This 21 Days Tanzania Zanzibar Grand Holiday Tour highlights 3 weeks of Wildlife Adventure, Beach holiday and Relaxation. This 21 days tour is perfect for clients who want to visit Tanzania once and never return. It highlights most of the greatest sights in both the northern and southern circuit destinations.
Tanzania Zanzibar Grand Holiday Highlights
- Day 1: Arrival and transfer to Arusha
- Day 2: Relaxation day in Arusha
- Day 3: Transfer to Lake Manyara National Park & Karatu
- Day 4: Ngorongoro Crater exploration and transfer to Serengeti National Park
- Day 5: Serengeti National Park full day Exploration
- Day 6: Transfer to Karatu village
- Day 7: Transfer to Tarangire National Park via Mto wa Mbu village
- Day 8: Game drive in Tarangire National Park
- Day 9: Travel to Dodoma
- Day 10: Dodoma
- Day 11: Transfer to Ruaha National Park
- Day 12: Full day Game Viewing in Ruaha National Park
- Day 13: Transfer to Mikumi National Park
- Day 14: Game drives in Mikumi National Park
- Day 15: Transfer to Selous Game Reserve
- Day 16: Half day game drive and boat safari in Selous Game reserve
- Days 17 – 20: Domestic flight and Beach holiday in Zanzibar Island
- Day 21: Departure
Detailed Itinerary
Day 1: Arrival and transfer to Arusha
Our company driver / guide will meet you at the airport for pick up and transfer to your hotel / lodge in Arusha for dinner and overnight stay.
Day 2: Relaxation day in Arusha
You have got a lot of action coming up in the next days. Lots of driving from point A to point B. So this day is set aside for relaxation, resting from the long flight and last minute shopping for any essentials that you will need on this 3 weeks African Safari. Dinner and overnight stay at your hotel / lodge.
Day 3: Transfer to Lake Manyara National Park & Karatu
Let the wildlife adventure begin. Your driver / guide will pick you up from your hotel in Arusha after breakfast and you hit the road to the Lake Manyara National Park one of Tanzania’s medley parks. When it comes to spotting elephants in the wild, Lake Manyara NP is the place to be. Its famous tree climbing lions are a breathtaking sight. The park is also home to other animals like giraffes, zebras, impalas, wildebeests, troupes of baboons and different species of birds. After the game drive, you will hit the road to Karatu for an overnight and dinner at your camp / lodge.
Day 4: Ngorongoro Crater exploration and transfer to Serengeti National Park
It’s time to get going and explore the natural world wonder, Ngorongoro Crater. After breakfast, you will check out and hit the road to Ngorongoro Conservation Area for a thrilling game drive on the floor of Ngorongoro Crater. This amazing and picturesque caldera is home to almost 30,000 animals. Endowed with an abundance of wildlife, the crater gives you an opportunity to spot all the members of the big 5 African animals, that is: the lions, leopards, elephants, buffaloes and black rhinos. Other animals that call this amazing caldera home include wildebeests, hyenas, zebras, warthogs, cheetahs and many more accompanied by a vast array of different bird species.
Ascend the 600 m deep crater for a picnic lunch at an allocated spot with stunning views. Later in the afternoon, you will transfer to Serengeti National Park. Spot some giraffes as you drive across the crater rim. Dinner and overnight stay at your camp / lodge in Serengeti National Park.
Day 5: Serengeti National Park full day Exploration
Wake up in one of Tanzania’s most visited game parks and experience Africa’s wildlife at its best. You will have a full day game viewing experience in Serengeti National Park. After your breakfast, you will start your day’s game viewing activity. Set out with a picnic lunch in the vast endless plains of the Serengeti NP that is home to thousands of wildlife that includes predators (lions, leopards, cheetahs, hyenas, jackals), elephants, buffalos, rhinos (rare sightings), giraffes, zebras, giraffes, warthogs, wildebeests, gazelles, antelopes, hippos, crocodiles and many different bird species.
You will have a chance to witness the Great annual Wildebeest Migration happen if you are lucky to be at the right place, in the right time. Especially if you have visited the park during the months of July – October. Retreat from the game drives and drive back to your camp / lodge for dinner and overnight stay.
Day 6: Transfer to Karatu village
Today you will go for a pre-sunrise game drive in Serengeti National Park, the most active time for the predators or big cats as they are more active in the cooler hours of the day, giving you chances of to witness some morning hunt action or catch them feasting on their morning hunt. Watch the park come to life as the sunrises and see the wildlife start to prepare for a new day in the endless plains of Serengeti National Park. Drive back to your camp / lodge for a full delicious breakfast after which you will check out and depart Serengeti NP. Enjoy one more game viewing experience as you drive out of the park heading to Karatu Village where you will have dinner and overnight stay at your lodge.
Day 7: Transfer to Tarangire National Park via Mto wa Mbu village
After your breakfast, the driver will pick you up from your lodge and drive you to Tarangire National Park. You will have a stopover at Mto wa Mbu Village for a cultural experience. You can go around this culture melting village by taking on the biking tours, walking tours or hiking tours. Immerse yourself in the local people’s ways of living as you interact with them on the guided tours. Also visit a traditional Maasai boma and observe their unique culture and ways of living. After your cultural adventure, you will procced to Tarangire National Park, check into you camp / lodge for dinner and an overnight stay.
Day 8: Game drive in Tarangire National Park
Full day game viewing experience in Tarangire National Park. The park’s large elephant population, iconic baobab trees and diversity of wildlife make it one of the best parks in the country for game viewing especially during the dry season (July – October) as its main river, Tarangire River acts as a wildlife magnet to both resident animals, birds and migrants from the nearby game parks.
Both predators and grazers come around to drink water from Tarangire River, giving you an opportunity of seeing different animal species in the same place at the same time. Expect chances of seeing some predator-prey action if lucky. You will have a lunch break to have your picnic lunch at one of the allocated areas and later in the evening drive back to your camp / lodge for dinner and overnight stay.
Day 9: Travel to Dodoma
Your tour of the Northern part of Tanzania ends here. After breakfast, you will check out of your rooms and the driver will pick you up and drive you to Dodoma, the capital city of Tanzania. You will have one last game drive as you exit the park. Lunch en-route. Dinner and overnight stay will be at your hotel / lodge in Dodoma city.
Day 10: Dodoma
We dedicate this day to ample rest before we embark on more wildlife adventure in the Southern part of Tanzania. Enjoy the accommodation facility’s available amenities: swimming pool, gym or spa while reminiscing on the past wildlife experiences. You can also do some shopping for any more items that you will need for the rest of the adventure days. All meals and overnight stay at your hotel / lodge.
Day 11: Transfer to Ruaha National Park
Pick up after your breakfast and transfer to Ruaha National park. Covering an area of 20,226 sq. km, it is the 2nd largest protected area in Tanzania. Just like Tarangire NP, Ruaha NP derives its name from the great Ruaha Rive in the Southern part of the park. The river is a main game viewing point especially during the dry season when all the animals gather around the river to quench their thirst.
Animals to spot in the park include: elephants, buffalos, lions, leopards, cheetahs, hyenas, wild dogs, jackals, impalas, giraffes, zebras, waterbucks, antelopes, kudus, gazelles, hippos, crocodiles and many more with also a good number of different bird species (over 450). Dinner and overnight stay at your camp / lodge.
Day 12: Full day Game Viewing in Ruaha National Park
After breakfast in the morning with packed lunch, drive into this dramatic and scenic park for a full day game drive experience. Drive to Ruaha River and enjoy a nice view of Ruaha river valley with amazing animals sightings like Kudu, zebras, elephants, zebras, lions, hippos, hartebeest, impala, antelope, giraffe, buffalos. At the end of the day, drive back to your camp / lodge for relaxation, dinner and an overnight stay.
Day 13: Transfer to Mikumi National Park
After your breakfast, you will have one more game viewing experience as you exit Ruaha NP for the 4th largest park in Tanzania, Mikumi National Park. Strategically located between the Uluguru Mountains and the Lumango range and is only a few hours’ drive from Dar es Salaam, Tanzania’s big city. You will have your lunch en-route.
Animals to look out for once in the park include: lions, elephants, buffalos, leopards (rare sightings), giraffes, zebras, hippos, wildebeests, elands, hyenas (rare sightings), impalas, kudus and more than 400 different species of birds. Dinner and overnight stay at your camp / lodge.
Day 14: Game drives in Mikumi National Park
Full day exploration of the amazing open grasslands of Mikumi National Park. After your breakfast, you will set out to explore Mikumi’s Mkata Plains, the focal point of the park. Always populated with large herds of grazers (wildebeests, zebras, antelopes, giraffes, kudus) during the dry season. Expect to spot some predators as they hang around waiting to get a chance to hunt and for the bird lovers, the park is home to over 400 different bird species. Retreat from the day’s activity and drive back to your camp / lodge in the late afternoon for a relaxing evening, dinner and overnight stay.
Day 15: Transfer to Selous Game Reserve
After your breakfast, check out of your rooms and hit the road to one of Africa’s largest game reserves, Selous National Park covering an area of 50,000 sq.km. A very beautiful scenic park with an outstanding volume of game that can be spotted on while on a game drive or boat ride on Rufigi River. Reach the game reserve in the afternoon, have lunch and embark on an introductory afternoon game drive in the vast savanna. Dinner and overnight stay at your camp / lodge.
Day 16: Half day game drive and boat safari in Selous Game reserve
Full day exploration of Tanzania’s largest game reserve. With the high concentration of game in this game reserve. This day is headed for one thrilling game viewing adventure with chances of spotting the endangered African wild dog.
After breakfast, set out for your mid-morning game drive in this scenic game reserve. Animals to be seen include: (especially near the water sources – in large numbers in the dry season), giraffes, buffalos, zebras, hippos, crocodiles, wildebeests, waterbucks, elands, kudus, impalas, black rhinos (rare sightings), elephants (not so common) and the predators are well represented too for where there is food, they are somewhere close by on the lookout. They include: lions, hyenas, jackals, the secretive leopards and cheetahs. Drive back to the camp / lodge for lunch and a little rest.
After lunch, you will go for an afternoon boat safari. On the mighty Rufiji River for a different experience of game viewing. Spot schools of hippos, crocodiles and different bird species. Retreat from the day’s activities and have an evening of relaxation at your camp / lodge. Dinner and overnight stay.
Days 17 – 20: Domestic flight and Beach holiday in Zanzibar Island
Time to hit the beach. After a delicious breakfast at your camp / lodge. The driver with take you to the Airport for your flight the beautiful paradise of Zanzibar. The tourism of this white sand beach Island has greatly grown over the years attracting many tourists from different parts of the world.
Once you arrive in Zanzibar, you will be driven to your accommodation facility of your choice. Check in and relaxation. You will have 4 days to fully explore. Enjoy the white sand beaches and crystal clear blue waters of the Indian Ocean. You can choose to relax at your beach resort, tale beach walks. Play beach games or opt to choose to go for any of the following excursions in Zanzibar. Stone Town tour, Spice tour, Prison Island Tour, Jozani Forest walk, Safari Blue Tour, Dhow cruises, Dolphin Tours and many more options to choose from.
Day 21: Departure
Your wildlife and beach holiday adventures end today. Hopefully your time spent in Tanzania has been worth it. After breakfast at your beach resort, depending on your flight time. You can have a few hours of relaxation and shopping for souvenirs. Before your driver drops you at the airport in Zanzibar. For your domestic flight to Dar es Salaam to catch your flight back home.
