Tanzania and Zanzibar: a honeymoon safari
Fifteen nights, ending on the beach
Ten nights on the northern safari circuit, then five on Zanzibar. You travel in a private vehicle with your own guide, starting gently in Arusha, then Tarangire for the elephants, Lake Manyara, the Ngorongoro Crater and the Serengeti. Then you fly to Zanzibar to finish. It can be done at any time of year, and I tune the stays to your dates.
Nights 1 and 2
Ngare Sero Mountain Lodge, Arusha
2 nights · Arusha · Best for: arriving slowly
Your guide meets you at Kilimanjaro airport and takes you to a quiet lodge outside Arusha. The first afternoon is for the pool, and nothing else. On the second day you head out to Arusha National Park, in the foothills of Mount Meru, for a picnic lunch and a first game drive among giraffe, buffalo, colobus monkeys and the Momella lakes.
- Met at the airport by your private guide
- A day in Arusha National Park, with a picnic lunch
- Optional coffee farm and village visit, or a waterfall hike
Nights 3 to 5
Mpingo Ridge Tented Lodge, Tarangire
3 nights · Tarangire National Park · Best for: elephants and baobabs
Three nights in Tarangire, a park of baobab and acacia trees cut by the Tarangire River, known for its huge elephant herds. You can spend one day out with a picnic lunch, split the next into a morning and an afternoon drive with a hot lunch back at the lodge, and keep the third at your own pace.
- Full-day game drive with a picnic lunch
- Large elephant herds along the river
- Buffalo, giraffe and big cats
Why I chose it: Tarangire is my personal favourite park in Tanzania. It is underrated, and you can happily watch a herd of elephants for hours.
Nights 6 and 7
Manyara’s Secret, Lake Manyara
2 nights · Lake Manyara · Best for: a slower pace and a lake view
A change of scenery, with a plunge pool looking out across the lake. On the first afternoon you can walk the lake shore and visit a Maasai boma. The next day is a game drive in Lake Manyara National Park, with its forest, hippo pools and flamingos when they are breeding.
- A walk along the lake shore
- A visit to a Maasai boma
- Game drive in Lake Manyara National Park
- The shy tree-climbing lions, if you are lucky
Night 8
Entamanu Ngorongoro, Ngorongoro Crater
1 night · Ngorongoro Conservation Area · Best for: the crater floor
After breakfast you descend the crater walls to a wide floor with some of the densest wildlife in Africa, and a real chance of seeing a black rhino.
- Game drive on the crater floor
- Black rhino, lion and large herds
- Flamingos when the soda lake is breeding
Nights 9 and 10
Nanyukie Tented Lodge, Serengeti
2 nights · Serengeti National Park · Best for: cats on open plains
You drive through the Ngorongoro Conservation Area to the Serengeti. Cheetah, lion cubs and leopard are the draw, with sundowners at the lodge as the day ends. The second day is yours to shape, as one long drive or a morning and an afternoon with a hot lunch between.
- Cheetah, lion and leopard
- Sundowners at the lodge
- Optional sunrise hot air balloon
Nights 11 to 15
Baraza Resort and Spa, Zanzibar
5 nights · Zanzibar · Best for: unwinding after safari
After a final morning game drive you fly from the Serengeti to Zanzibar. Five nights on the island is long enough to switch off after the safari, wander the narrow streets of Stone Town, and find the beach you like best.
Baraza is the premium luxury choice. Other places I can offer here are Xanadu Villas, also premium luxury, and Zawadi Hotel or Zuri Zanzibar, both luxury.
- Time on the beach, with nothing planned
- A morning in Stone Town
- A dhow cruise, a spice tour, or snorkelling at Mnemba Atoll
To make it extra special: a sunrise hot air balloon in the Serengeti, a coffee farm tour, a Maasai cultural visit, a canoe safari, or zip-lining and hiking near Arusha.
Journeys like this start from US$1,500 per person per night.
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