Highlights of Tanzania & Zanzibar
This 10 day tour encompasses the best of Tanzania before continuing to Zanzibar – the Spice Island – for its beautiful white sand beaches and interesting history and culture. The tour includes a diverse range of habitats – lakes, plains and forests – with a chance to see many wildlife species. First visit the stunning Lake Manyara National Park, with its vast soda lake and wonderful scenery of the Great Rift Valley. This is home to hippos, elephants, buffalo, wildebeest, giraffe and many other species including the area’s famous tree climbing lions.
Then we continue to the Serengeti – one of the world’s most renowned safari destinations – in search of Africa’s “Big Five” safari species. The tour then heads for the unique Ngorongoro Conservation Area – a UNESCO World Heritage area with spectacular scenery and the opportunity for great game-viewing in the Crater. After a busy safari itinerary you then fly to Zanzibar for 4 nights at The Z Hotel – a stylish 35 room boutique hotel with a lovely beachfront position, an ideal base for relaxing and for exploring the island. (Optional Extra Nights). Includes flight back to Arusha on the last day.
Lake Manyara
ngorongoro
serengeti
LENGTH
9 NIGHTS / 10 DAYS
BEST MONTHS TO VISIT
ALL YEAR
FROM
US$ 4,366
Highlights of Tanzania & Zanzibar
This 10 day tour encompasses the best of Tanzania before continuing to Zanzibar – the Spice Island – for its beautiful white sand beaches and interesting history and culture. The tour includes a diverse range of habitats – lakes, plains and forests – with a chance to see many wildlife species. First visit the stunning Lake Manyara National Park, with its vast soda lake and wonderful scenery of the Great Rift Valley. This is home to hippos, elephants, buffalo, wildebeest, giraffe and many other species including the area’s famous tree climbing lions.
Then we continue to the Serengeti – one of the world’s most renowned safari destinations – in search of Africa’s “Big Five” safari species. The tour then heads for the unique Ngorongoro Conservation Area – a UNESCO World Heritage area with spectacular scenery and the opportunity for great game-viewing in the Crater. After a busy safari itinerary you then fly to Zanzibar for 4 nights at The Z Hotel – a stylish 35 room boutique hotel with a lovely beachfront position, an ideal base for relaxing and for exploring the island. (Optional Extra Nights). Includes flight back to Arusha on the last day.
LENGTH
9 nights / 10 days
BEST MONTHS TO VISIT
ALL YEAR
FROM
US$4,960
Itinerary in Detail
DAY BY DAY
Tour Experiences
Day 1
Pick up from Arusha or Kilimanjaro airport and transfer to Arusha town. After lunch in town drive to Lake Manyara. Dinner and overnight at Lake Manyara Serena Lodge.
Day 2
Enjoy a morning game drive in Lake Manyara National Park whose inhabitants include hippos, monkeys, tree climbing lions, flamingos and other varieties of birdlife. Lunch at the lodge. Then, drive to Serengeti National Park. Dinner and overnight at Serengeti Serena Lodge.
Lake Manyara National Park
Listed as a “World Heritage Site”, Lake Manyara National Park never fails to delight visitors. The 330 sq km (120 sq miles) park of which the soda lake takes up 230 sq km (86 sq miles) is flanked on the west by the sheer wall of the Great Rift Valley. The wall is a catchment area for the rivers which flow into the park creating the fascinating ground water tropical forest at the foot of the wall.
The terrain is so diverse that its mammal and bird lists are most impressive. From the famous tree climbing lions, hippos, elephants, buffalo, wildebeest, giraffe, monkeys, the elusive leopard, monitor lizards, pythons, to the flamingos and other birds all attracted to the area. Large areas of ground water forest with giant fig and mahogany trees alternate with acacia woodland and open spaces make this a photographers paradise. As many as 380 bird species have been recorded in the park.
It is thought that the lions climb the trees during the heat of the day for shade and to escape the flies and avoid the dense undergrowth.
Day 3
Enjoy morning and afternoon game drives in the endless plains of the Serengeti for a chance to see the great herds of wildebeest, zebras and gazelles or a pride of lions lounging in the shade. Meals and overnight at Serengeti Serena Lodge.
Serengeti
The Serengeti National Park is the largest and best known of all the Tanzania National Parks covering an area of 14,500 sq km (5,600 sq miles). Its northern boundary abuts the Maasai Mara National Reserve which is included in the Serengeti eco-system. Located to the north and west of Ngorongoro, the vast Serengeti plains sustain the greatest and most spectacular concentration of wildlife found anywhere in the world.
Most of the Serengeti is vast open plains with lofty rocky outcrops giving character to the landscape. There are also acacia and savannah woodland and scrub, forested and well-treed rivers, and the occasional swamp and small lake. The granite outcrops formed many millions of years ago and through the passage of time have become exposed and broken to form the rocky outcrops.
The Serengeti is known for its large prides of lions and the magnificent black maned lions are often seen surveying their territories from the top of the rocky outcrops. Leopards are relatively numerous and are to be found during the daytime resting in trees along the Seronera river.
Little creatures also play an important role in the plains life cycle. Banded mongoose, brightly coloured agama lizards, rock hyrax, dikdik, vervet monkeys to name just a few of the smaller animals all of which add to the wildlife spectacle of the Serengeti.
Large numbers of Kori Bustard, Africa’s heaviest flying birds, as well as the snake eating Secretary Bird, Crowned Plover, Yellow throated sandgrouse to name just a few of the many birds to be found on the plains.
Day 4
Depart for a morning game drive in the Serengeti National Park. Lunch at the lodge. After lunch drive to Olduvai Gorge, site of Louis and Mary Leakey’s renowned archaeological discoveries. Their findings include some of man’s earliest known ancestral remains. Continue driving to Ngorongoro Conservation Area for dinner and overnight at Ngorongoro Serena Lodge.
Ngorongoro Conservation Area & Crater
“It is impossible to give a fair description of the size and beauty of the Crater, for there is nothing with which one can compare it. It is one of the Wonders of the World” quote by the late Professor Bernhard Grzimek – famous and respected naturalist.
Spanning roughly 8,300 sq kms (3,192 sq miles), the Ngorongoro Conservation Area is a perfect microcosm of East Africa: it combines spectacular scenery and valuable archeological sites with mountains, forests, grassland plains, extinct volcanoes and a staggering profusion of wildlife. Central to the Area is the Ngorongoro Crater the floor of which covers an area of 260 sq kms (100 sq miles). Accommodation in the area is in lodges on the rim of the crater or just outside the Conservation Area. The road meanders along the rim of the crater affording breathtaking views and descends 2,000 feet to the crater floor.
Ngorongoro Crater is really a caldera, the sunken or collapsed cone of a volcano. It is the largest inactive, unbroken and unflooded caldera in the world.
Living on the floor of the crater are bull elephants, lions, hyena, zebra, wildebeest among others living on the grasslands and acacia forests. The crater also has a soda lake – Lake Magadi, the word magad translates to salt water in Maasai. The lake attracts greater and lesser flamingo and other water birds.
The crater is best known as a highly successful sanctuary for the endangered black rhino.
The settings in which you watch the animals are beautiful, the crater is an outstanding place for photography as well as direct observation.
Day 5
Today you will descend 2000 feet (over 600 metres) to the floor of the crater for a day crater tour with picnic lunches. Explore the forest areas that are inhabited by monkeys and elephants, the lake area, where you may see the flamingos and the open savannah where the lions hunt for food. Dinner and overnight at Ngorongoro Serena Lodge.
Day 6
After breakfast, drive back to Arusha (Depending on onward flight times, you can have a hot lunch or take a packed one from Ngorongoro). Drop off at the airport for the flight to Zanzibar. Met at Zanzibar airport and transferred to The Z Hotel for 4 nights.
Day 7 - 9
At leisure on the beach. The Z Hotel has a choice of facilities and activities, and excursions can be arranged to visit Zanzibar’s main attractions such as Stone Town, Jozani Forest, Prison Island and the Turtle Sanctuary.
Day 10
Breakfast at hotel. Later transfer to Stone Town Airport for the flight back to Arusha where you will be transferred to Kilimanjaro for onward flight connection.
Tour Experiences
Day 1
Pick up from Arusha or Kilimanjaro airport and transfer to Arusha town. After lunch in town drive to Lake Manyara. Dinner and overnight at Lake Manyara Serena Lodge.
Day 2
Enjoy a morning game drive in Lake Manyara National Park whose inhabitants include hippos, monkeys, tree climbing lions, flamingos and other varieties of birdlife. Lunch at the lodge. Then, drive to Serengeti National Park. Dinner and overnight at Serengeti Serena Lodge.
Lake Manyara National Park
Listed as a “World Heritage Site”, Lake Manyara National Park never fails to delight visitors. The 330 sq km (120 sq miles) park of which the soda lake takes up 230 sq km (86 sq miles) is flanked on the west by the sheer wall of the Great Rift Valley. The wall is a catchment area for the rivers which flow into the park creating the fascinating ground water tropical forest at the foot of the wall.
The terrain is so diverse that its mammal and bird lists are most impressive. From the famous tree climbing lions, hippos, elephants, buffalo, wildebeest, giraffe, monkeys, the elusive leopard, monitor lizards, pythons, to the flamingos and other birds all attracted to the area. Large areas of ground water forest with giant fig and mahogany trees alternate with acacia woodland and open spaces make this a photographers paradise. As many as 380 bird species have been recorded in the park.
It is thought that the lions climb the trees during the heat of the day for shade and to escape the flies and avoid the dense undergrowth.
Day 3
Enjoy morning and afternoon game drives in the endless plains of the Serengeti for a chance to see the great herds of wildebeest, zebras and gazelles or a pride of lions lounging in the shade. Meals and overnight at Serengeti Serena Lodge.
Serengeti
The Serengeti National Park is the largest and best known of all the Tanzania National Parks covering an area of 14,500 sq km (5,600 sq miles). Its northern boundary abuts the Maasai Mara National Reserve which is included in the Serengeti eco-system. Located to the north and west of Ngorongoro, the vast Serengeti plains sustain the greatest and most spectacular concentration of wildlife found anywhere in the world.
Most of the Serengeti is vast open plains with lofty rocky outcrops giving character to the landscape. There are also acacia and savannah woodland and scrub, forested and well-treed rivers, and the occasional swamp and small lake. The granite outcrops formed many millions of years ago and through the passage of time have become exposed and broken to form the rocky outcrops.
The Serengeti is known for its large prides of lions and the magnificent black maned lions are often seen surveying their territories from the top of the rocky outcrops. Leopards are relatively numerous and are to be found during the daytime resting in trees along the Seronera river.
Little creatures also play an important role in the plains life cycle. Banded mongoose, brightly coloured agama lizards, rock hyrax, dikdik, vervet monkeys to name just a few of the smaller animals all of which add to the wildlife spectacle of the Serengeti.
Large numbers of Kori Bustard, Africa’s heaviest flying birds, as well as the snake eating Secretary Bird, Crowned Plover, Yellow throated sandgrouse to name just a few of the many birds to be found on the plains.
Day 4
Depart for a morning game drive in the Serengeti National Park. Lunch at the lodge. After lunch drive to Olduvai Gorge, site of Louis and Mary Leakey’s renowned archaeological discoveries. Their findings include some of man’s earliest known ancestral remains. Continue driving to Ngorongoro Conservation Area for dinner and overnight at Ngorongoro Serena Lodge.
Ngorongoro Conservation Area & Crater
“It is impossible to give a fair description of the size and beauty of the Crater, for there is nothing with which one can compare it. It is one of the Wonders of the World” quote by the late Professor Bernhard Grzimek – famous and respected naturalist.
Spanning roughly 8,300 sq kms (3,192 sq miles), the Ngorongoro Conservation Area is a perfect microcosm of East Africa: it combines spectacular scenery and valuable archeological sites with mountains, forests, grassland plains, extinct volcanoes and a staggering profusion of wildlife. Central to the Area is the Ngorongoro Crater the floor of which covers an area of 260 sq kms (100 sq miles). Accommodation in the area is in lodges on the rim of the crater or just outside the Conservation Area. The road meanders along the rim of the crater affording breathtaking views and descends 2,000 feet to the crater floor.
Ngorongoro Crater is really a caldera, the sunken or collapsed cone of a volcano. It is the largest inactive, unbroken and unflooded caldera in the world.
Living on the floor of the crater are bull elephants, lions, hyena, zebra, wildebeest among others living on the grasslands and acacia forests. The crater also has a soda lake – Lake Magadi, the word magad translates to salt water in Maasai. The lake attracts greater and lesser flamingo and other water birds.
The crater is best known as a highly successful sanctuary for the endangered black rhino.
The settings in which you watch the animals are beautiful, the crater is an outstanding place for photography as well as direct observation.
Day 5
Today you will descend 2000 feet (over 600 metres) to the floor of the crater for a day crater tour with picnic lunches. Explore the forest areas that are inhabited by monkeys and elephants, the lake area, where you may see the flamingos and the open savannah where the lions hunt for food. Dinner and overnight at Ngorongoro Serena Lodge.
Day 6
After breakfast, drive back to Arusha (Depending on onward flight times, you can have a hot lunch or take a packed one from Ngorongoro). Drop off at the airport for the flight to Zanzibar. Met at Zanzibar airport and transferred to The Z Hotel for 4 nights.
Day 7 - 9
At leisure on the beach. The Z Hotel has a choice of facilities and activities, and excursions can be arranged to visit Zanzibar’s main attractions such as Stone Town, Jozani Forest, Prison Island and the Turtle Sanctuary.
Day 10
Breakfast at hotel. Later transfer to Stone Town Airport for the flight back to Arusha where you will be transferred to Kilimanjaro for onward flight connection.
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Rick McIntyre
Rick McIntyre
Hello, I'm Rick, based in Ontario, Canada, with over 15 years in the travel industry and a passport filled with stamps from over 70 countries. My heart was captured by Africa during my first visit to Kenya, and since then, I've journeyed back repeatedly, exploring the diverse landscapes and wildlife of Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Namibia, and South Africa. Whether you're dreaming of a "once in a lifetime" vacation or you're a seasoned safari traveler, I'm here to assist in planning your perfect African adventure.
You can contact me at rick@gamewatchers.com or give me a call at +1-877-710-3014.
Rachel Chambers
Rachel Chambers
Rachel resides on the vibrant West Coast of Canada, specifically on Vancouver Island. She has a profound love for travel, having explored nearly 30 countries. However, it was a solo journey to Africa that truly ignited her passion. Upon stepping foot in Botswana for the first time, Rachel was captivated and knew she needed to explore more of the continent. Since then, she has ventured solo to Zimbabwe, Zambia, Mauritius, South Africa, Uganda, and Kenya, where she traveled with Gamewatchers Safaris and Porini Camps.
It was during these experiences that Rachel realized her desire to be a part of the Gamewatchers team.
You can contact Rae at rae@gamewatchers.com or WattsApp +1-250-588-9112
Julie Roggow
Julie Roggow
Greetings, I'm Julie Roggow, and I come to you with over two decades of immersion in the world of travel. My journey into the heart of safari adventures began as I traversed Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, Botswana, Zimbabwe, and South Africa, capturing the essence of these mesmerizing landscapes through my lens. Among these remarkable destinations, Kenya and the Porini safari camps hold a special place in my heart. Their unique blend of wilderness and conservation resonates deeply with me.
My passion for travel is matched only by my dedication to sharing that passion with others. I'm here to ensure that planning your safari vacation is an enjoyable and seamless experience.
Feel free to reach out to me by email at julie@gamewatchers.com or through our toll-free telephone line at +1-877-710-3014.
Talk to a Specialist
Choose a Safari Specialist in your time zone and start planning your tailor-made safari to Tanzania.
