9-Day Serengeti & Zanzibar Tanzania Safari

On arrival at Kilimanjaro International Airport, your driver transfers you to Onsea House, a boutique guesthouse on a hilltop estate just outside Arusha. Set in lush gardens with views over the Maasai Steppe and Mount Meru, it’s a genuinely distinctive alternative to a standard airport hotel — small, personal, and with exceptional cooking by chef Axel Janssens, whose background includes Michelin-starred European kitchens.

The evening is unscheduled: explore the gardens, take in the sundowner views, and prepare for the flight into the Serengeti the following morning.

Accommodation: Onsea House, Arusha Meal plan: Bed & Breakfast (confirm full board inclusion with team)

After breakfast, transfer to Arusha Airport for the scheduled flight into the Serengeti — landing at Kogatende Airstrip in the northern Serengeti (June to November) or Ndutu Airstrip in the south (December to March) depending on Olakira’s current seasonal position.

On arrival, a scenic airstrip transfer takes you to Olakira Migration Camp. The camp’s tented suites are spacious and well-appointed — a genuine bush luxury feel without the permanence of a fixed lodge. The afternoon is free to settle in and join a first orientation game drive as the light changes over the plains.

Accommodation: Olakira Migration Camp, Serengeti Meal plan: Full board

Three full days of morning and afternoon game drives from Olakira, with the camp’s experienced guide team navigating the terrain around whichever area Olakira is currently positioned.

June to November — Northern Serengeti (Bolongoja, Mara River Area): Olakira is positioned 300 metres from an active Mara River crossing point during this window. The crossing spectacle — wildebeest and zebra charging into the crocodile-filled river in their hundreds under pressure from the current and the predators waiting on both banks — is the Serengeti’s most dramatic annual event and among the most intense wildlife experiences in Africa. Beyond the crossings, the northern Serengeti holds exceptional resident predator densities.

December to March — Ndutu, Southern Short-Grass Plains: Olakira relocates to the Ndutu area for the calving season, when hundreds of thousands of wildebeest calves are born over six weeks. Ndutu’s open plains concentrate cheetah, lion, leopard, and wild dog in extraordinary densities as they exploit the calving herds. The two-week-old calves are simultaneously the most vulnerable and the most photogenic subjects in the ecosystem.

Evening campfire storytelling, locally sourced organic meals, and the nomadic camp’s intimate scale complete the Serengeti experience.

Accommodation: Olakira Migration Camp, Serengeti Meal plan: Full board

After a final breakfast and morning game drive from Olakira, transfer to the airstrip for the flight to Zanzibar’s Abeid Amani Karume International Airport. The transition from Serengeti to the coast is one of the itinerary’s defining contrasts — within a few hours, the open plains give way to the turquoise waters and coral-sand beaches of the Indian Ocean.

On arrival at Zanzibar, transfer directly to Matemwe Lodge on the island’s northeastern coast — a boutique lodge set on a beach above the Indian Ocean, with private verandas, a garden pool, and the calm, protected waters of Mnemba Atoll visible from the beach at low tide.

Accommodation: Matemwe Lodge, Zanzibar (northeastern coast) Meal plan: Full board

Four unhurried days at Matemwe Lodge, structured entirely around preference. The lodge’s position on the northeastern coast faces the open Indian Ocean with the Mnemba Atoll Conservation Area as the backdrop for water-based activities.

Diving and Snorkelling at Mnemba Atoll — One of East Africa’s premier reef dive sites, with prolific coral, green and hawksbill turtles, reef fish, dolphins, and seasonal whale sharks. Matemwe Lodge arranges both dive excursions and snorkelling trips to the atoll. The lodge’s house reef is accessible directly from the beach at high tide.

Stone Town Day Trip — Zanzibar Town’s historical old quarter is a UNESCO World Heritage Site — a dense maze of coral stone buildings, carved wooden doors, Arab houses, and Portuguese churches accumulated across centuries of Indian Ocean trade. The slave market memorial and the House of Wonders are the anchor visits. Half a day is enough for an oriented tour.

Prison Island (Changuu Island) — A brief boat trip from Stone Town, originally used as a quarantine station and holding point during the slave trade era. Now home to giant Aldabra tortoises relocated from the Seychelles — some over 100 years old.

Spice Plantation Visit — A guided tour of a working spice farm, identifying vanilla, cloves, black pepper, cinnamon, nutmeg, and the other spices that gave Zanzibar its historical significance as the Spice Island.

Rest at the Lodge — A hammock, the pool, the beach, fresh seafood lunches, sunset cocktails, and evening dinners with Indian Ocean views. No obligation to be anywhere.

Accommodation: Matemwe Lodge, Zanzibar Meal plan: Full board

A final morning at Matemwe — last swim, last breakfast — before the transfer to Abeid Amani Karume International Airport for the short flight to Julius Nyerere International Airport in Dar es Salaam for onward international connections.

For travellers with late departures, the team can arrange additional Dar es Salaam accommodation or activities on request.

Accommodation: None included unless requested Meal plan: Breakfast