11-Day Tanzania & Zanzibar Safaris

Upon your arrival at Kilimanjaro International Airport, you will be welcomed by our driver who will transfer you to your lodge in the outskirts of Arusha for dinner and overnight stay.

After breakfast, your safari guide will pick you from your lodge to proceed to Tarangire National Park. Often overshadowed by the Serengeti and the Ngorongoro Crater, Tarangire has immense concentrations of game in the peak months of July through to October.

With a game viewing area that is roughly ten times the size of nearby Manyara, the park is most famous for its elephant migration, birding and quiet authentic safari atmosphere in a unique surrounding of baobab trees. We will enjoy a game drive exploring the park.

Lunch will be taken in a picnic site overlooking the Tarangire River. In the afternoon we proceed to our tented lodge in Karatu town. Leisure time by the pool, dinner and overnight at you lodge on full Board Basis.

After breakfast, you will enter Lake Manyara National Park for game drives. The national park of Lake Manyara has a lovely environment; entering its main gate you pass through a lush evergreen forest created by groundwater that comes from the Ngorongoro Highlands. As you drive further on, you pass through dense acacia woodland offering an opportunity to watch impressive tusked elephants and big families of baboons. Around the lake there is a grassy floodplain dotted with large herds of buffalo, zebras, wildebeest and giraffes.

Lake Manyara is also one of the finest parks for bird-lovers - more than 380 species have been recorded - including pink-hued flamingos on their perpetual migration, as well as other large water birds such as pelicans, cormorants and storks. Abundant hippos bathe in the waters. The forest is a good home for leopard, whilst Manyara's lions are famous for their tree-climbing behavior (though not easy to be seen).

Break for lunch in a picnic site. In the afternoon we will drive out of the park to meet with our local guide for a cultural walk.

Mto wa Mbu Village Nature walk: After breakfast, we meet our local guide and go for a cultural experience and walking safari. Mto wa Mbu village is thought to be one of the only places in Tanzania where there are representatives from all 120 tribes living happily side by side. During your visit you’ll get a good feel for the social side of the village – the banana plantations, the milling machines, the schools, markets and churches. Your guide will be happy to answer any questions you might have, and will help you to gain an understanding of the inner workings of this typical Tanzanian community. Return to the lodge for lunch and rest for a while

After your cultural walk or cycling, you will meet with your driver-guide to transfer you to your lodge. Rest time, dinner and overnight stay.

At sunrise, we start our safari towards Ngorongoro crater gates before start to descend into the crater floor for full day game drive. The crater and surrounding highlands are one of Africa's most beautiful regions, with volcanic craters forming stunning backdrops to some of the richest grazing grounds in Africa. The caldera of Ngorongoro marks the ancient walls of a collapsed volcano, which was probably once the size of Mt. Kilimanjaro. Today the completely enclosed circular crater is some twelve miles across, with steep walls of over 2,000 feet. We are at an altitude of approximately 7,500 feet above sea level, the highest point on our trip.

After our time on the lower plains, the cooler air here is refreshing (please have a freeze/jacket with you as it can get cold during early morning and evening hours). The Ngorongoro Conservation Area is home to the “big 5” game (elephant, lion, leopard, buffalo, rhino).

Livestock belonging to the semi-nomadic Maasai tribe graze alongside wild animals. This is the only area in Tanzania you will find Wildlife, Human Being and Domestic animals live in one place as a similar family. Wildlife and sightseeing is one among the most picturesque in this area, but also the Hominin fossils found in the Olduvai Gorge date back millions of years which was discovered by Dr. Mary Leakey worth a visit.

We'll take an early breakfast, as we've got a big day of exploration and adventure ahead of us. It’s time to explore the Serengeti itself. Witness Africa’s iconic savannah landscape and be amazed by the sheer number of animals that roam these grassy plains.

We'll begin the day with the scenic drive within the Serengeti. Along the way, we'll pass through the mist-shrouded rainforests area where you might be lucky enough to glimpse Lions, Cape buffalo, Leopards, Cheaters, Hyenas, elephants with many more species of animals and birds available in Serengeti.

After a delicious lunch at the Serengeti National Park picnic area, you will proceed with short afternoon game drive until sunset where you will return to your camps for leisure time, dinner and overnight stay.

Morning breakfast then we continue with a short-day game drive to our exciting destination being a name familiar to everyone – the Great Serengeti. In the Maasai language, "serenget" means "endless plain". The park stretches for over 15,000 square kilometers. Serengeti National Park is quite simply the most magnificent wildlife sanctuary in the world— unparalleled in natural beauty and wilderness. From vast, open plains casting idyllic, golden sunsets, to steamy riverbanks and towers of granite boulders, the Serengeti throbs with life in the endless rhythms of the animals.

In the afternoon we drive to Seronera Airstrip for our flight to flight to Zanzibar Island. Upon arrival at 18h00 at Zanzibar Airport, you will be welcomed by our driver guide who will transfer you to the beach resort of your choice. Evening at leisure by the beach, dinner and overnight stay at your hotel.

Breakfast will be served at the hotel, then relax on the beach or laze yourself by the poolside you may choose optional activities.

Recommended activity of the day: Snorkeling/Diving Zanzibar is famous for lots of reefs which are considered by snorkelers/divers as some of the best in the world. The water around Zanzibar is home to more than 350 species of fish. In fact, there have been many sightings of the Humpback whale very close to the beaches of Zanzibar. While snorkeling on the coast of Zanzibar you can usually see dolphins, turtles, parrotfish, clownfish, stingrays, squids etc.

You will have free program at the island to enjoy leisure time by the beach combined with optional activities as per your interests. Optionally for your lunch, we recommend “The Rock” restaurant. http://www.therockrestaurantzanzibar.com/ Combined with the lunch at The Rock, you can visit the Jozani forest and/or visit a Spice Plantation:

Jozani forest. A guided journey through the forest and you will quickly learn about its uniqueness and witness the different species of monkeys unique to Zanzibar (and yes, without a thumb). After your forest tour on a short hop to the other side of the national park, there is an opportunity to uncover the magical world of the Zanzibari Mangroves. A walk along the wooden trail and you will see the thousands of crabs at work under the mangroves and if you’re lucky you might even be able to hear the mangroves talking. See for yourself.

Spice Plantation tour: At a Spice plantation you can sample various types of tropical fruits, root crops, flowering trees and spices i.e. ginger, cardamom, lemon grass and cinnamon among many. The spices are the highest export products of Zanzibar. You therefore get to know why Zanzibar is popularly known as the “spice Island”. You sample the fruits that are in abundance it the farms. This is also the best place to buy locally made perfumes and oils in good rates.

Breakfast will be served at the hotel, then relax on the beach or laze yourself by the poolside.

Recommended activity of the day: Safari Blue, we hope you are prepared to swim as today you will go snorkeling on our guided, Safari Blue Tour. Travel to three different banks that disappear upon sunset. View the beautiful coral and fish as you snorkel and swim in the beautiful sea. Afterwards, you will have a special seafood lunch prepared for you before heading to the natural lagoon and heading back to shore.

Recommended activity of the day: Guided tour in Stone Town Optionally, we can depart early and do a guided tour at the historical sites of Stone Town, before dropping off to the airport. (This will depend on your flight schedule) During the guided tour, you will experience the town & the true culture of Zanzibar; visit the famous house of wonder, the sultan palace, the old museum and the old market where you can shop for various fruits and spices. You will also see the cathedral church and the old dispensary. You may continue with a free walk in the alleyways of the old town, watching the everyday local life and find beautiful handmade souvenirs in the small shops.

Our Last and departure day where after breakfast you will check out from the hotel while our driver guide will be waiting outside to transfer you to Zanzibar airport for your flight back home.