and birdlife, with Mto wa Mbu village on the way back.Price on requestQuoted for your dates+ flights from ZanzibarSee this day tripGroup safaris
A set route on a fixed date, sharing the vehicle and guide with other travellers, priced per seat.
Most common · 3 daysTarangire & NgorongoroSharedTarangire, the Crater floor and Lake Manyara, with both nights in Karatu and no long transfer day.Guide price$790 per seatShared vehicle, max 6. Exact price confirmed for your departure.+ flights from ZanzibarSee this route
4 daysSerengetiSharedBy road through the Ngorongoro highlands, a full day on the plains, and the Crater on the way back.Guide price$1,150 per seatShared vehicle, max 6. Exact price confirmed for your departure.+ flights from ZanzibarSee this route6 daysNorthern Circuit, 6 daysSharedTarangire, the Serengeti, the Crater and Lake Manyara at a pace that doesn't rush any of them.Guide price$1,500 per seatShared vehicle, max 6. Exact price confirmed for your departure.+ flights from ZanzibarSee this route
7 daysNorthern Circuit, 7 daysSharedThe same circuit with a second full day in the Serengeti, for more time on the plains.Guide price$1,750 per seatShared vehicle, max 6. Exact price confirmed for your departure.+ flights from ZanzibarSee this routePrivate safaris
Your own vehicle and guide, on your dates, and the kind that can fly straight into a park.
Most common · 4–6 daysEssential AdventureShort escapeFor travellers with a week or less, or adding safari to another trip. Two parks, minimal transit, no wasted days on the road.Guide price · 6 days$2,099 per person2 sharing · low season+ flights from ZanzibarExplore this journey
6–10 daysSignature AdventureOur pickThe northern circuit with room to breathe. Serengeti and Ngorongoro with enough nights in each to stop rushing, plus one park most itineraries skip.Guide price · 9 days$2,719 per person2 sharing · low season+ flights from ZanzibarExplore this journeyIs a day trip from Zanzibar worth it?
Honestly, rarely. It is possible with an early flight out and a late flight back, but our day trips leave from Arusha in the morning and return in the evening, so flights at both ends make a very long day, with little margin if a flight is late.
We recommend at least one night on the mainland: fly over the day before, do the day trip, and fly back the next day. With two nights, the 3-day group safari covers Tarangire, the Ngorongoro Crater and Lake Manyara.
Planning tips
- Book the flights and the safari together, so the timings connect. We can book the flights for you and quote them separately.
- On a light aircraft the luggage limit is typically fifteen kilograms per person including hand luggage, in a soft bag that can be squeezed into an odd-shaped hold. We tell you your exact allowance when we confirm your flights.
- Leave your beach luggage at your Zanzibar hotel and bring only what the safari needs. We can also store luggage in Arusha at no cost.
- Bring a warm layer: early mornings in an open vehicle are cold, even when the middle of the day is hot.
- Zanzibar is part of Tanzania, so there is no second visa. Carry your passport on every flight.
Safari from Zanzibar: questions
By air. Either a scheduled flight to Arusha or Kilimanjaro, then the drive with your guide, which from Arusha takes most of a day; or a light aircraft from Zanzibar to an airstrip in the Serengeti, where your guide meets you. Flying straight in gives that day back. Flights are quoted separately.
It is possible with an early flight out and a late flight back, but it makes a very long day, with little room if a flight runs late. We recommend at least one night on the mainland, or better, the 3-day group safari.
The 3-day group safariYes. We book them with the safari so the timings connect. Flights are quoted separately from the safari, and we give you the exact price on request.
Before, if you can: early starts and long drives are easier at the start of a trip, and the beach at the end lets everything settle before the flight home. If you are already on the island, the safari still works: fly over, go on safari, then fly back or home.
Safari & ZanzibarPlan your safari from Zanzibar
Tell us your dates on the island and how many days you can spare. We'll suggest the safari and the flights to match, and quote both.
The coast, the collection that pairs it with the parks, and the shortest safaris.
