Tour Detail
Embark on a 12-day adventure across East Africa to Zanzibar, a journey filled with rich encounters and stunning landscapes. From witnessing the majesty of lions in the vast Serengeti to trekking verdant trails in the Usambara Mountains, from sailing the crystal-clear waters of the Indian Ocean on a dhow to engaging with the communities near Mto wa Mbu, this trip is an education in the beauty of these regions and their inhabitants. Guided by a knowledgeable local leader and accompanied by a group of enthusiastic explorers, you’ll thoroughly investigate the Ngorongoro Crater in search of the Big Five and later, exchange stories over a sumptuous seafood feast in Zanzibar.
Itinerary
Day 1: Nairobi
Jambo! Welcome to Kenya. Your adventure begins with a welcome meeting at 6 pm. You can arrive at any time as there are no activities planned until this important meeting. If you arrive early, perhaps head out and explore the National Museum of Kenya, the Karen Blixen Museum or the highly recommended Bomas of Kenya, where traditional homesteads of several Kenyan tribes are displayed in an outdoor village.
Accommodation
Hotel (1 night)
Meals
There are no meals included on this day.
Add on activities
Nairobi – City Experience Urban Adventure – USD55
Special information
It’s very important that you attend the welcome meeting as we will be collecting insurance details and next of kin information at this time. If you are going to be late please let your travel agent or hotel reception know. Ask reception or look for a note in the lobby for more information on where the meeting will take place.
Petty theft is common in Nairobi. As a general rule, the safest place for your valuables is on your person in a neck wallet or money belt, though your hotel room may have a safe in which to store things. If you do decide to go exploring, make sure you get local advice on where it is and isn’t safe to walk – particularly for later in the day. Be careful not to leave bags unattended on chairs or on the floor when in bars or restaurants. Without being paranoid, appearing vigilant is a great deterrence to would-be thieves. Also, make scans of important travel documents and email them to yourself – this will save you hours of time in paperwork if anything does happen.
Day 2: Mto wa Mbu
Depart early for Mto wa Mbu in your overland truck. The trip includes a border crossing from Kenya into Tanzania, so be sure to have your passport handy. While you’re on the road, there will be a stop at an ATM and a market or shop to stock up on any supplies you might need for the coming days. Arrive in Mto wa Mbu and acquaint yourself with this delightful small village – it’s a fascinating snapshot of small-town African life, situated well off the tourist trail.
Accommodation
Camping (with facilities) (1 night)
Meals
Breakfast
Lunch
Dinner
Included activities
Mto Wa Mbu – Village walk & local dinner
Special information
Your travel time today will be approximately 10 hours.
Tonight, you’ll stay at a campsite with flush toilets, showers and optional upgrades (subject to availability).
Day 3: Ngorongoro Crater / Serengeti National Park
Get up early, put your camping and personal gear into a six-person jeep and head out for an excursion into the Serengeti via the Ngorongoro Crater. Enjoy a safari in the crater, spending 3 to 4 hours exploring this incredible, perfectly intact volcanic caldera. Watch for black rhinos, lions, leopards, elephants, impalas, zebras and hippos. The crater floor offers excellent game viewing all year round (some 30,000 animals live here) and the photo opportunities are unrivalled. Next, it’s on to the wide-open plains of the Serengeti. Green after the rains, brown and burnt in the dry season, this is perhaps the quintessential image of Africa – the home of thousands of hoofed animals and fierce predators. Your campsite is within the Serengeti itself, so listen out for the sounds of nocturnal animals as you drift off to sleep.
Accommodation
Camping (with basic facilities) (1 night)
Meals
Breakfast
Lunch
Dinner
Included activities
Ngorongoro Crater – 4×4 Game Drive
Serengeti National Park – 4×4 Game Drive
Special information
Tonight’s camp is basic with limited running water. No accommodation upgrades or wi-fi are available. Our camp within the Serengeti National Park does not have a fence to separate the camp from the animals. This is quite the experience as animals such as buffalo and hyenas often come close to camp after sundown. On arrival at the camp, your leader will give a detailed safety briefing on what is required to ensure the safety of the group.
You may notice some Maasai villages in the region of the Ngorongoro Crater offering a cultural experience. We recommend avoiding these villages, as they can impact negatively on the Maasai culture and travellers’ perceptions of it by selling an artificial experience.
Day 4: Serengeti National Park
Awake at dawn and embark on a game drive. You will head out while the animals are at their most active, then head back to camp for brunch at around 11 am. After spending the middle of the day relaxing, just like the animals do, head out again as the day begins to cool. You’ll return from this second game drive in time for dinner. There’s also the option of a balloon ride over the park this morning – in place of some of today’s game drives. If you have pre-booked this activity, you will be picked up before dawn and driven to the launch site. After a safety briefing, glide through the dawn, sometimes at tree height, getting some amazing photo opportunities. Sometimes you will ascend, getting an overview of the enormity of the plains and the early morning movements of the teeming herds. After landing, indulge in a five-star bush breakfast, then be returned to camp.
Accommodation
Camping (with basic facilities) (1 night)
Meals
Breakfast
Lunch
Dinner
Included activities
Serengeti National Park – 4×4 Game Drive
Add on activities
Serengeti National Park – Balloon Ride (from price) – USD745
Special information
The balloon ride is offered as a pre-booked service which will guarantee you a place. If you would rather wait and get a better price by booking this locally on the ground, you are welcome to, but keep in mind that this is a popular activity and places are limited. If you participate in this activity you will miss the morning half of the included game drive.
Day 5: Serengeti National Park / Mto wa Mbu
Rise with the sun and enjoy another game drive as you leave the Serengeti in your dust. Jump back into your overland vehicle and head for Mto wa Mbu. Once camp is set up, join the local community for a guided stroll around the farming areas, milling machine, and local homes and farmlands. After, we’ll share a local dinner in town and if time permits you may have the oppertunity to watch how it’s made with a local cooking demonstration.
After setting up camp, we’ll take a guided stroll through the farming areas, milling machines, and local homes and farmlands, getting to know the local community and their way of life. Later, we’ll enjoy a scrumptious local dinner in town. If time permits, you might even get to witness a local cooking demonstration and see how it’s made.
Accommodation
Camping (with facilities) (1 night)
Meals
Breakfast
Lunch
Dinner
Included activities
Serengeti National Park – 4×4 Game Drive
Mto Wa Mbu – Village walk & local dinner
Day 6: Usambara Mountains
Prepare yourself for a long travel day heading for the Usambara Mountains. Stretch your legs during a brief supply stop in Arusha, then jump back in the vehicle and watch the ever-changing scenery, read your favourite book or get to really know your fellow travellers. Your base will be Lushoto – an old German colony and home to the Wasambaa people. This highland town sits at approximately 1400 metres and this evening you’ll camp in the grounds of one of the oldest hotels in Africa.
Accommodation
Camping (with facilities) (1 night)
Meals
Breakfast
Dinner
Special information
Your travel time today will be approximately 10 hours.
Day 7: Usambara Mountains
Explore the beautiful Usambara Mountains today – a lovely unspoilt area of Tanzania. Unlike the coast and the north, very few tourists visit this part of the country, so it has a freshness that can be hard to find elsewhere. As beautiful as the surrounding mountains and rainforests are, however, the real jewels here are the local people and villages. You’ll experience some hospitality on a visit to some of the small local communities. From your base, you will take a walk out to the gorgeous Irente viewpoint. It’s best to pack some water and snacks in a day pack for this trip. On your way back, visit a local cultural project based at an Irente farm and enjoy a picnic lunch.
Accommodation
Camping (with facilities) (1 night)
Meals
Breakfast
Lunch
Dinner
Included activities
Irente – Lushoto hike
Irente – Local lunch
Day 8: Dar es Salaam
Leaving the mountains behind, travel further south to the coastal town of Kipepeo Beach in Dar es Salaam. Your camp at Kipepeo is by the beach, so make the most of it – perhaps take a stroll along the shore after you arrive and settle in.
Accommodation
Camping (with facilities) (1 night)
Meals
Breakfast
Lunch
Dinner
Special information
Your travel time today will be approximately 9 hours.
Tonight’s camp is on the grounds of a hotel, so accommodation upgrades are usually possible (subject to availability).
Day 9: Stone Town
Rise and shine to catch a ferry to Zanzibar. Filled with pristine white-sand beaches, winding cobblestone alleyways and fragrant bazaars, Zanzibar has had a colourful history – everything from slave traders to Arabian sultans and fruit exporters. The sight of traditional dhows sailing along the coast evokes what the island must have been like in centuries ago. Explore the many charms of Stone Town, the historic part of Zanzibar’s main city, with a local guide. Taste the local delicacies and gain insight into daily local life living on Zanzibar.
Accommodation
Hotel (1 night)
Meals
Breakfast
Included activities
Stone Town – Street Food Tour
Special information
The ferry from Dar Es Salaam to Stone Town takes approximately 2 hours and usually departs at 9 am, arriving at 11 am. Occasionally, you may travel on the earlier departure (7 am), which arrives at 9 am.
As this is a combination trip the composition of your group may change at this location. There will be a group meeting to discuss the next stage of your itinerary and meet your new fellow travellers. Please note the Zanzibar portion of your itinerary may have more passengers than the maximum group size of 22 as we have a crossover of trips starting and finishing in Zanzibar.
Day 10: Zanzibar Northern Beaches
Once checked out of your Stone Town accommodation, consider booking in to an optional guided tour of the island’s spice plantations, learning all about the history of this town’s spice trade. You will have the opportunity to smell and taste various spices, such as cinnamon, vanilla and ginger, plus sample some teas made with these spices too. After lunch, head to the Northern Beaches, where white sands and sparkling blue seas await. This is the Indian Ocean at its best.
Accommodation
Bungalow (1 night)
Meals
Breakfast
Add on activities
Zanzibar – Spice tour – USD25
Special information
If you choose not to book in on the optional Zanzibar spice tour this morning, you will be transported directly to the island’s Northern Beaches.
Day 11: Zanzibar Northern Beaches
Enjoy free time in this beautiful archipelago today. There are many ways you can spend your day – perhaps talk to your leader for any recommendations they might have. Snorkelling in search of exotic fish is an excellent option, or you could take a traditional dhow boat on the water. You might also like to feast on a sumptuous lunch of grilled local seafood, or just relax in a hammock underneath a coconut tree with a good book. It’s totally up to you!
Accommodation
Bungalow (1 night)
Meals
Breakfast
Add on activities
Zanzibar – Dhow Trip – USD60
Zanzibar – Snorkelling – USD60
Day 12: Stone Town
After checking out of your accommodation this morning, you will make your way back to Stone Town, arriving at a centrally-located hotel around 12 pm. With no activities planned for today, you are free to leave at any time. That doesn’t mean your adventure has to come to an end! If you wish to stay on in Zanzibar, either at the Northern Beaches beach resort or in Stone Town, we’ll be happy to organise additional accommodation (subject to availability).
Meals
Breakfast
Special information
If you wish to organise onward transfers today, please note that the easiest option is to fly out of Zanzibar Airport. However, if you have arranged to fly out of Dar es Salaam Airport, ferries depart Zanzibar at 7.30 am, 9.30 am, 12.30 pm and 3.30 pm. It’s important to allow enough time to get back to mainland Africa if you need to catch your departing flight from Dar es Salaam. Speak to your group leader earlier in your trip for more information.
View this trip in reverse
Inclusions
Meals
11 breakfasts, 6 lunches, 7 dinners
Transport
Overland vehicle, 4×4 Safari Vehicle, Ferry, Minibus
Accommodation
Camping (with basic facilities) (2 nights), Camping (with facilities) (5 nights), Hotel (2 nights), Bungalow (2 nights)
Activities
Mto Wa Mbu – Village walk & local dinner
Ngorongoro Crater – 4×4 Game Drive
Serengeti National Park – 4×4 Game Drive
Irente – Lushoto hike
Irente – Local lunch
Stone Town – Street Food Tour
Add on activities
Nairobi – City Experience Urban Adventure – USD55
Serengeti National Park – Balloon Ride (from price) – USD745
Zanzibar – Spice tour – USD25
Zanzibar – Dhow Trip – USD60
Zanzibar – Snorkelling – USD60
