10-day Tanzania Zanzibar trip – Itinerary and organization

Organizing a safari in Tanzania is not easy, especially when you want to end it with a stay on the beautiful beaches of Zanzibar. This is what I noticed when I organized my own trip which combined the parks in Tanzania and a seaside stay in Zanzibar.

Here are the questions I asked myself and which I will try to answer in this article:

• When is the best time for a Safari in Tanzania and for a stay in Zanzibar?
• What price for a Tanzania Zanzibar tour?
• Can you organize a safari in Tanzania yourself?
• How to find a driver guide for a safari in Tanzania?
• Where to do Safaris? Which parks are best to visit in Tanzania?
• What itinerary for a 10-day Tanzania Zanzibar trip?
• How to get from Tanzania to Zanzibar and which hotel to choose?

Safari in Tanzania – When is the best time?

Before embarking on the organization of your safari in Tanzania, you must choose the date of your trip. Indeed, the parks where the majority of safaris in Tanzania take place are located at an altitude of more than 1500 meters where the climate is not the same as in Zanzibar.

The period to avoid for a trip to Tanzania is the rainy season (from the beginning of November to the end of December). And, the best time to go on safari in Tanzania is the dry season which runs from the end of April to the end of October.

Personally, I had chosen these dates for the safari part of my Tanzania Zanzibar trip: From October 22 to 26. And I can tell you that the weather was perfect: No rain and beautiful sunshine every day, temperatures of 22-24°C in the morning and 28-29°C in the afternoon.

Stay in Zanzibar – When is the best time?

When choosing the dates of a trip to Tanzania Zanzibar also requires finding out about the best time to enjoy Zanzibar.

Well, know that all periods are good to enjoy the island of Zanzibar except for the months of March, April and May. Indeed, this period of 3 months corresponds to the wet season where the rains can spoil your stay.

For my part, my stay in Zanzibar took place following my safari on the following dates: From October 27 to 31, 2022. And here too I can tell you that the period was perfect: Radiant sunshine and temperatures around 30° C but with a little wind which made it easier to withstand the heat.

What price for a 10-day Tanzania Zanzibar tour?

This is the question that everyone asks when planning their trip. But the prices are very variable and differ according to the dates of travel, the airport of departure, the program and the services.

Generally, on catalogs or on the Internet, you will see combined trips Tanzania Zanzibar of about ten days from 3000 Euros. Except that these prices displayed by travel agencies are not at all consistent.

Indeed, when you ask for a quote for the same program as that of the catalog, the price of the trip no longer comes out at all around 3000 Euros but is closer to 5000 Euros! We explain that it is in relation to dates, flights, hotel availability, etc.

In short, starting with an agency, a Tanzania Zanzibar trip of 10 to 12 days costs at least between 4000 and 5000 Euros. And for a high-end trip, it takes more than 6000 Euros.

Considering the high prices of this type of trip combining Safari in Tanzania and stay in Zanzibar, I thought it was better to organize it yourself.

How to organize yourself a safari in Tanzania?

First of all, I learned that it is strongly discouraged to rent a car to make your own circuit through the national parks. Indeed, the risk is not knowing how to drive on kilometers of tracks, getting stuck, breaking down or getting lost, but also not knowing where to find the animals.

My idea was to organize my trip to Tanzania Zanzibar as follows:

• Reservation of plane tickets by myself;
• Take a local agency to do safaris in Tanzania (see details below);
• Organize my stay in Zanzibar myself by booking my hotel(s) with Booking.com.

Which agency for a safari in Tanzania?

First, I thought of contacting a local agency via Snooze for the Safari part in Tanzania. But the quotation received for 4 days of game drives + domestic flight to Zanzibar was 2 USD per person. Which was too expensive because you still had to add the price of the international flight and the price of the hotel stay in Zanzibar. So, it was almost better to go through a classic travel agency.

Then I thought about the platform Civitatis which also offers a 6-day tour in Tanzania with safaris. But it is not a local agency and there was no possibility of having a French-speaking driver guide. All driver guides offered speak English (click below for more information).

I also contacted Tanzania Specialist.com but I learned that in fact it is a travel agency from the Netherlands which has its own office in Tanzania. As a result, the money they earn with tourists does not go directly to the local economy. However, I wanted to favor a local agency so that my trip would directly benefit the country and especially the Tanzanians!

So I chose a Tanzanian private driver guide who is self-employed and who organized the safari part of my Tanzania Zanzibar trip for us (see below).

Choosing a driver guide for Tanzania

Here is the private driver guide I chose for the safari part in Tanzania: Raymond MASHINA (African Green Pigeon Safari): r.mashina@gmail.com

He knew how to make us discover his magnificent country, the Maasai culture and many wild animals in the national parks. Punctual, serious, discreet but also very professional, he offered us interesting visits, lodges full of charm and concocted a very successful circuit for us!

Raymond MASHINA has set up his own agency with his wife near the city of Arusha and offers à la carte tours adapted to your desires. See his Facebook.

Program of my Tanzania and Zanzibar tour

Here is the program for my 10-day Tanzania and Zanzibar trip:

• Day 1: Flight Toulouse – Kilimanjaro + hotel transfer
• Day 2: Taranguire Safari
• Day 3: Manaya Lake Safari
• Day 4: Safari to the Ngorongoro crater + Olduvai region + visit to a Maasai village
• Day 5: Flight to Zanzibar + hotel transfer
• Days 6-7-8: Zanzibar seaside stay (2 nights Karafuu hotel on the East coast + 2 nights The Residence hotel on the South West coast)
• Day 9: Return flight to Toulouse (arrival on Day 10)

What itinerary for 10 days in Tanzania and Zanzibar?

The itinerary for our 10-day Tanzania and Zanzibar trip was as follows:

• Departure from Kilimanjaro Airport to Arusha 50 km away (1h15 drive)
• From Arusha road to Tarangire Park 150 km (4h drive)
• From Tarangire road to Lake Manyara 60 km (1 hour drive)
• From Lake Manyara journey to the Ngorongoro Crater 50 km (1h30 by road and tracks)
• From the Ngorongoro Crater to the Olduvai region (Massai villages) 45 km (2 hours of tracks)
• Olduvai road to Arusha airport 210 km (6 hours of road and tracks)
• From Arusha airport flight to Zanzibar (1 hour flight)

4 days in Tanzania to do 3 safaris

Like Kenya, Tanzania is home to a savanna renowned for the great diversity of its fauna. Wild animals are now protected because the areas where they live in freedom have been declared as National Parks. Their entrance is paying and strictly regulated. This makes it possible to preserve the tranquility of the animals but above all to avoid the phenomenon of poaching.

Among the many national parks that cover almost 40% of Tanzanian territory, the 3 most beautiful to go on a Safari in Tanzania are:

• Tarangire National Park
• Ngorongoro Conservation Area
• Serengeti National Park

The majority of agencies offer for the safari part to devote a minimum of 3 days to it. But if you want to visit Serengeti Park, you will need to count an extra day. So, I recommend that you schedule 4 days of safaris with the 3 most beautiful parks in Tanzania: Tarangire, Ngorongoro and Serengeti.

For my part, I did only 3 days of safaris visiting Tarangire, Lake Manyara and Ngorongoro. You will see below that Lake Manyara is not a must and that knowing it in advance, I would not have planned it.

Here is the Google map route for our 3-day tour:

Tarangire National Park Safari

It is in this park very close to Arusha that we did our first safari in Tanzania. It is small (only 3000 km2) but it is magnificent!

Indeed, it is crossed by the Tarangire River where many herds of elephants are concentrated. It is also in this park that we find the most baobabs per km2 in the world. Elephants particularly appreciate them because they break the bark of these huge old trees to quench their thirst.

Many other animals inhabit this wild territory in total harmony: Zebras, lions, giraffes, leopards, antelopes, buffaloes, knous, warthogs, monkeys...

Ngorongoro Safari

Listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Ngorongoro Crater is also one of the 7 wonders of Africa!

The Ngorongoro crater is in fact a caldera 20 km in internal diameter whose ramparts all around measure 600 meters in height. This splendid natural site is home to the largest concentration of wild animals per square kilometer in Africa. The diversity of animals is also important. It is one of the parks where you can see the famous Big Five (elephant, lion, rhinoceros, leopard and buffalo).

At the bottom of the crater, all around Lake Magadi, animals are numerous. You will see flamingos, hippos, buffaloes, many zebras, gazelles and even ostriches!

And at the bend of a track, looking up, we could observe a lioness comfortably installed in a tree:

Even outside the crater, the Ngorongoro conservation area is home to animals that we meet along the tracks or cross in front of us...

Serengeti Safari

I'm not going to lie to you: I didn't go all the way to Serengeti National Park. Indeed, we had planned to do Lake Manyara. But it was a big disappointment (see below).

On the other hand, our guide told us that the Serengeti park was the most beautiful in Tanzania and the best for safari! Over almost 25 km000, the Serengeti is a magnificent territory where you can observe the big five and many other species of animals and birds in sumptuous landscapes.

Lake Manyara Safari

Lake Manyara which is also a national park of Tanzania is located in the Rift Valley. I was told that there will be a great diversity of animals and landscapes. On the internet, you are told that you can see elephants, buffaloes, zebras, wildebeests, giraffes, impalas, hippopotamuses and many aquatic birds there. But I must tell you that in reality, we see very little!

The only highlight of our Lake Manyara safari was the encounter with hundreds of baboons:

How to visit a Maasai village in Tanzania?

Meeting the Maasai people, discovering their culture and traditions will remain the best memory of my trip to Tanzania. It is quite easy to find a small village that welcomes tourists because there are many Maasai people in Tanzania. In addition, many villages are located close to national parks.

Our driver guide took us to a village near our Olduvai Camp hotel. It was a village of 200 people whose chief spoke excellent English. It was he who accompanied us throughout our visit. With my husband, we were the only 2 tourists (too good)!!!

First of all, you will not be surprised to learn that you will have to pay 50 USD (for 2) to enjoy this total immersion among the Maasais. The village chief explains the program to you and asks you if it suits you.

Then you see a group of men and women dressed in traditional costume appearing in the distance, walking towards us and singing. They form an arc and sing us a welcome song in their dialect. Then the men start jumping very high and invite us to jump with them.

Then men and women begin a long dance accompanied by traditional songs and again they invite us to dance with them. It was magical and very moving. See my videos on Instagram !

After these songs and these dances, the chief of the village makes us visit a hut while giving us information on their way of life and their traditions. He invites us to ask questions and can then dialogue with him.

The visit finally ends with the school where the children welcome us with a big smile and a beautiful song.

And to finish, as the Maasai women make jewelry in small colored beads, we inevitably end with the craft stand.

How to get from Tanzania to Zanzibar?

To get from Tanzania to Zanzibar, you will need to take a domestic flight. There is the possibility of going there by ferry but it is longer and more complicated when you make a trip of ten days.

Flights to Zanzibar are offered by several Tanzanian airlines. The 2 main ones are Flightlink Tanzania et Zanair which operate flights departing from:

• Dar Es Salaam
• Arusha
• Pemba Island
• String

But, generally, tourists who have gone on a safari go to Arusha airport (Abeid Amani Karume International Airport) to take their flight to Zanzibar. Rotations are provided by Flightlink Tanzania.

Transfer from Zanzibar airport to your hotel

Here are the contact details of a local agency that provides airport-hotel transfers but also inter-hotel transfers or other journeys: ESCAPADE ZANZIBAR LTD – Tel: 00 255 77 32 36 80 7

4 days in Zanzibar to end our trip

Choosing your hotel in Zanzibar is not easy because you have to know where the most beautiful beaches are and which coast to choose. For this, I had inquired in advance (see my article: Where to go in Zanzibar).

Thus, I had the chance to stay:

• 2 nights on the East Coast in a hotel with excellent value for money: Karafuu Beach Resort & Spa.
• 2 nights on the South West coast in a very luxurious 5 star hotel The Residence where we ended our trip in the most beautiful way!

To realize these 2 hotels, on my article Where to go in Zanzibar you will see photos and videos.

What formalities for a trip to Tanzania and Zanzibar?

If you decide to travel to Tanzania and/or Zanzibar, you will need a passport which must be valid for at least 6 months after the planned return date. And the passport must also have at least 2 whole blank pages facing each other.

Be careful because now, in France, the deadlines for renewing or obtaining a passport are very long. See the following article: How long does it take to receive your new passport?

Finally, to enter the territory, you will need a visa ($50). Although it is possible to do it at the airport when you arrive, to save time, I recommend that you apply online.

Here is the official website to apply for your visa: https://eservices.immigration.go.tz/visa – Also note that it is forbidden to bring plastic bags in your luggage.

Which vaccines for Tanzania?

I'm not going to share with you the entry arrangements regarding COVID as they may change. So, it is better to consult them on the official website: tz.ambafrance.org

On the other hand, if you are wondering about the yellow fever vaccine for Tanzania, I was able to check on the WHO website and there was no focus of infection. So I did not find it useful to make the vaccine. Our guide confirmed that it was not necessary at all.

Malaria treatment to go to Tanzania?

Contrary to what I have read in particular on the sites France Diplomacy ou Pasteur.fr, malaria is no longer very present in Tanzania. Indeed, our guide explained to us that since 2015, the Tanzanian government has set up a national program to fight against malaria with, for example, an intense and regular mosquito control campaign in Tanzania and Zanzibar.

As the WHO website "The infection rate in the southern region of the country (the most infected) fell from 25% to 4,9% between April 2015 and June 2018".

The treatment against malaria is in fact not obligatory. Personally, I had planned it but did not take it.

Safari Tanzania – What are the Big Five?

The term Big five comes from Ernest Hemingway who defined them in his work The Green Hills of Africa. These were 5 animals defined as large not by their size but by their value to hunters. The big 5 are elephant, lion, rhinoceros, leopard and buffalo. For some, the quest for the big five represents the success of a safari.

For my part, they have no importance. Indeed, I think we need to know how to appreciate what nature offers us and not always look for more. As for hunting, I prefer not to talk about it otherwise I'll vomit!

Are you looking for an intense change of scenery, distant cultures and the wonders of nature, then schedule a Jordan tour, a Colombia or the family Panama !