Serengeti to Zanzibar Safari

Fly into the Kilimanjaro International Airport where you will be met by your driver and transferred to the Oliver’s Tented Camp, which is located between Tarangire and Lake Manyara National Park. Take time to settle into your accommodation and enjoy the stunning views across the Rift Escarpment, then enjoy dinner at the Camp’s restaurant.

After breakfast at the lodge, begin your safari adventure in Tarangire National Park, which boasts the largest concentration of elephants in the world. Tarangire’s diversity of wildlife also includes plenty of big cats such as lions, cheetahs and leopards, as well as more 550 recorded big species. Your guide will help you to spot little-seen kudu, oryx and gerenuk or maybe even one of the park’s elusive tree-climbing pythons. After watching all the wildlife action along the Tarangire River, return to your camp for dinner and a night of relaxation.

After an early breakfast, set off towards Lake Manyara National Park for a morning game drive. This gorgeous park centres around a large soda lake that’s populated by pink-hued flamingos and is home to a large number of boisterous baboons. Experience Lake Manyara’s incredible birdlife, together with sightings of giraffes, elephants, hippos, zebras and unique tree-climbing lions. In the late afternoon, you’ll stay at Gibbs Farm Lodge where you’ll have time to freshen up before dinner is served.

Today is all about culture as you meet some of Tanzania’s most fascinating local tribes around Lake Eyasi. This stunning and seemingly untouched natural area is home to the Datoga people who are skilled farmers and silversmiths renowned for their handcrafted knives and spears. You’ll also have an encounter with the Hadzabe Bushmen who hunt wild animals using bows and arrows, as well as gathering roots, honey and wild fruits. In the afternoon, you’ll drive into the UNESCO-listed Ngorongoro Conservation Area where you’ll stop for a picnic lunch and visit a traditional Maasai village. Learn about the unique lifestyle of this red-robed tribe before continuing to the Gibbs Farm Lodge for overnight.

After breakfast at your lodge, travel down into the heart of the Ngorongoro Crater to spot some of this natural enclosure’s 30,000 resident animals. Aside from being home to the “Big Five”, it also provides a refuge for hippos, flamingos, warthogs and a small population of rare black rhinos. The Ngorongoro Crater is just as famed for its scenic beauty as its wildlife richness, which is why it’s been designated as one of Africa’s Seven Natural Wonders. In the late afternoon, you’ll continue to the Serengeti Four Seasons Lodge where you’ll spend the night.

Today you’ll get your first taste of the iconic Serengeti National Park, which is famously home to the “Big Five” (lion, elephant, leopard, rhino and buffalo). Aside from an abundance of wildlife throughout the year, it also provides the setting for the annual Great Wildebeest Migration, which sees more than a million wildebeest traverse 3,000 kilometres across East Africa. Depending on when you visit, you may get to see these immense herds (followed by opportunistic predators) as they make the long journey from the Serengeti to the Maasai Mara in search of fresh grazing pastures. In the late afternoon, you’ll return to the Serengeti Four Seasons Lodge where you’ll have time to relax and freshen up before dinner is served.

Get ready for another exciting day in the Serengeti, getting up close to not only wildebeest, gazelles and zebras but also lions and (hopefully) leopards. Giraffes, hyenas and ostriches also call its vast savannah “home”, as do lesser-known species such as spitting cobras, black mambas and pythons.After an unforgettable day in the bush, you’ll return to the Serengeti Four Seasons Lodge to rest and relax while recounting your adventures.

Spend a final morning exploring the Serengeti before continuing to the Seronera Airstrip for your flight to Zanzibar. Upon arrival in at the Zanzibar International Airport, you’ll be transferred to the Xanadu Villas where you’ll be staying for the next few nights. Enjoy the luxury of this all-inclusive resort, which offers breathtaking views across the Indian Ocean. 

Spend a day relaxing on beautiful Nungwi Beach and go swimming in its turquoise waters, doing as much or as little as you desire. If you prefer to get active, there’s superb snorkelling and diving on the nearby coral reefs or you can organise a village visit at the resort. Throughout your stay, delicious meals will be served at the Xanadu Villas.

Spend yet another day in paradise, either relaxing at the resort or getting active with a range of water sports. Get up close to turtles and tropical fish on an underwater adventure or opt for a day trip to explore one of the nearby spice plantations and the atmospheric streets of Stone Town. Discover this melting pot of Arab, Persian, Indian and European cultures as you visit its museums or shop for souvenirs in the handicraft markets. All meals are included, as is accommodation at the Xanadu Villas.

Enjoy your final day on Zanzibar reveling in the island lifestyle or opt to go sailing on a traditional dhow boat. Keep your eyes peeled for dolphins that can often be seen frolicking offshore or hand-feed turtles at the nature reserve in Nungwi. This charming fishing village also has a number of bars where you can grab a sundowner overlooking the lapping waters.