9-Day Tanzania Bush & Beach Safari

Day-by-day itinerary

Route: Arusha → Tarangire → Ngorongoro Highlands → Ngorongoro Crater → Serengeti → Zanzibar → Zanzibar Airport

1. Day 1

   Arusha to Tarangire

   Bags are loaded after breakfast and you depart Arusha bound for Tarangire, driving south-west from Arusha through Maasai grazing country. Once you reach Tarangire there is time to check in before heading out among rolling country of ancient baobabs, seasonal swamps and the year-round Tarangire River. Look for large elephant herds, zebra, wildebeest, eland and a notably rich birdlife as the light softens through the afternoon. In the dry season the Tarangire River draws wildlife from a wide area, and the park is famous for its baobab-studded landscape. This is a joining departure, so the safari vehicle is shared with other guests. You return for dinner and an overnight stay at Tarangire.

2. Day 2

   Tarangire to Ngorongoro Highlands

   The morning starts in Tarangire, from where you continue overland to Ngorongoro Highlands, climbing the forested crater highlands to the rim viewpoint. After check-in and a chance to freshen up, you head out into a collapsed volcanic caldera roughly six hundred metres deep, with grassland, soda lake and fever-tree forest on its floor. This is good country in which to look for lion, elephant, buffalo, flamingo and one of the few remaining populations where black rhino may be seen. The crater floor holds a resident concentration of wildlife year-round because the caldera walls create a largely self-contained ecosystem. The evening is spent at your Ngorongoro Highlands accommodation, with dinner and overnight there.

3. Day 3

   Ngorongoro Highlands to Ngorongoro Crater

   You leave Ngorongoro Highlands after breakfast and head for Ngorongoro Crater, climbing the forested crater highlands to the rim viewpoint. Lunch and check-in come first, then an afternoon drive through a collapsed volcanic caldera roughly six hundred metres deep, with grassland, soda lake and fever-tree forest on its floor. Look for lion, elephant, buffalo, flamingo and one of the few remaining populations where black rhino may be seen as the light softens through the afternoon. The crater floor holds a resident concentration of wildlife year-round because the caldera walls create a largely self-contained ecosystem. The evening is spent at your Ngorongoro Crater accommodation, with dinner and overnight there.

4. Day 4

   Ngorongoro Crater to Serengeti

   Breakfast is taken before you set out from Ngorongoro Crater for the drive to Serengeti, crossing the Ngorongoro Conservation Area and descending onto the open plains. Lunch and check-in come first, then an afternoon drive through vast short-grass plains broken by granite kopjes and seasonal watercourses. Your guide works the area for lion, cheetah, elephant, giraffe and immense herds of wildebeest and zebra, with sightings varying by season and conditions. The Serengeti's wildlife moves with the seasons, so the sector visited is chosen to match where the herds and predators are likely to be at that time of year. The evening is spent at your Serengeti accommodation, with dinner and overnight there.

5. Day 5

   Serengeti to Zanzibar

   Breakfast is taken before you set out from Serengeti for the drive to Zanzibar, flying east from the mainland to the island. Arrival is followed by check-in and a first drive into Indian Ocean coastline of white sand, reef and the coral-stone lanes of Stone Town. This is good country in which to look for reef fish, dolphins offshore and the endemic red colobus in Jozani Forest. Zanzibar pairs a long Swahili and Omani trading history in Stone Town with reef beaches on the north and east coasts. The evening is spent at your Zanzibar accommodation, with dinner and overnight there.

6. Day 6

   Serengeti to Zanzibar

   You leave Serengeti after breakfast and head for Zanzibar, flying east from the mainland to the island. Once you reach Zanzibar there is time to check in before heading out among Indian Ocean coastline of white sand, reef and the coral-stone lanes of Stone Town. Wildlife commonly associated with this area includes reef fish, dolphins offshore and the endemic red colobus in Jozani Forest. Zanzibar pairs a long Swahili and Omani trading history in Stone Town with reef beaches on the north and east coasts. Dinner is served at your Zanzibar camp or lodge, where you spend the night.

7. Day 7

   Full-Day Zanzibar Airport Safari

   An unhurried full day in Zanzibar Airport gives your guide room to follow whatever the morning turns up. You travel through Indian Ocean coastline of white sand, reef and the coral-stone lanes of Stone Town, working the areas your guide judges most productive on the day. Species commonly associated with the area include reef fish, dolphins offshore and the endemic red colobus in Jozani Forest. Days here are unstructured, with swimming, reef trips or a Stone Town walk as you prefer. Zanzibar pairs a long Swahili and Omani trading history in Stone Town with reef beaches on the north and east coasts. Dinner and overnight are again at your Zanzibar Airport camp or lodge.

8. Day 8

   Full-Day Zanzibar Airport Safari

   The day is set aside for Zanzibar Airport, with drives timed around the first and last hours of light. The drives cover Indian Ocean coastline of white sand, reef and the coral-stone lanes of Stone Town, moving between habitats as conditions change. Keep watch for reef fish, dolphins offshore and the endemic red colobus in Jozani Forest as you move between the different habitats. Days here are unstructured, with swimming, reef trips or a Stone Town walk as you prefer. Zanzibar pairs a long Swahili and Omani trading history in Stone Town with reef beaches on the north and east coasts. The evening returns you to your Zanzibar Airport accommodation for dinner and overnight.

9. Day 9

   Full-Day Zanzibar Airport Safari

   An unhurried full day in Zanzibar Airport gives your guide room to follow whatever the morning turns up. The drives cover Indian Ocean coastline of white sand, reef and the coral-stone lanes of Stone Town, moving between habitats as conditions change. Sightings may include reef fish, dolphins offshore and the endemic red colobus in Jozani Forest, depending on season and conditions. Days here are unstructured, with swimming, reef trips or a Stone Town walk as you prefer. Zanzibar pairs a long Swahili and Omani trading history in Stone Town with reef beaches on the north and east coasts. The evening returns you to your Zanzibar Airport accommodation for dinner and overnight.