9-Day Serengeti, Crater & Zanzibar Honeymoon

Overview

Tour highlights

• A night in a five-star hotel in Arusha
• One-hour flight straight to the Serengeti
• Early descent into the Ngorongoro Crater
• Four all-inclusive nights at a Zanzibar beach resort
• Room welcome, private breakfast, lantern-lit dinner

1. Day 1 Arrive and Rest in Arusha Stay Five-star hotel in ArushaMeals Dinner

   Your driver meets you at Kilimanjaro International Airport for the transfer to Arusha, which usually takes under an hour. Check in to your hotel, where gardens and a pool make it easy to shake off the long flight. Nothing is scheduled today. Arusha sits at the foot of Mount Meru, and on a clear evening you may see its peak above the town. A good dinner and an early night set you up for tomorrow’s flight.

2. Day 2 A Short Flight to the Serengeti Stay Luxury lodge in the SerengetiMeals Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

   After breakfast, transfer to Arusha’s airport for the roughly one-hour flight to the Serengeti. Your guide meets you at the airstrip, and game viewing begins right away. The plains are home to lions, cheetahs, elephants and giraffes and, depending on the month, large herds of wildebeest and zebras. Reach your lodge for lunch, rest through the midday heat, then head out again as the light softens in the late afternoon.

3. Day 3 Sunrise to Sunset on the Plains Stay Luxury lodge in the SerengetiMeals Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

   Spend the whole day exploring with your guide. Leave early to catch predators while they are active, take a picnic lunch under a shady acacia, and stay out as long as you like. Granite kopjes rise from the grass and often shelter lions or a resting leopard. Hippo pools, open grassland stretching to the horizon and enormous skies make this the heart of the safari. Return to the lodge in the evening for dinner and a drink by the fire.

4. Day 4 Across the Highlands to the Crater Rim Stay Luxury lodge near the Ngorongoro Crater rimMeals Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

   Enjoy a last morning game drive in the Serengeti, then set off toward Ngorongoro, looking for wildlife on the way out of the park. The road climbs from the dry plains into cool, forested highlands, passing Maasai settlements and grazing cattle. Your lodge is close to the crater rim, which means a short drive to the descent road in the morning. Evenings at this altitude are chilly, so expect a fire and a warm blanket.

5. Day 5 Crater Floor at Dawn, Zanzibar by Evening Stay All-inclusive luxury beach resort on ZanzibarMeals Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

   Start early to be among the first vehicles down the crater wall. The floor is a natural enclosure for buffalo, zebras, wildebeest, lions and hyenas, and it is one of the few places in Tanzania to look for black rhino. After the game drive, there may be time for a short visit to a Maasai community. Then transfer to the airport for the one-hour flight to Zanzibar, where a driver meets you and takes you to your beach resort.

6. Day 6 First Full Day by the Indian Ocean Stay All-inclusive luxury beach resort on ZanzibarMeals All-inclusive

   Wake to the sound of the sea. Today is for doing as little as you like: a long breakfast, a swim, a nap in the shade of the palms. Walk the beach and watch local fishermen bring in their catch on wooden boats. With meals and drinks included, you can eat whenever hunger strikes. In the evening, ask the resort about the private lantern-lit dinner that comes as part of your honeymoon touches.

7. Day 7 Snorkeling and a Dhow Sail Stay All-inclusive luxury beach resort on ZanzibarMeals All-inclusive

   If you feel like some activity, Zanzibar’s reefs lie close to shore in many places, and the resort can arrange snorkeling or a sail on a traditional dhow. Look for parrotfish, angelfish and, with luck, a sea turtle. Back on land, the pool and beach loungers are waiting. Late afternoon is the best time for photographs, when the water shifts from turquoise to gold and the dhows head home under sail.

8. Day 8 A Lazy Last Day Together Stay All-inclusive luxury beach resort on ZanzibarMeals All-inclusive

   Keep your last full day open. Book a spa treatment if your resort has a spa, read on the beach, or take one more swim in the warm, shallow water. Couples who want a change of scene can arrange a half-day trip to Stone Town, the old quarter of Zanzibar City and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, on request. Finish with a sunset drink and dinner at the resort, and start choosing which photographs go on the wall at home.

9. Day 9 Departure from Zanzibar Meals Breakfast

   After breakfast, enjoy the beach until it is time to leave. A private transfer takes you to Zanzibar’s international airport in good time for your flight home. If your flight leaves late in the day, ask us in advance about a late check-out. Our team stays reachable around the clock until you are on your way, so a delay or change at the airport is handled for you.

Questions about this safari