10days 11Nights Honeymoon Tanzania and Zanzibar

Pickup from Kilimanjaro International Airport or your connecting flight. The drive to central Arusha takes about 45 minutes on a clear day. Check in, rest, early dinner. We run through the route, confirm tomorrow's pickup time, and answer any last questions. The first game drive is in the morning.

Activities : Swimming

Accommodation : Arusha Coffee Lodge [ 4 Star ]

Pickup at 7:00am. The drive to Tarangire's main gate is about two hours, heading southeast through Maasai country before the acacia scrub thickens and the first baobabs appear. Tarangire holds the highest elephant density of any park on the northern circuit during the dry season, with herds of 150 or more common along the river. Enter through the main gate and head south toward the Silale area. Three to four hours of game driving before sunset check-in. Champagne on arrival at the lodge.

Activities : Game Drives

Accommodation : Tarangire Treetops Lodge or similar [ 4 Star ]

Full day inside the park. Early start before 7:00am while the air is cool. The Silale Swamp in the south draws species you will not find elsewhere on this route: fringe-eared oryx, the gerenuk (a long-necked antelope that browses standing upright on its hind legs), and tree-climbing pythons in the riverside fig trees. The park covers nearly 3,000 square kilometres. One full day covers the core areas properly. Private sundowners in the park in the late afternoon.

Activities : Game Drives

Accommodation : Tarangire Treetops Lodge or similar [ 4 Star ]

Depart after breakfast. The drive to the Serengeti takes about six hours with stops. You climb through the Ngorongoro highlands, pass through the Conservation Area, and stop at Olduvai Gorge before Naabi Hill Gate. Olduvai is where Mary Leakey found the skull of Paranthropus boisei in 1959, a hominid who walked these plains 1.8 million years ago. The resident guide at the gorge does a 20-minute talk at the excavation site. Worth every minute. Arrive at Seronera by late afternoon for a first drive on the plains.

Activities : Game Drives

Accommodation : Serengeti Serena Safari Lodge or similar tented camp [ 4 Star ]

The Seronera Valley is the most consistent area for big cats year-round. Leopards rest in the sausage trees above the river. Lions claim the kopjes, granite outcrops roughly 600 million years old, visible for kilometres across the plains. Cheetahs work the open short-grass south of the valley. Optional: hot air balloon departure at 5:30am, one hour over the plains, champagne bush breakfast on landing. $590 per person, booked in advance. For honeymoon couples, it is the single best add-on on this route. Nothing else comes close.

Activities : Game Drives

Accommodation : Serengeti Serena Safari Lodge or similar tented camp [ 4 Star ]

Final morning game drive in the Serengeti, then depart through Naabi Hill Gate. The drive to the crater rim takes about three and a half hours, climbing the outer caldera slopes through montane forest thick with olive trees and giant heather. Arrive at the rim in time for lunch. The crater floor is 600 metres below. On a clear afternoon, you can see the wildebeest herds from the lodge terrace. The crater descent starts at 6:00am tomorrow.

Activities : Game Drives

Accommodation : Ngorongoro Serena Safari Lodge or similar rim lodge [ 4 Star ]

The descent begins at 6:00am before the tourist vehicles. The track drops 600 metres over 30 minutes of steep switchbacks through cloud forest. On the crater floor: approximately 120 lions, 50 black rhino, 15,000 wildebeest, 9,000 zebra, 400 hyenas. The black rhino population here is the densest in Africa. Lake Magadi on the western floor draws flamingos and hippos. Private picnic lunch arranged on the crater floor today. All vehicles must ascend by 6:00pm. You have the full day.

Activities : Game Drives

Accommodation : Ngorongoro Serena Safari Lodge or similar rim lodge [ 4 Star ]

Breakfast on the rim, then drive to Arusha (about three hours). Coastal Aviation flight from Arusha to Zanzibar departs midday, arriving approximately one hour forty-five minutes later. Transfer directly to your beach property. The afternoon is yours. This is the day the trip changes gear completely. The Indian Ocean is warm, the schedule disappears, and the next three days have no agenda.

Activities : Game Drives

Accommodation : Beach resort, north or east coast Zanzibar [ 4 Star ]

Morning on the beach. Optional Stone Town in the afternoon, a 20-minute drive from most properties. Stone Town is a UNESCO World Heritage site, a compact Arab trading city with carved wooden doors, winding alleyways, and a spice market that has been operating for 200 years. Freddie Mercury was born here in 1946. Sunset dhow cruise from the harbour: 90 minutes on the water, local food and drinks included. This is the honeymoon dinner.

Activities : Adventure

Accommodation : Beach resort, north or east coast Zanzibar [ 4 Star ]

No fixed agenda. Snorkeling at Mnemba Atoll is a half-day boat trip: turtles, reef fish, and dolphins if the timing is right ($80-100 per person). A spice tour is a three-hour walk through a working plantation ($30 per person, bookable through the resort). Spa treatments can be arranged at your property. Or just the beach. Last evening in Tanzania.

Activities : Adventure

Accommodation : Beach resort, north or east coast Zanzibar [ 4 Star ]

Breakfast, checkout, transfer to Zanzibar International Airport. Most international connections route through Nairobi, Doha, Dubai, or Addis Ababa. Check with your airline on connection times before booking your international flights.

Activities : Adventure