Luxury Tanzania safari and Zanzibar holiday

Itinerary in brief:

• 2 nights full board Amini Maasai Lodge (Kilimanjaro)
• 2 nights full board at Kuro Tarangire
• 2 nights full board at Entamanu Ngorongoro
• 3 nights full board at Lamai Serengeti
• 5 nights half board at Zuri Zanzibar

Day 1: Depart UK

Depart the UK from your chosen airport.

Included: International Business Class flights

Day 2: Arrive at Kilimanjaro Airport

When you land at Kilimanjaro airport, you’ll be met on arrival and transferred to Amini Maasai Lodge. The journey will take around an hour and a half. You’ll stay in a solar-powered Maasai earth house with a European toilet and shower. The lodge has a beautiful swimming pool, a sauna, a sun terrace, and an atmospheric restaurant serving traditional Swahili food.

Included: Accommodation at Amini Maasai Lodge, all meals

Day 3: Amini Maasai Lodge and Arusha

This morning, you’ll wake up to a majestic view of Kilimanjaro from your traditional earth hut. After a delicious breakfast, you’ll set off on a nature walk with a local Maasai guide to learn about the medicinal plants of the area and the fascinating insect life.

The rest of the day is free for you to spend as you wish. You can choose to take a gentle cycle through the surrounding rural villages or try your hand at Maasai at traditional spear-throwing. Both activities are included at no extra cost. For a small additional fee, you can learn to make jewellery at a Maasai women’s artisan workshop, visit a family Maasai boma, or explore the nearby market.

Included: Accommodation at Amini Maasai Lodge, all meals, nature walk with Maasai guide and traditional spear throwing.               

Day 4: Arusha to Tarangire National Park

After breakfast, you’ll set off in your 4x4 safari vehicle with your expert Nomad Tanzania guide towards Tarangire National Park. The journey will take you through the heart of Tanzania’s Maasai country, so you’ll see daily life unfolding as you drive. You’ll also stop for lunch along the way.

As soon as you enter Tarangire National Park, your safari will begin. When it comes to National Parks in Tanzania, Tarangire is something of a hidden gem. Far less famous than Ngorongoro and the Serengeti, it feels like a true untouched wilderness. Here, amongst the striking baobab trees, it’s common to see herds of elephants in their hundreds, as well as wildebeest and zebra gathering in huge numbers.

Towards sunset, you’ll arrive at Kuro Tarangire, where you’ll spend the next 2 nights in a thatched safari tent with ensuite facilities. Set within a grove of trees on the banks of the Tarangire River, Kuro is a beautiful camp. After an atmospheric evening meal, you can fall asleep to the sounds of the African bush.

Included: Safari guide and vehicle, accommodation at Kuro Tarangire, all meals, all safari activities.

Day 5: Tarangire National Park

After breakfast, you’ll enjoy a full day of safari activities, beginning a with a bushwalk straight from the camp. Kuro Tarangire has special permission to walk within the National Park, so you’ll set out on foot along the banks of the Tarangire River, spotting wildlife as you walk.

Next, you’ll climb into your safari vehicle for a game drive through the bush. Tarangire is second only to the Serengeti when it comes to the concentration of wildlife. Look out for leopards in the baobab trees, lions sleeping in the afternoon shade, zebras grazing in the grasslands and elephants crossing the meandering rivers.

In the evening, you’ll set out again on a unique night safari, looking for nocturnal species that are tricky to spot during the day. You might spot anything from hyenas to porcupines and a whole host of night predators, so keep your binoculars close at hand.

Included:  Safari guide and vehicle, accommodation at Kuro Tarangire, all meals, all safari activities.

Day 6: Tarangire National Park to Ngorongoro Crater

This morning, you’ll leave Tarangire National Park and travel to the rim of the iconic Ngorongoro Crater. On the way, you’ll take a game drive through Lake Manyara National Park, famous for its tree-climbing lions and the pink flamingos that flock to its soda ash lake.

In the afternoon, you’ll head up into the lush Ngorongoro Highlands, eventually arriving at Entamanu Lodge, your home for the next two nights. This spectacular lodge is perched on the rim of the Ngorongoro Crater itself, with breathtaking views of the caldera.

After settling into your heated room with guaranteed Crater views, you’ll take a private sunset walk on the crater rim with a local Maasai guide, giving you a chance to soak up the unique atmosphere and dramatic scenery.

Included: Safari guide and vehicle, accommodation at Entamanu Lodge, all meals and safari activities

Day 7: Ngorongoro Crater

You’ll descend into the crater early this morning for a full day of game drives in one of the most famous safari spots on the planet. Staying right on the rim of Ngorongoro gives you a huge advantage, as you’ll reach the Crater far earlier than most safari providers. For the first couple of hours, you’ll feel almost like you have this wildlife paradise to yourselves.

Formed 2.5 million years ago and covering a whopping 260 square kilometres, the Ngorongoro Crater is the largest unbroken caldera on Earth. Its lush grasslands, forests and wetlands are home to over 30,000 animals, making it an African ‘Garden of Eden’. There’s nowhere quite like it.

Included: Safari guide and vehicle, accommodation at Entamanu Lodge, all meals and safari activities

Day 8: Ngorongoro to Serengeti National Park

After breakfast, you’ll embark on the stunning drive to northern Serengeti. This is a long journey by 4x4, but you’ll be constantly surrounded by staggering scenery and gorgeous wildlife along the way. Descending from the Ngorongoro highlands, you’ll see the seemingly endless Serengeti Plains spread out around you. It’s one of the most beautiful road trips in the world.

In the afternoon, you’ll reach Lamai Serengeti, your home for the next 3 nights. Perched on a kopje above the Serengeti Plains, this award-winning camp has astonishing views from all sides. Every room has a large veranda and, if you travel in summer, you may even see migrating herds of wildebeest thundering across the Plains below you from your room. Magic!

Included: Safari guide and vehicle, accommodation at Lamai Serengeti, all meals and safari activities

Days 9 and 10: Serengeti National Park              

For the next two days, you’ll explore the northern Serengeti with your expert driver guide, setting out on game drives to spot the famous Big Five. The Mara River, one of the famous crossing points during the Great Migration, is very near to your camp and draws wildlife to its shores by the thousand. This is also lion country, so you’ll look for prides of lions stalking through the grass or lounging in the shade.

In addition to game drives, you can also take guided bush walks from Lamai Serengeti, hike to scenic viewpoints and learn about ancient Maasai culture. During your free time, you can cool off in the open-air pool while you soak up the iconic landscape of the Serengeti all around you.

Included: Safari guide and vehicle, accommodation at Lamai Serengeti, all meals and safari activities

Day 11: Serengeti National Park to Zanzibar

After breakfast, you’ll be transferred to nearby Kogatende airstrip, where you’ll board a small Cessna plane for the flight to Zanzibar (via a touchdown in Arusha). This flight is an unforgettable scenic flight experience, giving you a bird’s eye view of the Serengeti Plains.  When you land, you’ll be collected at the airport and transferred to the white beaches of Nungwi. The journey will take around an hour.

When you arrive, you’ll check into Zuri Zanzibar for 5 nights. Situated on the north of the island, Zuri Zanzibar is a secluded luxury resort with incredible sunsets and beautiful beach.  Set within lush tropical gardens just a stone’s throw from the turquoise Indian Ocean, this is the perfect place to unwind in luxury after a week on safari. 

Included: Accommodation on half-board basis at Zuri Zanzibar, all transfers and domestic flights          

Days 12 – 15: Zanzibar        

The next few days are free for you to relax on the gorgeous white beaches of Zanzibar. Soak up the sunshine by the pool, snorkel through the turquoise waters, set off on sunset sailing trips and leave the worries of the daily grind behind you. When it comes to dining, the resort offers a delicious fusion of European, African, Arabic and Indian cuisine, all set against the stunning backdrop of the ocean.

Included: Accommodation on half-board basis at Zuri Zanzibar

Day 16: Zanzibar to UK       

Today, you’ll be collected from Zuri Zanzibar and transferred to the airport to begin your Business Class journey home.