12 days · Safari
Safari & Zanzibar
The northern circuit followed by five nights on the Indian Ocean — the combination most people picture when they think of Tanzania.
Is this trip for you?
Trip type
Private departure
Every safari is yours alone: your own Land Cruiser, your own driver-guide, your own dates. We do not sell seats on a shared vehicle, so the day runs at your pace and the itinerary changes when you want it to.
Ages
All ages
Children are welcome and we run family safaris regularly. A few camps set minimum ages, and long transfer days are hard on younger children, so family itineraries get shorter drives and more rest.
Fitness
No fitness requirement
Game drives are done sitting down. The demanding part is the road, not the walking. Tell us about mobility needs and we will plan around them.
Group size: 1 to 7 travellers per vehicle, everyone on a window seat
Day by day.
-
1
Arrival in Arusha
Airport transfer, hotel and briefing. Overnight in Arusha.
- Overnight
- Arusha
- Where
- None — arrival day
- Driving
- About 1 hour from Kilimanjaro Airport
- Meals
- Dinner
-
2
Arusha to Tarangire
Afternoon game drive among the elephant herds. Overnight near Tarangire.
- Overnight
- Near Tarangire
- Where
- Tarangire National Park
- Driving
- 2 to 2.5 hours
- Meals
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner
-
3
Tarangire to the Serengeti
Over the Ngorongoro highlands and onto the plains, game viewing as we go. Overnight in the Serengeti.
- Overnight
- Central Serengeti
- Where
- Ngorongoro highlands, then Serengeti
- Driving
- 6 to 7 hours with stops
- Meals
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner
-
4
Full day in the Serengeti
A whole day on the plains with a picnic lunch. Overnight in the Serengeti.
- Overnight
- Central Serengeti
- Where
- Serengeti National Park
- Driving
- A full day out with a picnic lunch
- Meals
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner
-
5
Second full Serengeti day
A second day, positioned for the migration if the season suits. Overnight in the Serengeti.
- Overnight
- Central Serengeti
- Where
- Serengeti National Park
- Driving
- A full day out with a picnic lunch
- Meals
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner
-
6
Serengeti to the crater rim
A last morning drive, then east to the Ngorongoro rim. Overnight on the rim.
- Overnight
- Ngorongoro rim
- Where
- Serengeti, then Ngorongoro
- Driving
- 5 to 6 hours east
- Meals
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner
-
7
Crater floor, then Arusha
A dawn descent and long morning on the crater floor, then the drive back to Arusha. Overnight in Arusha.
- Overnight
- Arusha
- Where
- Ngorongoro Crater
- Driving
- 4 to 5 hours after the crater
- Meals
- Breakfast and a picnic lunch
-
8
Fly to Zanzibar
A short morning flight to Zanzibar and a transfer to the coast. The rest of the day is yours. Overnight in Zanzibar.
- Overnight
- Zanzibar east coast
- Where
- None — travel day
- Driving
- Short transfers either end of a 1.5 hour flight
- Meals
- Breakfast
-
9
Stone Town and spices
A guided walk through Stone Town's lanes and a spice farm visit in the afternoon. Overnight in Zanzibar.
- Overnight
- Zanzibar east coast
- Where
- Stone Town and a spice farm
- Driving
- About 1 hour each way to Stone Town
- Meals
- Breakfast
-
10
Zanzibar at leisure
Nothing scheduled. Snorkelling, diving and dhow sailing can all be arranged on the day. Overnight in Zanzibar.
- Overnight
- Zanzibar east coast
- Where
- At leisure
- Driving
- Nothing scheduled
- Meals
- Breakfast
-
11
Zanzibar at leisure
A second free day on the coast. Overnight in Zanzibar.
- Overnight
- Zanzibar east coast
- Where
- At leisure
- Driving
- Nothing scheduled
- Meals
- Breakfast
-
12
Departure
A transfer to Zanzibar airport for your onward flight.
- Overnight
- You fly home
- Where
- None — departure day
- Driving
- 1 to 1.5 hours to Zanzibar airport
- Meals
- Breakfast
Where you sleep.
Camping
Einoti's own camping safari: a two-person tent on the public campsites inside or beside the parks, pitched by the crew, with a safari cook travelling with you and cooking on site. Bring a sleeping bag and mat, or hire them from us. It is the cheapest way to travel and the closest to the bush you will get.
Comfort
Small lodges and permanent tented camps just outside the parks. En-suite bathrooms, hot water, solid food and a real bed. The difference from the tier above is the location and the size of the room, not the safety or the cleanliness. Note that there is no accommodation inside Lake Manyara National Park at any tier: the options there are around Karatu or inside the Ngorongoro Conservation Area.
Classic
Mid-range lodges and tented camps, usually inside the park or on its boundary, which buys you an earlier start at the gate and a longer evening. Pools at most properties, and a proper restaurant.
Premium
Small luxury camps and lodges in the best positions on each circuit, including mobile camps that follow the migration. Fewer rooms, more staff, and a view you will not want to leave in the morning.
We book against availability for your dates rather than naming a property we may not be able to get you into. Your written quotation names every lodge and camp before you pay anything.
What is included
- All park entrance and administrative fees
- All meals while on safari
- 1.5 litres of drinking water per person per day
- Transfers from and to your hotel
- 4x4 Land Cruiser with a pop-up roof while on safari
- Professional English-speaking driver-guide
- Staff fees
- Accommodation where noted in the itinerary
- A walking tour in those protected areas that allow one
Not included
- International airfares and departure taxes
- Visa fees
- All items of a personal nature
- Tips and gratuities for hotel and lodge staff, camp staff, your driver and guides
- Alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks
- Laundry services
When to go.
June to October — dry season
The busiest and most expensive months, and the easiest game viewing of the year. Water is scarce, so animals concentrate on the rivers and waterholes and the grass is short enough to see through. The Mara River crossings fall in the northern Serengeti between roughly July and September.
January to March — short dry season
Hot, green and much quieter than the June-to-October rush. The wildebeest are calving on the southern Serengeti plains in February, which is the single best month of the year for predator sightings.
November to December — short rains
Rain falls in the afternoon and rarely stops a day. The parks are green, the migration is moving south, and both lodges and park traffic are lighter.
April and May — long rains
The wettest months. Some camps close and some tracks become difficult, but the parks are empty and the light is extraordinary. We plan these trips around the surfaced roads and the lodges that stay open.
Questions about this trip.
Is the flight to Zanzibar included?
The domestic flight is quoted with the trip but paid as part of it, and we book it — you do not have to. International flights are yours to arrange.
How much luggage can we take on the small plane?
Usually 15 kg in a soft bag, sometimes 20 kg. Hard suitcases are the problem, not the weight. Anything over the limit can stay with us in Arusha until you fly out.
Which coast of Zanzibar do you use?
The east coast by default: better beaches, calmer water and far less traffic than the north. If you want nightlife rather than quiet, say so and we will move you.
On this route
Where you will be.
Compare
Other safari journeys.
Tarangire, Ngorongoro & Lake Manyara
The shortest itinerary that still does the northern circuit justice: elephants in Tarangire, the forest and lake at Manyara, and a full descent into the Ngorongoro Crater.
- Tarangire's dry-season elephant herds
- Full crater descent
- Groundwater forest at Manyara
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Tarangire, Serengeti & Ngorongoro
The classic four-day northern circuit, taking in elephant country, the Serengeti plains and the crater floor without ever feeling rushed.
- A full day in the Serengeti
- Crater floor game drive
- Tarangire baobabs and elephant
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Serengeti & Ngorongoro Classic
Two full days on the Serengeti plains plus the crater, with enough time to sit with a sighting instead of moving on from it.
- Two full Serengeti days
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- Optional dawn balloon flight
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Plan it with us
Make this itinerary yours.
Add days, drop a park, change the pace. This is a starting point, not a fixed departure.