Tarangire · Serengeti · Ngorongoro · Zanzibar · 12 days

grandTanzania

The whole northern circuit with one guide and one vehicle: Tarangire’s elephants, Lake Manyara’s forest, a morning on the Ngorongoro Crater floor and two different corners of the Serengeti. Then a flight to the coast, a night in Stone Town and four days on the beach at Nungwi.

12days
11nights
4parks + beach
Private4×4 & guide

01 · Overview

The whole north, then the coast

This is our most complete trip. It takes the northern circuit in the order the roads suggest, gives the Serengeti three nights in two different areas, and ends with a flight straight from the plains to Zanzibar so you never drive the same road twice.

From Arusha you head south-west to Tarangire, then north to Lake Manyara and up into the highlands at Karatu. After a morning on the Ngorongoro Crater floor you cross the plains to Seronera, spend a full day there, and move on to a second, quieter area of the Serengeti chosen for the month you travel. On day seven a light aircraft takes you to Zanzibar: one night among the carved doors of Stone Town, a spice farm on the way north, and four nights at Nungwi, where you can swim at any tide.

Starts

Arusha or Kilimanjaro airport

We meet you at Kilimanjaro International (JRO) or your Arusha hotel.

Ends

Zanzibar airport, day 12

About an hour from Nungwi, with direct and one-stop flights to Europe and the Gulf.

Style

Private, mid-range

Your own 4×4 and guide on safari, lodges and tented camps, then a beach hotel on half board.

Pace

Six days moving, six days slowing down

Days 2 to 7 change camp most nights. From day 8 you stay put.

Arrival · Dinner

Karibu to Arusha

Your guide meets you in arrivals at Kilimanjaro International with a name board and drives you the hour west to Arusha, past coffee farms on the lower slopes of Mount Meru. Land early and there is time for lunch in town; land late, and it is dinner and bed.

This evening your guide runs through the twelve days ahead. Bring your questions: what to wear on a game drive, how early is early, and what fits in the light aircraft to the coast.

Meals: Dinner
Highlight: Meeting your guide
Sleep: Garden lodge, Arusha named when you book

Road day · game drive · B L D

Elephants and baobabs

A short morning on the road, south-west across the Maasai plains, and you are in Tarangire before the heat of the day. From roughly June to October the Tarangire River is the only reliable water for miles, and elephant herds come down to it through the baobabs.

Lunch is at the lodge. In the afternoon you drive along the river and out to the swamps, where lion, python and a long list of birds keep the evening busy.

Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Highlight: Elephant herds at the river
Sleep: Tented lodge, Tarangire named when you book

Game drives · road day · B L D

Forest, flamingos and the escarpment

An early drive in Tarangire, then north to Mto wa Mbu and into Lake Manyara National Park, a narrow strip between the Rift Valley wall and a shallow soda lake. The groundwater forest by the gate is full of baboons and blue monkeys, and it opens onto the floodplain and the hippo pool.

When the water levels are right the shoreline is pink with flamingos, and Manyara’s lions are known for resting in the trees, so it pays to look up. In the late afternoon you climb the escarpment to Karatu, in the green farmland below the crater.

Meals: Breakfast, picnic lunch, dinner
Highlight: Tree-climbing lions, with luck
Sleep: Farm lodge, Karatu named when you book

Crater descent · road day · B L D

Down to the crater floor, then west

An early start from Karatu gets you to the crater gate as it opens. About 600 metres below the rim lies a closed world of grassland, swamp and soda lake: lion and hyena, buffalo, flamingos and, with patience, one of the few black rhino left in northern Tanzania.

After a picnic by the hippo pool you climb out and head west, down onto the Serengeti plains at Naabi Hill. The afternoon is a game drive north to Seronera.

Meals: Breakfast, picnic lunch, dinner
Highlight: Black rhino at first light
Sleep: Tented camp, central Serengeti named when you book

Full game drive day · B L D

A whole day in the central Serengeti

No destination today, only game driving. You leave camp at first light, when the cats are active, and your guide follows the day’s sightings along the Seronera River, where leopards rest in the sausage trees.

Where the herds are depends on the month, and your guide will know. A packed lunch means you never have to turn back at noon.

Meals: Breakfast, packed lunch, dinner
Highlight: Leopards on the Seronera River
Add-on: Balloon flight at sunrise

Game drive · B L D

North to a quieter Serengeti

Today you move to a second area of the Serengeti, game driving all the way. Most of the year that means the Lobo hills in the north-east, where granite outcrops rise out of open woodland and there are far fewer vehicles than around Seronera.

The second camp follows the herds: from December to March we move it south to the calving plains around Ndutu, and from August to October further north towards the Mara River. We confirm which when you book.

Meals: Breakfast, picnic lunch, dinner
Highlight: The Serengeti without the crowds
Sleep: Tented camp, second Serengeti area named when you book

Game drive · flight · B D

From the plains to the old city

A last early game drive, then your guide takes you to the airstrip and hands you on. The light aircraft to Zanzibar usually stops on the way, so allow most of the day; keep your luggage to soft bags of about 15 kg.

We meet you at Zanzibar airport and drive you into Stone Town, to a hotel in one of the old merchant houses. If you land in time, walk to a rooftop for sunset over the harbour, then down to Forodhani night market.

Meals: Breakfast, dinner
Highlight: Plains to the Indian Ocean
Sleep: Boutique hotel, Stone Town named when you book

Spice farm · transfer · B L D

Cloves, vanilla and the road north

A morning in Stone Town with a local guide: the old fort, the spice market and the alleys of carved doors. Then you drive out to a spice farm in the centre of the island to walk among cloves, vanilla, cinnamon and nutmeg, followed by a farm lunch.

In the afternoon you carry on north to Nungwi, at the tip of the island, where the water stays deep enough to swim at any tide. You arrive in time for a swim before sunset.

Meals: Breakfast, spice farm lunch, dinner
Highlight: Spice farm lunch
Sleep: Beach hotel, Nungwi named when you book

Free beach day · B D

The first day with no alarm

After a week of early starts, a day with nothing in it. Swim, sleep, read, and let the safari settle.

If you want to see the reef, the boats to Mnemba atoll leave in the morning and are back by lunch, with turtles and reef fish on most trips. We book it for you on request.

Meals: Breakfast, dinner
Highlight: Swimming at any tide
Add-on: Snorkelling at Mnemba

Free beach day · B D

Dhow builders and the lighthouse

Another free day. It is a good morning for a walk along the sand to the dhow builders at the village end and the lighthouse at the point.

The afternoon is for the sea and the shade. Dinner, as every night at the beach, is at the hotel.

Meals: Breakfast, dinner
Highlight: A walk to the point
Sleep: Beach hotel, Nungwi named when you book

Free day · dhow cruise · B D

A sail at sunset

A last full day on the coast, with nothing fixed until the evening. Swim early, before the heat, and keep the afternoon slow.

At about five you board a wooden dhow on the beach, with a crew of three and drinks in the cool box. You sail out past the reef under the lateen sail, watch the sun go down over the water and are back on the sand at dusk.

Meals: Breakfast, dinner
Highlight: Dhow sunset cruise
Sleep: Beach hotel, Nungwi named when you book

Departure · B

A last swim, then home

Breakfast and a last swim. Your driver collects you at a time that suits your flight and takes you the hour south to Zanzibar airport.

Carrying on somewhere else? Zanzibar has direct and one-stop flights to Europe and the Gulf, and short flights to Dar es Salaam and Arusha.

Meals: Breakfast
Ends: Zanzibar airport
Next: Flights to Europe and the Gulf

When to go

Where are the herds?

Two million wildebeest and zebra walk a year-long loop through the Serengeti, following the rain. Choose a season to see where they will be, and what that means for your week.

CalvingDec – Mar

Good

calving season

December to March

The herds gather on the short-grass plains around Ndutu in the south, and around half a million calves are born in a few weeks. The predators are never far away.

On this tripThe second Serengeti camp moves to Ndutu for the calving herds, and Zanzibar is hot, calm and clear.

Green seasonApr – May

Green season

the long rains

April and May

Afternoon rain, emerald plains and very few vehicles. The herds start drifting north-west through the centre of the park.

On this tripQuiet parks and lower rates, but the long rains reach Zanzibar too and some beach hotels close; we pick ones that stay open.

The great trekJun – Jul

Best for this trip

the great trek

June and July

Columns of wildebeest move through the central Serengeti and the Western corridor on their way north. The dry season begins.

On this tripThe herds are often near Seronera on days 4 and 5, Tarangire is filling with elephants and the coast is sunny and dry.

River crossingsAug – Oct

Good

the far north

August to October

The herds are on the Mara River in the far north, crossing back and forth. The rest of the country is dry, golden and full of game.

On this tripThe second camp moves north towards the Mara River, Tarangire is at its best, and it is the classic beach season.

Short rainsNov

Green season

the return

November

The short rains bring the plains back to life, and the herds stream south again through the east of the park.

On this tripThe herds pass back through the east of the park near Lobo, with fewer vehicles and short showers on the coast.

Best for this trip
Good
Green season, fewer vehicles

Herd positions follow the rains and shift a little from year to year. We tell you where they are likely to be before you book.

What it costs

Fill the vehicle, pay less each

Your private guide and 4×4, park and crater fees, eleven nights, the flight from the Serengeti to Zanzibar, the spice farm and the dhow cruise, priced per person. The more of you share the vehicle, the less each of you pays.

Mid-range fromUS$3,150per person sharing

Important information

All prices are per person and exclude international flights. Final rates depend on your travel dates, seasonal park fees and availability; we confirm them in writing with your quote.

Mid-range

Luxury

Mid-range

Lodges, tented camps and a beach hotel

Mid-range prices, Grand Tanzania

Single supplement to confirm

Group size	1 person	2 persons	3 persons	4 persons	5 persons	6 personsbest value
Per person, 2026	to confirm	to confirm	to confirm	to confirm	to confirm	to confirm
Rooms	1 single	1 double	1 double, 1 single	2 doubles	2 doubles, 1 single	3 doubles

Luxury

Premium camps and a boutique beach resort

Luxury prices, Grand Tanzania

Single supplement to confirm

Group size	1 person	2 persons	3 persons	4 persons	5 persons	6 personsbest value
Per person, 2026	to confirm	to confirm	to confirm	to confirm	to confirm	to confirm
Rooms	1 single	1 double	1 double, 1 single	2 doubles	2 doubles, 1 single	3 doubles

Your selection · click a group size2 guests · Mid-range1 double

Travelling with children

Children are welcome on this trip, and a private vehicle makes it easy to travel at their pace. Ask us for child rates and family rooms for your dates; they depend on each lodge’s own policy.

in the price

Private 4×4 with pop-up roof and your own guide, days 1 to 7
Eleven nights as described, full board on safari, half board on Zanzibar
Park, conservation and crater service fees
Light-aircraft flight from the Serengeti to Zanzibar
Stone Town walk, spice farm tour with lunch, dhow sunset cruise
Airport and island transfers

not in the price

International flights and visa
Zanzibar’s mandatory visitor insurance fee
Travel and medical insurance
Drinks, and lunches on the beach days
Tips for your guide, crews and hotel staff
Optional activities

Make it yours

Add to the week

Tick anything you like the sound of. It goes straight into your enquiry, and we will price it with the trip.

Day 2 · TarangireWalking safariTwo hours on foot with an armed ranger.Add

Day 3 · HighlandsAn evening in a Maasai bomaHosted by the families of our own guides.Add

Day 5 · SerengetiBalloon flight at sunriseAn hour over the plains, then breakfast in the bush.Add

Day 9 · ZanzibarSnorkelling at MnembaTurtles and reef fish on the atoll, back for lunch.Add

Send my enquiry →

Before you go

The practical part

Flights

Other costs

Why Simba Pride

Flights

Other costs

Why Simba Pride

Questions

Why two areas of the Serengeti?

The Serengeti is huge and changes with the seasons. A night in a second area lets us follow the herds in your month, or simply see the park without the vehicles around Seronera.

Will we see the Great Migration?

In most months, yes, though not always in the same place. We choose the second Serengeti camp for where the herds are likely to be in your week and tell you honestly at booking what to expect.

How much time is spent driving?

Days 3 and 4 have the longest drives, with game viewing on the way. The flight from the Serengeti to Zanzibar saves you a full day on the road back to Arusha.

Can we skip Stone Town and go straight to the beach?

Yes. We can move the Stone Town night to the beach and fit the spice farm into a day trip from Nungwi, or leave it out.

Can we bring children?

Yes. The private vehicle makes breaks easy and we can choose family rooms. Some lodges set minimum ages for walks, balloons and boat trips.

ready when you are

Twelve days, four parks, one guide

Tell us when you would like to travel and who is coming. We reply with a day-by-day plan and an exact price, with the second Serengeti camp chosen for your month.

Admit

guests

SPS · 12

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