9 Days Tanzania Safari & Zanzibar Honeymoon

Tarangire is the park people tend to underrate until they get there. It is a land of huge, ancient baobab trees, wide grassy swamps and the Tarangire River, which keeps flowing when the rest of the region dries out. In the dry season that river pulls in wildlife from far around, and the result is some of the biggest elephant herds you will see anywhere in northern Tanzania. It is also close to Arusha, which makes it an easy first stop on safari.

What you will see

Elephants are the main reason to come. Families of dozens are a normal sight, walking in single file down to the river or dusting themselves under the baobabs. Alongside them you can expect buffalo, giraffe, zebra, wildebeest, impala, waterbuck and dik-dik, plus lions that know the herds will come to drink. Look out for species that are harder to find further north, such as fringe-eared oryx and lesser kudu. Tarangire is also excellent for birds, from colourful lovebirds and hornbills to big ground birds like the kori bustard and ostrich.

When to go

• June to October: the dry season and the best time. Water is scarce, so animals gather along the river and the swamps, and game viewing is at its strongest.
• November to May: after the rains begin, many animals spread out into the wider landscape beyond the park. The scenery turns green and birding is excellent, but sightings are more scattered.

Even in the wetter months, Tarangire is worth a day if it is on your way. Our Tanzania weather guide explains what each month is like.

Getting there from Arusha

Tarangire is roughly two to two and a half hours from Arusha by road, almost all of it on tarmac, heading south towards Babati. That means you can leave Arusha after breakfast and be on a game drive before lunch. It is also a simple drive on to Lake Manyara and the Ngorongoro highlands afterwards.

How it fits your trip

We often start a Northern Circuit safari here. A night or two in Tarangire, then Ngorongoro, then the Serengeti is a classic route that builds as you go. If you have only a few days after climbing Kilimanjaro, Tarangire and the crater make a strong short safari with no flights needed. You can then fly from Arusha to the coast for a few days on Zanzibar.

Where to stay

There are lodges and tented camps both inside the park and on its edges. Camps inside put you close to the river for early starts, while some of those outside the boundary can offer guided walks and other activities, depending on the camp and local park rules. We will suggest which suits you, depending on how much time you have and how you like to travel.

The Serengeti is big, open country. Its name comes from the Maasai word for plains that seem to run on forever, and once you are out on the short grass south of Seronera you will see why. The park covers about 14,750 km² and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, but numbers do not say much. What matters is that this is one of the few places left where very large herds still move freely, and the lions, cheetahs, leopards and hyenas that follow them are part of everyday life on a game drive.

What you will see

Wildebeest and zebra get the headlines, but they are only one part of it. Expect giraffe, buffalo, elephant, topi, hartebeest, Thomson’s and Grant’s gazelle, and a long list of birds, from secretary birds striding through the grass to vultures circling a kill. The central Seronera area, with its river valley and rocky kopjes, is well known for big cats, and leopards are often found resting in the sausage trees along the watercourses. Black rhino live here too, but they are rare and you should treat a sighting as a bonus.

When to go

There is no bad month in the Serengeti, only different ones. The herds follow the rain in a rough loop through the year:

• December to March: herds graze the southern plains, with calving usually from late January.
• April and May: the long rains. Fewer vehicles, green country and lower lodge rates, but some roads get muddy.
• June and July: the herds move west and north, and the Grumeti River crossings can happen.
• July to October: much of the herd is in the far north, where Mara River crossings draw a crowd.

The pattern shifts every year with the rains. Our Great Migration tracker shows where the herds are likely to be month by month, and the Tanzania weather guide explains the seasons in more detail.

Getting there from Arusha

By road, central Serengeti is a full day from Arusha, roughly seven to eight hours with stops, passing Lake Manyara and the Ngorongoro highlands on the way. Most travellers break the drive with a night near the crater. If time is short, light aircraft fly from Arusha to several Serengeti airstrips in about one to two hours, depending on which part of the park you are heading for and how many stops the plane makes.

How it fits your trip

Most of our Northern Circuit safaris build towards the Serengeti and give it at least two or three nights, because the distances inside the park are large. A common shape is Tarangire, then Ngorongoro, then the Serengeti, then a flight back to Arusha or straight to the coast. After a Kilimanjaro climb, a few days sitting in a vehicle watching lions is a very good way to rest tired legs.

Where to stay

You can choose between permanent lodges, fixed tented camps and seasonal mobile camps that move to follow the herds. Mobile camps put you close to the action in migration season, while lodges in the central area suit families and first-time visitors. We will match the camp to the month and to where the animals are likely to be.

The Ngorongoro Crater is the floor of an old volcano that collapsed in on itself, leaving a bowl about 260 km² across and roughly 600 m deep. Standing on the rim on a clear morning, you look down onto grassland, a soda lake, swamps and patches of forest, all ringed by steep green walls. Because so much wildlife lives inside such a small space, a single day on the crater floor can show you more species than a week in many other places. It is part of the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, a UNESCO World Heritage Site where Maasai families still graze their cattle alongside the wildlife on the highlands around the crater.

What you will see

The crater is one of the best places in Tanzania to look for black rhino, although they are shy and usually seen at a distance. Lions and spotted hyenas are common, and you are likely to see buffalo, wildebeest, zebra, Grant’s gazelle, warthog and hippos at the pools. Large bull elephants wander the swamps and the Lerai forest. Flamingos gather on the shallow soda lake when water levels suit them, and the birdlife around the marshes is rich all year.

When to go

The crater is good in every season because most animals live there year round. June to October is dry, with clear views and the most visitors. The green months from November to May bring fresher scenery and fewer vehicles, with the heaviest rain usually in April and May. Whatever the month, the rim sits at well over 2,000 m, so mornings and evenings are cold. Bring a warm layer. See our Tanzania weather guide for more on the seasons.

Getting there from Arusha

The drive from Arusha to the crater rim takes about three to four hours on a good tarmac road through farmland and the town of Karatu, with the option of stopping at Lake Manyara or Tarangire on the way. Descending to the crater floor takes around half an hour down a steep, winding track. We aim to be on the floor early, when the light is soft and the animals are most active.

How it fits your trip

Ngorongoro sits naturally between Tarangire or Lake Manyara and the Serengeti, so it slots into almost every Northern Circuit route. Many travellers spend one full day in the crater, then continue west to the Serengeti or south to Ndutu in calving season. It also works well as a short safari after climbing Kilimanjaro, since it is close to Arusha and needs no flights. Have a look at our safari ideas to see how we build it in.

Where to stay

You have three broad choices. Lodges on the crater rim give you the view and the shortest drive down in the morning, but they cost more and the nights are chilly. Camps and lodges around Karatu, among coffee farms and forest about forty minutes away, are often better value and a little warmer. There is no accommodation on the crater floor itself, so every visit is a day trip from above.

Zanzibar is where most of our travellers take their shoes off after a climb or a safari. The main island, Unguja, sits in the Indian Ocean off the Tanzanian coast, and it mixes two things you rarely get in one place: white-sand beaches on warm, shallow water, and Stone Town, an old trading port whose carved doors, narrow lanes and coral-stone houses are listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. You can spend the morning on a market walk and the afternoon in the sea.

What to do

• Stone Town: walk the lanes with a local guide, visit the old fort and the waterfront, and eat grilled seafood at the evening food market in Forodhani Gardens.
• Spice farms: Zanzibar has long been known as the Spice Island. A farm visit lets you see and taste cloves, nutmeg, cinnamon, vanilla and pepper growing.
• Jozani Forest: part of Jozani Chwaka Bay National Park and home to the Zanzibar red colobus, a monkey found only here.
• On the water: snorkelling trips to the reefs off Mnemba, a sunset dhow sail, or a boat to Changuu (Prison Island) to meet the giant tortoises.
• Doing very little: a few days on the beach is a perfectly good plan after a week of early starts.

Choosing your coast

The north around Nungwi and Kendwa has water you can swim in at most states of the tide and lively sunsets. The east coast, around Paje and Jambiani, is quieter, with a big tidal range that leaves wide sand flats at low tide, and steady winds that suit kitesurfing. The south-west is calmer still. We will help you pick the stretch that suits how you like to spend your days.

When to go

The driest and most settled months are roughly June to October and late December to February. The long rains usually fall from about March to May, when some places close and the sea can be rougher, though there are fewer people and showers often clear quickly. The short rains around November tend to be lighter. Our Tanzania weather guide sets out the seasons month by month.

Getting there

From Kilimanjaro International Airport or Arusha, a scheduled domestic flight to Zanzibar takes around one to one and a half hours. From Dar es Salaam you can fly in about 20 minutes or take the fast ferry, which takes roughly two hours. Many international airlines also fly straight to Zanzibar, so you can fly home from the island.

Where to stay

Stone Town has small hotels in restored merchant houses, ideal for one or two nights. On the coast you will find everything from simple beach bungalows to larger resorts and private villas. We match the place to your budget and the kind of quiet you are after.

How it fits your trip

This is the “sea” half of our summit-to-the-sea trips. After you come down from Kilimanjaro or finish a northern safari, we book your flight from Arusha or Kilimanjaro airport and you can be on the beach the same afternoon. Four to six nights is a common length; send us your dates and we will build it around you.

Tarangire Safari Lodge sits on a bluff overlooking the Tarangire River inside Tarangire National Park, an area famous for its large elephant herds and baobab trees. Its position gives sweeping views and direct access to game drives.

Accommodation is in en-suite tents and rooms with a classic safari style. Facilities include a swimming pool, a restaurant and game-drive access, with family rooms available.

Meals are provided during safari stays. It is a comfortable mid-range lodge with a strong sense of place, well suited to travellers who want to be inside the park.

Serengeti Bushtops sits on a private rise in the wild northern reaches of the Serengeti, looking out over an ocean of golden grassland that runs uninterrupted to the horizon. It is a “wild luxury” camp in the truest sense – remote, intimate and built for travellers who want the drama of the plains on their doorstep. Its position places guests within reach of the Mara River, where between roughly July and October the Great Migration gathers in its thousands and the famous river crossings unfold.

Accommodation is in a handful of vast canvas suites raised on wooden decks, each with its own private hot tub, an open fire for cool evenings and a shaded veranda facing the wilderness. Interiors pair polished timber floors and hand-crafted furniture with the soft glow of lanterns, and a personal butler is on hand throughout your stay to arrange sundowners, bush breakfasts and the small, unhurried moments that define time here.

Days move to the rhythm of the wilderness – early game drives in search of big cats and migrating herds, long lunches back at camp, spa treatments on your deck, and evenings around the fire beneath an enormous starlit sky. Private dinners set out on Simba’s Rock and candle-lit tables in the grass turn the everyday into the unforgettable, making Bushtops one of the most romantic and immersive bases from which to witness the migration.