Heart Of Tanzania Safari + Zanzibar

Fly into the Kilimanjaro International Airport where you will be met by your driver and transferred to the Arusha Coffee Lodge in Arusha. Take time to settle into your accommodation and overcome any jet lag, then enjoy dinner at the lodge’s restaurant.

After breakfast at the lodge, you’ll head into Arusha National Park for a morning game drive to get your first glimpse of Tanzania’s big game wildlife. Despite being one of the country’s smaller national parks, Arusha still boasts a diversity of landscapes and abundance of wildlife species, including black-and-white colobus monkeys. Soak up the views of Mount Meru and iconic Mount Kilimanjaro while exploring the dense jungles, alkaline lakes and the swamp floor of the Ngurdoto Crater, with a picnic lunch to enjoy in the middle of the day. In the afternoon, you’ll make the return drive to Arusha and the Arusha Coffee Lodge where you can refresh before dinner.

Say goodbye to the Arusha Coffee Lodge following breakfast and drive towards Lake Manyara National Park, which is one of Tanzania’s underrated gems. It’s renowned for its immense soda lake where pink flamingos wade in the shallows, together with an exceptional birdlife and large population of baboons. Enjoy the breathtaking views that Ernest Hemingway described as “the loveliest I had seen in Africa” while spotting elephants, zebras and giraffes, as well as the park’s unique tree-climbing lions. In the late afternoon, you’ll arrive at the Lake Manyara Tree Lodge where you’ll have time to freshen up before a gourmet dinner is served. Then embark on a thrilling night game drive to come face-to-face with some of the park’s nocturnal species, such as porcupines, pangolins and aardvarks. 

After breakfast at the camp, you’ll leave Lake Manyara National Park and drive northwest into the iconic Serengeti National Park, which is famously home to the “Big Five” (lion, elephant, leopard, rhino and buffalo). It’s not only renowned for its sheer abundance of wildlife but also providing the setting for the annual Great Wildebeest Migration, a natural spectacle that sees more than a million wildebeest traverses 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 in search of fresh grazing pastures. In the late afternoon, you’ll drive to the One Nature Tented Camp where you’ll have time to relax and freshen up before dinner is served.

Get ready for another exciting day spent exploring the vast Serengeti, with a high chance of spotting not only wildebeest, gazelles and zebras but also lions and elusive leopards. The sprawling savannah also provides a photogenic setting for viewing giraffes, hyenas and ostriches, with your guide keeping an eye out for lesser known wildlife such as spitting cobras, black mambas and pythons. After an unforgettable day in the bush, you’ll return to the One Nature Tented Camp to rest and relax while recounting your adventures around the campfire.

A morning game drive is your final chance for wildlife spotting in the Serengeti before returning to the camp for a hearty lunch. It’s then time to continue driving to Ngorongoro crater with a stop at Maasai village before check in to Gibbs Farm Lodge, which perches on the rim of this UNESCO World Heritage-listed crater. Enjoy the superb views as you settle into your accommodation, with the afternoon at your leisure before dinner is served. 

After breakfast at the lodge journey down into the heart of the crater for an unforgettable game drive to spot some of natural enclosure’s 30,000 resident animals. Aside from being home to the “Big Five”, the Ngorongoro Crater also provides a refuge for hippos, flamingos, warthogs and rare black rhinos. It’s been designated as one of Africa’s Seven Natural Wonders, with a spellbinding play of light and rich colours making it a destination not to be missed.  In the late afternoon, you’ll continue to the Gibbs Farm Lodge at the Karatu where you’ll spend the night.

Afer a week of incredible wildlife experiences, today is all about Tanzania’s unique cultures as you visit some of the country’s tribes. First is a cultural encounter with the Hadzabe Bushmen who hunt wild animals using bows and arrows while also gathering roots, wild fruits and honey to supplement their diet. Join them on their pursuit to find food, watching as they skillfully shoot their arrows while learning about the natural sustenance available in the region. After lunch back to Gibbs Farm Lodge for overnight

Spend the morning at Gibbs Farm to see what “a day in the life” looks like then drive to the Arusha Airport for your flight to Zanzibar. Upon arrival at the Zanzibar International Airport, you’ll be transferred to the Zuri Zanzibar Resort where a oceanfront suite awaits. Spend the afternoon relaxing and soaking up the Indian Ocean views before dinner is served at the resort.

Spend the day exploring the cultural and historic heart of Zanzibar in vibrant Stone Town. Enjoy getting lost in its labyrinthine streets, with colourful markets, crumbling churches and engaging museums around every corner. Visit the Sultan’s Palace and the old Slave Market, with an intoxicating mix of Arab, Persian, Indian and European influences that make Stone Town like nowhere else on Earth. In the afternoon, you’ll embark on a picturesque boat trip to visit Prison Island where slaves were once detained. The island was later used as a camp for people with deadly diseases before being transformed into the nature reserve seen today. Wander between the ruins of its former prison and spot giant tortoises that lumber in the surrounds before returning to Zuri Zanzibar Resort for the evening.

Spend two days at leisure relaxing on the idyllic beaches of Zanzibar, doing as much or as little as you desire. Kick back on the palm-fringed white sands outside the Zuri Zanzibar Resort or jump on a traditional dhow to explore some of the surrounding islands. There’s superb snorkeling and diving on the nearby coral reefs, with delicious meals to recharge you throughout your stay at the resort.