Serengeti · Ngorongoro · Zanzibar · 10 days

safari & beachHoneymoon

Six days of big-cat country with your own guide and vehicle: the Ngorongoro Crater at first light, three nights in the central Serengeti, a balloon over the plains and dinner for two under the stars. Then a flight to Zanzibar and four nights with nothing on the calendar.

10days
9nights
2parks + beach
Privateguide & 4×4

01 · Overview

Drive in, fly out

The road to the Serengeti is part of the safari, so you drive in through the highlands and the crater. The road back is not, so you fly straight from the Serengeti to the coast and trade a long day in the vehicle for an afternoon on the beach.

After a night outside Arusha, you drive west through the Rift Valley to the rim of the Ngorongoro Crater, go down to the crater floor the next morning and carry on across the plains to the central Serengeti. Three nights there give you two full days with the big cats, a balloon flight at dawn and a private dinner in the bush. On day six a light aircraft takes you from the Serengeti to Zanzibar, where the last four nights are at a beach hotel in Kendwa, on the north-west coast, where you can swim at any tide and the sun sets over the sea.

Starts

Kilimanjaro airport, day 1

We meet you at Kilimanjaro International (JRO) with a name board.

Ends

Zanzibar airport, day 10

A late checkout and a one-hour transfer to your flight home.

Style

Private, luxury

Your own guide and 4×4 on safari, luxury lodges and tented camps, a boutique beach hotel.

Pace

Two road days, then slow

Days 2 and 3 are the driving days. From day 6 there is nothing you have to do.

Arrival · Dinner

Karibu, and a quiet first night

Your guide meets you in arrivals at Kilimanjaro International and drives you the hour west, past coffee farms on the lower slopes of Mount Meru, to a lodge set among the coffee outside Arusha. Nothing else is planned today.

Over dinner your guide runs through the days ahead, and you tell them what you most want from them: cats, photographs, long lunches or simply time together. The rest of the trip bends around that.

Meals: Dinner
Highlight: Meeting your guide
Sleep: Coffee-estate lodge, outside Arusha named when you book

Road day · B L D

Up through the highlands to the crater

A relaxed start, then west across the Maasai plains and down into the Rift Valley at Mto wa Mbu. You climb the escarpment to Karatu, through farmland and coffee, and into the forest of the Ngorongoro Highlands.

You arrive on the crater rim by mid-afternoon, at over 2,200 metres, with the whole crater below you. The evening is cool enough for a fire, and the view from the lodge is the reason to be here tonight.

Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Highlight: Sunset over the crater
Sleep: Luxury lodge, crater rim named when you book

Crater descent · road day · B L D

The crater floor, then the plains

You are at the gate when it opens and on the crater floor before most vehicles arrive. About 600 metres below the rim lies a closed world of grassland, swamp and soda lake, with lion, hyena, buffalo, flamingos and, with patience, black rhino.

After a picnic by the hippo pool you climb out and drive west onto the Serengeti plains, entering the park at Naabi Hill. The afternoon is a game drive north to Seronera, and you reach camp in time for sundowners.

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

Full game drive day · bush dinner · B L D

A day with the cats, dinner under the stars

A whole day in the central Serengeti, with no destination other than the next sighting. Your guide follows the Seronera River, where leopards rest in the sausage trees, and the granite kopjes where lions lie up in the heat of the day.

In the evening the camp sets a table for two in the bush, with lanterns and a waiter, away from the other guests. Tomorrow starts before dawn with the balloon, so the evening ends early, by the fire.

Meals: Breakfast, packed lunch, private bush dinner
Highlight: Leopards on the Seronera River
Sleep: Luxury tented camp, central Serengeti named when you book

Balloon flight · game drives · B L D

Over the plains at dawn

A wake-up call before five, coffee at the tent and a short drive in the dark to the launch site. You lift off at about six and drift for an hour over the plains with the wind, at treetop height and then a few hundred metres up, with the herds and the early predators below.

After landing there is a full bush breakfast under an acacia, and your guide collects you to carry on the game drive. The afternoon is slower: a rest at camp, then a last evening drive along the river.

Meals: Bush breakfast, lunch, dinner
Highlight: Hot-air balloon at sunrise
Sleep: Luxury tented camp, central Serengeti named when you book

Game drive · flight · B L D

From the plains to the sea

One last early drive, then your guide takes you to the Seronera airstrip and says goodbye. The light aircraft to Zanzibar usually stops on the way, so allow most of the middle of the day; your soft bags should stay within about 15 kg.

We meet you at Zanzibar airport and drive you an hour north to Kendwa. You arrive in time to swim and watch the sun go down over the sea, still with red dust on your boots.

Meals: Breakfast, packed lunch, dinner
Highlight: Plains to beach in one day
Sleep: Boutique beach hotel, Kendwa named when you book

Free beach day · B D

Nowhere to be

No alarm, no game drive, no plan. Kendwa’s beach is one of the few on Zanzibar where the tide does not take the sea away, so you can swim whenever you like.

Breakfast runs late, and the hotel can arrange a massage or a table on the sand in the evening. Your only decision is where to watch the sunset.

Meals: Breakfast, dinner
Highlight: Swimming at any tide
Sleep: Boutique beach hotel, Kendwa named when you book

Free day · dhow cruise · B D

A private dhow at sunset

Another free day on the north coast. Walk the sand to Nungwi and its dhow builders, or stay under the palms with a book.

At about five a wooden dhow collects you from the beach, just the two of you and the crew. You sail out past the reef with a cold drink, watch the sun go down over the water and are back on the sand at dusk.

Meals: Breakfast, dinner
Highlight: Private dhow sunset cruise
Sleep: Boutique beach hotel, Kendwa named when you book

Free beach day · B D

One more slow day

A last full day by the sea. If you would like 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.

Or keep it simple: the beach, a long lunch and a last sunset. Tonight is a good night to ask the hotel for a table on the sand.

Meals: Breakfast, dinner
Highlight: The last sunset
Add-on: Snorkelling at Mnemba

Departure · B

A late checkout, then home

A slow breakfast and a last swim. Where the hotel allows it, we arrange a late checkout so you are not waiting in the lobby.

Your driver collects you in time for your flight and takes you the hour south to Zanzibar airport. From there, direct and one-stop flights leave for Europe and the Gulf.

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 tripHerds calve on the southern plains, within reach of Seronera on days 4 and 5; 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 green plains, 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 around Seronera for days 4 and 5, and Zanzibar is sunny, breezy 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 herds are in the far north, but Seronera’s lions and leopards stay put; the classic dry season on the beach.

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 tripFewer vehicles as the herds pass back through the centre, and short showers with plenty of sun 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, the flight from the Serengeti to Zanzibar, the balloon, the bush dinner and the dhow cruise, priced per person sharing. Full board on safari, half board on the beach.

Luxury fromUS$3,400per 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.

Luxury

Top-end

Luxury

Luxury lodges and tented camps

Luxury prices, Safari & Beach Honeymoon

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

Top-end

The finest camps and a beach villa

Top-end prices, Safari & Beach Honeymoon

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 · Luxury1 double

Travelling with children

This trip is planned for two. If you would like the same route as a family, ask us and we will change the lodges, the pace and the activities to suit children.

in the price

Private 4×4 with pop-up roof and your own guide on safari
Nine nights as described, full board on safari, half board on the beach
Park, conservation and crater service fees
Hot-air balloon flight with bush breakfast
Private bush dinner in the Serengeti
Light-aircraft flight from the Serengeti to Zanzibar
Private dhow sunset cruise and all transfers

not in the price

International flights and visa
Zanzibar’s mandatory visitor insurance fee
Travel and medical insurance
Spa treatments and premium drinks
Tips for your guide and lodge staff

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

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

Day 6 · ZanzibarA night in Stone TownSwap one beach night for the alleys, rooftops and a heritage walk.Add

Send my enquiry →

Before you go

The practical part

Flights

Other costs

Why Simba Pride

Flights

Other costs

Why Simba Pride

Questions

Do lodges offer anything for honeymooners?

Many do, but it varies by lodge and season. Tell us your wedding date when you enquire and we ask each lodge on your route what they can offer.

Will we see the migration?

It depends on the month. Seronera has resident lions and leopards all year, and the herds pass close to it in several months. We tell you honestly at booking what to expect in your week.

Why fly to Zanzibar instead of driving back?

Driving back to Arusha would cost you a full day on the road. The flight from the Serengeti gets you to the beach the same afternoon.

Can we choose a different beach?

Yes. Kendwa suits most couples because you can swim at any tide, but we can move you to a quiet lodge on the north-east coast or a villa near Matemwe instead.

Is the balloon flight safe?

The operators are licensed to Civil Aviation standards, the pilots are commercial, and flights are cancelled in poor wind. If the wind cancels your flight, the morning becomes an early game drive instead.

ready when you are

Ten days, just the two of you, your dates

Tell us your wedding date and when you would like to travel. We reply with a day-by-day plan and an exact price, adjusted to the lodges and beach you prefer.

Admit

guests

SPS · 10

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