12 Days Tanzania Safari & Zanzibar Beach Holiday
Tarangire– Ngorongoro – Serengeti – Zanzibar
The 12-Day Tanzania Safari and Zanzibar Package is Bornwild Safaris' most complete bush-to-beach experience — a perfectly crafted private journey that takes you from Tanzania's most iconic wildlife destinations straight to the turquoise shores of the Indian Ocean. Spend five immersive days tracking lions, elephants, and the legendary Big Five across Tarangire National Park, the Ngorongoro Crater, and the vast plains of the Serengeti, before flying to Zanzibar Island for seven days of world-class relaxation, history, culture, and ocean adventure. This is Tanzania at its absolute finest — wild, rich, and deeply personal.
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Duration: 12 Days / 11 Nights
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Tour Type: Private, Tailor-Made Safari
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Comfort Level: Mid-Range or Premium (Luxury)
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Start: Kilimanjaro International Airport (KIA) — Arusha
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End: Zanzibar International Airport (ZNZ)
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Best Season: Year-Round | Peak Migration: Mid-July – Mid-October
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Arrive in Arusha — Tanzania's safari capital — and begin your adventure
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Full-day game drive through Tarangire National Park amid iconic baobab landscapes
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Descend into the Ngorongoro Crater, the world's largest intact volcanic caldera
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Transfer to Serengeti with en-route wildlife viewing across sweeping open plains
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Two full days of big cat, elephant, and Great Migration tracking in Serengeti
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Scenic flight from Seronera Airstrip directly to Zanzibar Island
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Beach relaxation on Zanzibar's legendary white-sand shores
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Guided Stone Town tour and Prison Island visit — UNESCO World Heritage culture
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Jozani Forest nature walk and Zanzibar Spice Tour
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Full-day Blue Safari — snorkelling, dhow cruising, and reef exploration
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Dolphin swimming tour at Kizimkazi Bay
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Private 4x4 safari vehicle with professional English-speaking guide throughout
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Season: Dry season (best safari period)
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Day Temperature: 24°C – 28°C (75°F – 82°F)
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Night Temperature: 10°C – 15°C (50°F – 59°F)
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Rainfall: Very low
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Conditions: Cool mornings, sunny afternoons, clear skies
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Landscape: Dry grasslands and dusty plains
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Wildlife Viewing: Excellent – animals gather near the Mara River for crossings
Why This Period is Ideal
✔ Minimal rain
✔ Comfortable temperatures
✔ Clear visibility for photography
✔ Peak river crossing action
DAY 1: Arrival in Tanzania
Your Tanzania adventure begins the moment you land at Kilimanjaro International Airport (KIA). You will be warmly welcomed by your Bornwild Safaris representative and transferred to your hotel in Arusha — Tanzania's safari capital, nestled at the foot of Mount Meru. This afternoon is yours to settle in, refresh, and begin dreaming about what lies ahead. Your guide will meet you for a safari briefing this evening, walking you through your full itinerary, answering every question, and ensuring you feel completely prepared for the journey ahead. Dinner is served at your hotel as the sounds of Africa welcome you for the first time.
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Meal Plan: Breakfast & Dinner
Mid-Range Accommodation: Kibo Palace Hotel
DAY 2: Tarangire National Park — Full Day Game Drive
Rise early and set out from Arusha for Tarangire National Park, approximately two to three hours south. One of Tanzania's most underrated and spectacular parks, Tarangire is defined by ancient baobab trees towering over golden grasslands, and by its extraordinary concentration of elephants — herds of two hundred or more are a regular sight here. Spend the full day on game drive along the Tarangire River corridor, where wildlife gathers in exceptional density throughout the dry season. Expect to encounter lion prides lazing in the shade, leopards draped across acacia branches, massive herds of buffalo, giraffe browsing the treetops, zebra, hartebeest, and an astonishing diversity of bird life. This is big-game Africa at its most raw and unhurried.
Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Mid-Range Accommodation: Farm of Dreams Lodge
DAY 3: Ngorongoro Crater & Transfer to Serengeti
Rise early and set out from Arusha for Tarangire National Park, approximately two to three hours south. One of Tanzania's most underrated and spectacular parks, Tarangire is defined by ancient baobab trees towering over golden grasslands, and by its extraordinary concentration of elephants — herds of two hundred or more are a regular sight here. Spend the full day on game drive along the Tarangire River corridor, where wildlife gathers in exceptional density throughout the dry season. Expect to encounter lion prides lazing in the shade, leopards draped across acacia branches, massive herds of buffalo, giraffe browsing the treetops, zebra, hartebeest, and an astonishing diversity of bird life. This is big-game Africa at its most raw and unhurried.
Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Mid-Range Accommodation: Land Of Nature
DAY 4: Full Day Game Drive — Serengeti National Park
Today belongs entirely to the Serengeti. Wake before dawn for an early morning game drive across the Central Serengeti's Seronera Valley — one of the most reliably productive wildlife areas anywhere in Africa. This region is famous for its resident prides of lion, large leopard populations, cheetah on the open plains, elephant, giraffe, and huge herds of plains game. Your expert guide will read every track, call, and movement, positioning you for the very best sightings. Afternoon game drives continue the action, with golden-hour photography lighting the savannah in extraordinary ways. Return to camp as the African night descends, sharing stories around the campfire over dinner.
Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Mid-Range Accommodation: Land Of Nature
DAY 5: Another Full Day in Serengeti — Big Cats & Open Plains
A second full day in the Serengeti ensures you explore territories you haven't covered yet and revisit the spots where predator activity was highest. Your guide will adjust the route based on the latest game reports and real-time tracking, seeking out lion hunts, cheetah sprints, wild dog packs, and the extraordinary concentrations of wildebeest and zebra that define this landscape. Depending on the season, you may also venture toward the Northern Serengeti to follow migration movements closer to the Mara River. Every hour on the open plains offers something new — Africa is never the same twice.
Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Mid-Range Accommodation: Land Of Nature
DAY 6: Serengeti to Zanzibar — Fly from Seronera Airstrip
Enjoy a final gentle morning in the Serengeti — perhaps a short game drive en route to Seronera Airstrip — before boarding your scheduled light aircraft flight to Zanzibar International Airport. As your plane lifts above the endless plains and the African coast comes into view, you'll sense the shift from wilderness to island paradise. Zanzibar greets you with warm Indian Ocean breezes, swaying palms, and the colour of turquoise water stretching to the horizon. You will be met at the airport and transferred to your beach resort on the island's east or north coast. The rest of the afternoon is yours — breathe the salt air, listen to the ocean, and let the island begin to work on you. Dinner at your resort as the sun sets over the Indian Ocean.
Meal Plan: Breakfast & Dinner
Mid-Range Accommodation: Matembwe Sand Beach
DAY 7: Beach Day — Pure Relaxation on Zanzibar's Shores
Today has one agenda: rest. Zanzibar's beaches consistently rank among the finest in the world — powdery white sand, crystal-clear warm water, and a gentle pace that is impossible to resist. Spend the day exactly as you choose. Swim in the Indian Ocean, discover a hammock beneath a palm, or take a slow walk along the shoreline at low tide. Your resort's facilities are yours to explore — spa treatments, kayaking, snorkelling from the beach, or simply doing nothing at all. After the intensity of the safari, this kind of stillness is its own reward.
Mid-Range Accommodation: Matembwe Sand Beach
DAY 8: Stone Town Tour & Prison Island
Step back in time with a guided cultural tour of Stone Town — Zanzibar's ancient capital and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Wander the labyrinthine alleyways of the old Arab quarter, past intricately carved wooden doorways, bustling spice markets, and centuries-old mosques and churches. Visit the Old Fort, the historic slave market memorial at the Anglican Cathedral, the House of Wonders, and the colourful waterfront of Forodhani Gardens. In the afternoon, take a short boat ride out to Changuu Island — famously known as Prison Island — home to a colony of giant Aldabra tortoises, some over 100 years old, and the atmospheric ruins of a 19th-century coral-stone prison. Snorkelling in the clear waters around the island is a wonderful addition to this cultural day.
Mid-Range Accommodation: Matembwe Sand Beach
DAY 9: Jozani Forest Nature Walk & Zanzibar Spice Tour
This morning, venture into the heart of Zanzibar Island to Jozani Chwaka Bay National Park — the island's only national forest and the last remaining habitat of the rare endemic Zanzibar red colobus monkey. Walk through ancient mahogany and fig forests with your guide, observing these charismatic and critically endangered primates at close range, along with bush babies, sunbirds, and a rich diversity of birdlife. In the afternoon, visit one of Zanzibar's legendary spice plantations — the living heritage behind the island's centuries-old title: the Spice Island. Your guide will introduce you to cloves, vanilla, cinnamon, black pepper, cardamom, and fresh tropical fruits, many directly from the tree or vine. This aromatic and deeply sensory tour connects you to a culture and history that has shaped the entire world.
Mid-Range Accommodation: Matembwe Sand Beach
DAY 10: Full Day Blue Safari — Snorkelling, Dhow Cruise & Reefs
Today you take to the water for an unforgettable full-day ocean excursion. Board a traditional Zanzibar dhow and sail toward Zanzibar's most spectacular coral reef systems, teeming with colourful tropical fish, sea turtles, and vibrant marine life. Snorkel directly above living reefs, explore sandbanks that appear and disappear with the tide, and enjoy a freshly prepared beach barbecue lunch on a secluded sandbank with nothing around you but ocean. This Blue Safari is one of Zanzibar's signature experiences — a full day on the Indian Ocean with the wind in your sails and the world far away.
Mid-Range Accommodation: Matembwe Sand Beach
DAY 11: Dolphin Tour at Kizimkazi Bay
Rise early for Zanzibar's most magical ocean encounter. Transfer to Kizimkazi, a traditional fishing village on Zanzibar's southwest coast, for an early-morning dolphin tour in the warm waters of the Indian Ocean. The Kizimkazi Bay is home to resident pods of both bottlenose and humpback dolphins — sightings are exceptional, and swimming alongside these intelligent creatures in their natural habitat is a genuinely extraordinary experience. Return to your resort by midday for a final lazy afternoon of beach time, last ocean swims, and sunset farewell drinks as you prepare for tomorrow's departure.
Mid-Range Accommodation: Matembwe Sand Beach
DAY 12: Departure from Zanzibar International Airport
Your 12-day Tanzania safari and Zanzibar adventure draws to a close this morning. After a final breakfast at your resort, you will be transferred to Zanzibar International Airport in good time for your onward international flight. As you depart, you carry with you the dust of the Serengeti, the weight of a napping lioness in your memory, the vivid blues of the Indian Ocean, and the scent of cloves still in the air. Tanzania stays with you long after you leave. Until next time.
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Private 4x4 safari vehicle with pop-up roof
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Professional English-speaking safari guide
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All national park entry fees and Ngorongoro Crater service fee
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Internal flight: Seronera Airstrip (Serengeti) to Zanzibar Airport
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All accommodation as per your selected comfort tier
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All meals as specified per day in the itinerary
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Bottled drinking water in the vehicle throughout the safari
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Airport transfers at KIA (arrival) and ZNZ (departure)
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All Zanzibar excursions as listed in itinerary
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Government taxes and VAT
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International flights to and from Tanzania
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Tanzania and Zanzibar visa fees
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Travel insurance (strongly recommended)
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Alcoholic beverages and soft drinks
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Tips for your guide and camp staff
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Personal shopping and laundry expenses
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Optional Serengeti hot air balloon safari