Arrival in Zanzibar on Day 1
Upon arrival at Abeid Aman Karume International Airport in Zanzibar, you will meet our team at Zanzibar airport and they will pick you up with a private vehicle transfer to Stone Town. Dinner and overnight at the Antonio Garden Hotel: bed and breakfast included.
Day 2: Visit a spice farm and take a tour of the Jozani forest to see red monkeys.
Today you go on an excursion to the spice and fruit plantations close to Stone Town for the famous Spice Tour. We have developed a special Spice Tour with in-depth information not only about spices, but also organically grown herbs and a detailed description of their traditional uses in medicine, cosmetics, and cooking. After the tour, we invite you to an opulent lunch at our guides’ home, where you can taste the spices and fruits. After lunch, we take you to your beach resort. On the way, you pass through Jozani Forest, the last habitat of the rare endemic Red Monkey. With a local guide, you stroll through Jozani Chwaka National Park and look at the rare monkeys. If you wish, you can even wander down the boardwalk to the fascinating mangrove ecosystem. Dinner and overnight at the Antonio Garden Hotel: bed and breakfast included.
Day 3: Relaxation Day at the Beach
Relax and enjoy the beaches of the north coast at Nungwi Beach, Zanzibar. Dinner and overnight at Amani Bungalow: bed and breakfast included.
Day 4: Visit Jambiani Village to learn about Zanzibar’s distinct culture.
In the morning, you drive along the coast. Passing the fishing villages of Bwejuu and Paje, you reach Jambiani, a fishing village on the east coast of Zanzibar. We offer a cultural village tour to visit villagers working in different professions. Our guide talks about the history of the village. You will visit a traditional herbalist, who will show you the local medicines and herbs and their uses. There will also be a visit to a local organic plantation on coral stone, where farmers cultivate under difficult circumstances, and seaweed farms run by a woman. This is a good chance to learn about the unique culture and the diverse environment of Zanzibar’s villages and to meet the friendly Swahili people. We will show you real life, not images designed for tourists. Dinner and overnight at Amani Bungalow. Bed and breakfast are included.
Day 5: Kizimkazi Village: To watch dolphins
One day, you go on an excursion to Kizimkazi. Situated on the southern point of the island, Kizimkazi fishing village is home to several schools of bottle-nosed dolphins and humpback dolphins, which can often be sighted following a short boat trip from the village. If you are lucky, you may be able to swim quite close to the dolphins, which can be a very rewarding experience. We are doing this trip in the afternoon to avoid the crowds of tourists in the morning, which in large numbers disturb the dolphins. Dinner and overnight at the Antonio Garden Hotel, including bed and breakfast.
Day 6: fly to Arusha and then to Tarangire National Park for an afternoon game drive.
Upon arrival at Arusha airport, our professional driver guide will pick you up and drive you to Tarangire National Park. Bush savanna, seasonal marshes, and formidable baobab trees make up the landscape of this nature reserve. Tarangire Park is probably one of the best places in East Africa to watch and get up close to elephants. This is not only because of an estimated 4,000 animals, but also because the elephants are not bothered by the vehicles at a relatively close distance. As well as the elephants, the park is also home to Maasai giraffes, various gazelles, antelopes, buffalo, lions, leopards, baboons, and more than a hundred different types of birds. Late in the afternoon, there is definitely plenty of wildlife to watch. You will drive to Kizumba campsite on the Great Rift Valley edge for your overnight stay.
Day 7. Tarangire National Park—Serengeti National Park for an evening game drive.
After breakfast, you will leave the camp and drive through the cooler highland region towards the Serengeti National Park. The world-renowned Serengeti National Park, with its diverse landscape ranging from grass plains and dry Savannah to marshy woodlands, is the stamping ground of many carnivorous predators and their prey. The park is home to the largest animal migration in the world, and depending on the season, you will be able to witness this spectacular event unfold. The herds of wildebeest and zebras travel in the short rainy season of November and December from the hills in the north to the southern plains before returning to the north during the longer rainy season of April to June. The location of the migrating herds is dependent on the yearly rainfall, but your guide will know where the best vantage points for wildlife viewing are. The night will be spent at Nyani campsite in the central Serengeti. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
Day 8. Morning game drive in Serengeti National Park—Ngorongoro Conservation Area.
As the sun slowly rises over the vast open plains, you will embark on your first game drive of the day. Due to the abundance of prey species, such as gazelles and impalas, the park boasts one of the largest lion populations in Africa, as well as other predators such as leopards and cheetahs. After returning to camp after the game drive, you will enjoy a hearty breakfast before leaving the park and driving towards Ngorongoro Crater. Arriving at the crater rim, the 610m deep caldera in all its splendour opens up before you. You will spend the night at Simba Campsite on the crater’s edge, watching the sun set over the glistening springs of the collapsed volcano’s floor. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
Day 9. Ngorongoro Crater morning game drive—Arusha Airport for your flight to Zanzibar.
After an early breakfast, you will start your descent on a narrow and steep road to the crater floor. The crater is inhabited by a spectacular array of wildlife, which includes zebras, hippos, hyenas, wildebeests, warthogs, and the famous “Big Five” – buffalo, rhino, lion, elephant, and leopard. After extensive game viewing and a lunch at a picnic spot, you will leave the crater and travel back to Arusha, where you will be transferred to Arusha airport for your flight back to Zanzibar. Breakfast and lunch are included.
