Incredible Tanzania: Serengeti to Zanzibar
9 days, Arusha to Stone Town
When arranging your transportation, such as flights, please take into consideration the below time restrictions for joining and departing from your group. With these times, we have taken into account travel time to/from the airport in the given destination and required time for check-in or baggage collection/immigration.
Itinerary
Day 1Arusha
Arrive at any time. Attend a welcome meeting in the evening where you will get to know our fellow group members and meet your CEO.
Your Welcome Moment: Welcome Moment - Meet Your CEO and Group
Your opportunity to meet your CEO and fellow travellers, and learn more about your tour. Opt to join the group for a local meal afterwards. Don't forget to see the notice in the lobby (or ask reception) for the official time and place to meet up with the group.
Accommodation
Below is an example of the hotel we may use in this city. For the actual hotel your specific departure will be using, please check your voucher.
Comfort Eland Hotel (or similar)
Day 2Tarangire National Park
After breakfast the group will travel to Tarangire National Park. This park is special due to its large elephant population, presence of ancient baobab trees, and a unique dry season migration. The elephants gather around the Tarangire River that flows through the park. Enjoy a safari drive upon arrival to see the diverse wildlife here for yourself. Sit down for a picnic lunch inside the park before continuing onwards to Karatu where you will spend the evening.
Transport
Settle in and scan the scenery as you journey to your next destination.
Tarangire National Park Safari Drive
Spend a little over four hours enjoying the wildlife viewing opportunities inside Tarangire National Park. Half way through the drive you will stop for a picnic lunch inside the park. Enjoy the outdoor surroundings and remain alert to the sounds of the birdlife around you. Admire the ancient baobab trees and the presence of far fewer crowds. In this lesser-known, but mighty national park.
Private Vehicle
Settle in and scan the scenery from the convenience of a private vehicle.
Accommodation
Flamingo Safari Lodge Karatu (or similar)
Meals included:
Breakfast | Lunch | DinnerDay 3Karatu
Spend a free morning in Karatu. Choose to have a leisurely wake up and relax at the hotel or pre-book the optional Lake Manyara Morning Safari Drive. Later, in the afternoon engage with local farmers on a coffee tour where you will learn about the harvesting of the beans and participate in hands-on sorting and roasting. Dinner will be had at the hotel in the evening.
Free Time
Take advantage of a free half day in Karatu. Choose to pre-book a safari drive to Lake Manyara to checkout the bird and other wildlife there, or simply relax at the hotel. Lunch will be on your own at the hotel property.
Coffee Farm Visit and Tour
Find out where your cup of java comes from. Visit a local farm to learn more about the process of making coffee, from harvesting, to husking, drying, and roasting the beans before finally being able to enjoy that fresh cup of coffee. Engage with the local farmers and immerse yourself in the aromas and flavors of freshly brewed coffee as you gain a newfound appreciation for Tanzania’s prized export.
Optional Activities - Day 3 HideShow
Lake Manyara Safari Drive
Lake Manyara is known for its diverse birdlife, including flamingos that flock to the lake's alkaline waters. Enjoy a morning safari drive through the park and search for wildlife like elephants, giraffes, wildebeest, zebras, and the distinctive tree-climbing lions. You will begin around 6AM and finish by 1:30PM to head back to the hotel in Karatu.
Accommodation
Flamingo Safari Lodge Karatu (or similar)
Meals included:
Breakfast | DinnerDay 4Karatu/Serengeti National Park
Today will be an early start as the group travels to the Ngorongoro Crater. Once here, you will go on a scenic wildlife safari drive. This geographical wonder is the world's largest inactive, intact, and unfilled volcanic caldera. The uniqueness of this environment has allowed for a self-contained ecosystem that offers visitors a high concentration of wildlife like, lion, leopard, elephant, rhino, and buffalo. Enjoy lunch in the park amid this serene setting before departing for Serengeti National Park. Enter through the Naabi Hill Gate and experience a safari drive en route to your tented camp for the evening where you can relax under the stars.
Private Vehicle
Settle in and scan the scenery from the convenience of a private vehicle.
Ngorongoro Crater Wildlife Safari Drive
Set the alarm and prepare for an early start to see the wonders of the Ngorongoro Crater. Masai herdsmen appear in the morning mist. Our driver/guide takes us down into the crater and drives us to all the best spots to view wildlife. Watch for zebra, gazelles, buffalo, and warthogs. The swamp and forest are home to hippos, rhinos, elephants, baboons, and monkeys. Keep your eyes peeled and camera ready to capture a pride of lions or a lone leopard walking along the savanna.
Private Vehicle
Settle in and scan the scenery from the convenience of a private vehicle.
Serengeti National Park Wildlife Safari Drive
This is the reason you came to Africa. Charge your camera, grab your binoculars and set out on safari. Your eagle-eyed driver will keep an eye out for wildlife – buffaloes, elephants, lions, wildebeests, zebras and more. Enjoy the scenery, the vast expanse of the grasslands, the play of light and shadow and the up-close look at wild Africa.
Accommodation
Pamoja Serengeti Luxury Camp (or similar)
Meals included:
Breakfast | Lunch | DinnerDay 5Serengeti National Park
Choose to set an early morning wake-up call and pre-book the Serengeti Balloon Safari for epic views from the sky. Then, after breakfast set out on a full day safari drive through the Serengeti. Sit down for a picnic lunch inside the park, scan the landscape for wildlife, and listen to bird calls all around. Return to your tented camp and relax for the evening amid your outdoor surroundings.
Full-Day Serengeti National Park Wildlife Safari Drive
Spend the entire day in the gorgeous landscapes of Serengeti National Park, a true icon of Eastern Africa. The park is most famous for the Great Migration, where over a million wildebeest, along with zebras and gazelles, migrate annually across the plains in search of food and water. Try to spot the big five and simply enjoy the views across the vast, open grasslands known as the "endless plains". Tanzania’s Serengeti tends to be less crowded than some of Kenya’s reserves, so enjoy the scenery, the vast expanse of the grasslands, the play of light and shadow, and the up-close look at wild Africa.
Optional Activities - Day 5 HideShow
Serengeti Balloon Safari
Spirited aloft in a hot-air balloon, view the wildlife and terrain of the Serengeti that only the birds see. Enjoy a champagne breakfast and keep that shutter-finger good and limber—you’ll be using it plenty over the course of your hour in the air.
Accommodation
Pamoja Serengeti Luxury Camp (or similar)
Meals included:
Breakfast | Lunch | DinnerDay 6Serengeti National Park/Arusha
Gather for a breakfast at camp amid the morning life of the Serengeti before beginning the journey back to Arusha. Stop along the way for lunch at Mto wa Mbu, a G Adventures-supported initiative. Arrive to Arusha in the late afternoon and get settled at the hotel. Dinner will be on your own this evening.
Private Vehicle
Settle in and scan the scenery from the comfort of your private vehicle. Along the way stop for lunch at Mto wa Mbu.
Your G for Good Moment: Mto wa Mbu Community Visit and Lunch
Take part in a cultural walk to learn about life in this East African town. Mto wa Mbu has attracted some 18,000 residents from 120 different tribes. During the two-hour tour, visit the community's local market, go right to the farmer's fields, see how huts are constructed, and meet artisans in their shops.
Afterwards, sit down with our new friends and enjoy a traditional lunch of meat and plantains.
Accommodation
Comfort Eland Hotel (or similar)
Meals included:
Breakfast | LunchDay 7Arusha/Jambiani
After breakfast transfer to the airport in Arusha and board your flight to Zanzibar. Upon arrival enjoy an orientation walk of Stone Town before going to Jambiani. Grab lunch on your own and then take advantage of free time to settle into island life. There are plenty of local restaurants in the area for you to have dinner at your leisure this evening.
Private Vehicle
Settle in and scan the scenery from the convenience of a private vehicle.
Plane
Look! Up in the sky! It's a bird! It's a plane! It's... yup, it is a plane, actually.
Stone Town Orientation Walk
This orientation walk is just a brief introduction. If you'd like to learn more in depth information about Stone Town, we recommended going on a guided city tour.
Private Vehicle
Settle in and scan the scenery from the convenience of a private vehicle.
Free Time
You'll have some free time late this afternoon and evening to get used to island life and slip into the relaxing vibes of Jambiani. Visit the stunning beaches and experience the fishing village atmosphere still present here with a big focus on local life over commercialized tourist areas.
Accommodation
Spice Island Hotel and Resort (or similar)
Meals included:
BreakfastDay 8Jambiani
Head out on an included spice tour to gain a sense of Zanzibar's history and the spice plantations that brought the beginnings of the slave trade here dating back to the 1840s. The remainder of the day is free for you to do as you please. Perhaps, pre-book the snorkelling to witness the underwater life here off of Tanzania's coastline, or head to the nearby Jozani Forest for a tour. You can also simply relax on the beach and swim. Dinner this evening is at your leisure.
Spice Plantation Tour
No visit to Zanzibar would be complete without a visit to the spice plantations. Your senses will be aroused as you will receive a detailed description on the assortment of spices (black pepper, cardamom, cinnamon, nutmeg, breadfruit, jackfruit, vanilla, lemon grass) and their various uses. It was the spice plantations that brought the beginnings of Zanzibar’s infamous slave trade that dates back to the 1840’s.
Free Time
Enjoy yourself on the island of Zanzibar. Choose to pre-book snorkelling or maybe go on a guided tour of Jozani Forest. Relaxing on the beach, working on your tan, and cooling off with a swim, is a great option too.
Optional Activities - Day 8 HideShow
Zanzibar Snorkelling
The Blue Lagoon is a small snorkeling spot on the east coast of Zanzibar, located on the Michamvi Peninsula, halfway between Pingwe and Dongwe. The Blue Lagoon is about 40 meters wide and 100 meters long, naturally dug into the flats. The depth reaches 12 to 15 feet/4 to 5 meters in the center of the lagoon.
Despite the coral-poor bottoms, this sheltered lagoon attracts lots of reef fish. Among the most remarkable, are the Powder-blue tang, the Moorish Idol, the lionfish, or the Goldbar wrasse, which darts from reef to reef. In the shade of the overhangs, you will probably notice schools of sweepers. Sea anemones host two species of anemonefish: the Skunk clownfish and the Twobar clownfish, which are easy to see at shallow depths. In the blue, you may spot a school of garfish or convict surgeons.
Jozani Forest Tour
36-160USD per personKnown for the red colobus monkeys, a visit Jozani forest is a highlight when in Zanzibar. Explore the nature trails while following in the footsteps of a guide who will inform about the impressive flora and fauna surrounding you.
Swimming
Grab your bathing suit and go for a refreshing swim.
Accommodation
Spice Island Hotel and Resort (or similar)
Meals included:
BreakfastDay 9Jambiani/Stone Town
Enjoy breakfast at the hotel in Jambiani before your included group transfer back to the airport outside of Stone Town. You should arrive at the Zanzibar airport by 11:30AM where your tour ends. Please do not book onward flights prior to 2PM.
Private Vehicle
Settle in and scan the scenery from the convenience of a private vehicle.
Departure Day
Not ready to leave? Your CEO can help with travel arrangements to extend your adventure.