An unhurried luxury journey from the crater and Serengeti to the far side of the island.
An unhurried luxury journey from the crater and Serengeti to the far side of the island. 14-day route through Arusha, Tarangire, Karatu, Ngorongoro, Serengeti, Stone Town, Zanzibar coast, with your own guide and vehicle and accommodation chosen for location and atmosphere.
This is an inspirational sample itinerary. Every journey is tailor-made — route, pace and accommodation can all be adjusted to suit you.
Wildlife sightings, migration movements and river crossings depend on nature and are never guaranteed.
You are met at Kilimanjaro International Airport by a Bush Guides Safaris representative and transferred to your accommodation on the outskirts of Arusha, set among gardens with views toward Mount Meru on a clear day.
The afternoon is yours to rest. In the evening your guide meets you for a short briefing on the journey ahead.
After breakfast, drive west to Tarangire, a landscape of ancient baobabs and the seasonal Tarangire River. The park is known for large elephant herds, especially in the drier months, along with giraffe, zebra and a rich variety of birdlife.
Your private guide keeps the day unhurried, with time to linger wherever the moment deserves it. Picnic lunch is taken in the park, and you continue exploring until late afternoon before reaching your accommodation.
A slower day in the green farmland of the Ngorongoro highlands. Depending on your interests, visit a coffee farm to see the journey from cherry to cup, or walk through local villages with a community guide.
The afternoon is free to rest, read or enjoy the gardens of your lodge.
Descend early into Ngorongoro Crater, a vast caldera with grassland, swamp and a seasonal soda lake. Its permanent water supports buffalo, zebra, wildebeest, hippo and lion, and black rhino are occasionally seen, though no sighting is ever guaranteed.
Your private guide keeps the day unhurried, with time to linger wherever the moment deserves it. A picnic lunch is enjoyed in the crater before you ascend in the afternoon.
Cross the Ngorongoro highlands and descend to the plains, with an optional stop at Olduvai Gorge, one of the world’s most significant paleoanthropological sites. The landscape opens out as you enter the Serengeti.
Game drive on the way to your camp, arriving in time for sundowners.
Spend the day exploring the central Serengeti around the Seronera River, an area with resident wildlife year-round. Rocky kopjes, river woodland and open grassland support lion, leopard, cheetah and great herds of plains game.
Your private guide keeps the day unhurried, with time to linger wherever the moment deserves it. Choose between a full day out with a picnic lunch or returning to camp for a midday rest.
An optional pre-dawn hot-air balloon flight lifts you over the plains as the sun rises, subject to weather and availability, followed by a traditional bush breakfast.
The rest of the day continues by vehicle. Your private guide keeps the day unhurried, with time to linger wherever the moment deserves it.
A final morning game drive, then a light-aircraft flight from the nearest airstrip to Zanzibar, connecting via Arusha where needed. The plains give way to the turquoise Indian Ocean.
You are met on arrival and transferred to your coastal stay. The evening is free to settle in.
Explore Stone Town on foot with a local guide: carved doorways, busy markets, the Old Fort and the waterfront. The tour gives thoughtful context to Zanzibar’s layered and complex history.
Watch the sunset from a rooftop before dinner in the old town.
Spend the morning at a working spice farm, tasting cloves, nutmeg, cardamom and fresh fruit straight from the tree. In the afternoon, join a local host for a Swahili cooking experience and share the meal you helped prepare.
An easy evening back at the coast.
Visit Jozani Chwaka Bay National Park, home to the endemic Zanzibar red colobus monkey, then walk a boardwalk through the mangroves. Continue to a small east-coast village to see seaweed farming at low tide.
Return for a late lunch and a quiet afternoon by the water.
An optional boat trip to the waters around the Mnemba area for snorkeling over the reef. Marine life varies and trips depend on sea conditions.
Return for a long lunch and a lazy afternoon by the water.
A slow morning with nothing planned: a swim before breakfast, a book, a walk at low tide.
In the late afternoon, board a traditional wooden dhow and sail out as the sun sets over the Indian Ocean.
A final morning by the ocean before your transfer to Abeid Amani Karume International Airport.
Fly home or onward, carrying the plains and the coast with you.
Change the length, swap a park or upgrade a stay. We will shape this journey around you.
8 days / 7 nightsArusha · Tarangire · Ngorongoro · Serengeti · Zanzibar coast
A compact safari through the north, then a flight to the coast for three beach days.
Best for: Travelers who want a taste of both worlds in just over a week.
10 days / 9 nightsArusha · Tarangire · Ngorongoro · Serengeti · Stone Town · Zanzibar coast
Two full Serengeti days, Stone Town’s lanes and slow days on the Indian Ocean.
Best for: Travelers who want proper time on safari and on the island.
12 days / 11 nightsArusha · Tarangire · Lake Manyara · Ngorongoro · Serengeti · Zanzibar coast
Five parks on safari, then five relaxed nights on Zanzibar.
Best for: Travelers who want a full safari followed by real downtime.
Tell us what you have in mind. We’ll take it from there.
Tell us what moves you. We’ll help shape the journey around it.
