Home/Safari plans/Honeymoon: Serengeti Balloon & Zanzibar

Safari plan · 9 days · Serengeti & Zanzibar · Midrange

Honeymoon: Serengeti Balloon & Zanzibar

Three nights in the central Serengeti with a dawn balloon flight over the Seronera valley, then four slow nights on Zanzibar’s east coast — flown between the two, so the days go on each other rather than on the road.

ArushaSerengetiZanzibar

Request a quote →See the days

Length9 days · 8 nights

ParksSerengeti, then Zanzibar’s east coast

Starts & endsKilimanjaro Airport / Zanzibar Airport

ComfortMidrange tented camp & beach hotel

Best monthsJune–October, December–February

Overview The route Day by day Rates Where you sleep Included Add-ons When to go Flights & extras FAQ Enquire

IOverview

Three nights in the Serengeti, four on the beach, and no long drives.

Two halves, and the flights between them do the work. A night in Arusha to land, then a light aircraft to the Seronera airstrip in the middle of the Serengeti, three nights in a tented camp and a dawn balloon flight over the Seronera valley. Then another flight, to Zanzibar, and four nights on the east coast with nothing planned.

It is private on the safari days — your own vehicle and guide in the Serengeti, nobody else in it — and quiet on the beach days: no early starts after day five unless you ask for one. What it does not give you is the Ngorongoro Crater or Tarangire; adding them by road costs two or three days, and the options are below.

Major attractions · 3

01Serengeti National Park
02Balloon flight over the Seronera valley
03Zanzibar’s east coast

Trip detailsPrivate, fly-in

Tour length: 9 days · 8 nights
Country: Tanzania, mainland and Zanzibar
Start / end: Kilimanjaro Airport (JRO) in · Zanzibar (ZNZ) out
Accommodation: Midrange
Tour type: Private safari, fly-in, then beach
Group size: Maximum per vehicle
Meal plan: Full board in the Serengeti; on Zanzibar per hotel
Best period: Jun–Oct · Dec–Feb
Activity level: Easy — one early morning for the balloon

Request a free quote →Questions? WhatsApp +255 762 914 714

IIThe route

Two flights in, two flights out, and very little road.

9 days, 8 nights, 3 places to sleep. The solid line is this plan; the dotted lines are the other roads through the region. Point at a day to see its leg.

01Kilimanjaro Airport → Arusha~1 h road
02Arusha → Seronera airstrip~1½ h flight · ~½ h road · ~3 h game
03Seronera valley~6 h game
04Seronera & the central plains~8 h game
05Seronera → Arusha → Zanzibar → Paje~3 h flight · ~1½ h road · ~1 h game
06PajeTravel home
07PajeTravel home
08PajeTravel home
09Paje → Zanzibar Airport~1 h road

Overnight stopPassing throughSchematic, roughly to scale

IIIDay by day

Nine days, one at a time.

Each day lands on top of the last as you scroll: honest road time, game time, meals and where you sleep. Times are door to door in a safari vehicle and move with the season and what you stop for.

ArushaADD IMAGE · Garden path at dusk in Arusha, Mount Meru behind

01/ 09

About an hour by road. Nothing else asked of you.

03°22′S 36°41′EDay 1 · Kilimanjaro Airport → Arusha

Arrive in Arusha

Travel: ~1 h road
Game viewing: No game drive
Meals: Dinner
Sleep: Garden lodge

On landing
You are met at arrivals with your names on a sign. The drive to Arusha is about an hour, on tarmac, with Mount Meru ahead if the cloud allows.
Evening
Dinner and a short briefing: the flights, the weight limit on the light aircraft, and what the balloon morning involves. Then sleep.

Arriving late?

Most long-haul flights land in the evening. That is what this night is for.

Seronera airstripADD IMAGE · Light aircraft on the Seronera airstrip, Serengeti

02/ 09

A short drive to Arusha airport, then a light aircraft to the middle of the park.

02°27′S 34°49′EDay 2 · Arusha → Seronera airstrip

Fly into the Serengeti

Travel: ~1½ h flight + ~½ h road
Game viewing: ~3 h
Meals: B · L · D
Sleep: Permanent tented camp

Morning
To Arusha’s small domestic airport and onto a scheduled light aircraft. The flight is roughly an hour and a half, sometimes longer when it stops at other airstrips on the way.
Midday
Your guide meets you at Seronera with the vehicle. The drive to camp is already a game drive.
Afternoon
Settle in, then out again for the late afternoon, when the heat goes out of the day and the cats start to move.

Pack soft

Light aircraft take soft bags only, with a weight limit per person. We can hold anything you do not need until Zanzibar — ask us how.

Seronera valleyADD IMAGE · Hot-air balloon at sunrise over the Seronera valley, Serengeti

03/ 09

Up before dawn for the balloon, breakfast in the bush, then the day is yours.

02°27′S 34°49′EDay 3 · Seronera valley

The balloon, then the Serengeti

Travel: No transfer
Game viewing: ~6 h
Meals: B · L · D
Sleep: Same camp, second night

Before dawn
Collected from camp in the dark and driven to the launch site. The balloon lifts around sunrise and drifts with the wind over the Seronera valley for about an hour.
After landing
Breakfast in the bush where the balloon comes down, then your guide picks you up and the game drive carries on from there.
Afternoon
Back to camp for the heat of the day, or stay out — it is your vehicle. A last drive before the park’s closing time.

Weather decides

The balloon only flies when the wind and weather allow, and the pilot makes that call on the morning. If it is cancelled we try day four instead; ask us what happens to the cost if it cannot fly at all.

Central Serengeti

04/ 09

No transfer, no alarm unless you want one.

02°27′S 34°49′EDay 4 · Seronera & the central plains

The Serengeti, at your own pace

Travel: No transfer
Game viewing: ~8 h
Meals: B · picnic L · D
Sleep: Same camp, third night

Morning
Out at first light if you want the cats at their most active; out after breakfast if you would rather not. Either way the guide plans around you.
Midday
A picnic under a tree, just the two of you and the guide, or back to camp for a long lunch.
Afternoon
One last drive through the kopjes and along the Seronera river, back before dark.

Where the migration is

The central Serengeti has resident lion, leopard and cheetah all year. The great herds are in the far south roughly December to March and the far north roughly July to October — to be among them, see ‘Make it yours’.

PajeADD IMAGE · Light aircraft over the Zanzibar coastline

05/ 09

Two flights and an hour on the road. You arrive on the coast in the afternoon or evening.

06°16′S 39°32′EDay 5 · Seronera → Arusha → Zanzibar → Paje

From the bush to the beach

Travel: ~3 h flight + ~1½ h road
Game viewing: ~1 h
Meals: B · L · D
Sleep: Small beach hotel

Morning
A last short game drive on the way to the Seronera airstrip, then a light aircraft back to Arusha, often with a stop or two.
Midday
A change of plane in Arusha for the flight to Zanzibar, about an hour and a half.
Afternoon
Met at Zanzibar airport by a driver and taken across the island to Paje, roughly an hour. The first swim depends on the tide.

A travel day

The schedules set the hours, and they are not guaranteed to the minute. Nothing else is planned for today.

Zanzibar

06/ 09

No early start, no vehicle, no timetable.

06°16′S 39°32′EDay 6 · Paje

Zanzibar, nothing planned

Travel: No transfer
Game viewing: No game drive
Meals: Breakfast; other meals per hotel plan
Sleep: Same hotel

Morning
Breakfast when you want it. The east coast is tidal: at low tide the sea goes a long way out and you walk the flats; at high tide it comes right up to the beach.
Afternoon
Swim at high water, sleep through the heat, walk the beach at low tide.

The tide

Swimming on the east coast depends on the tide. If a beach you can swim from at any hour matters most, Nungwi in the north is the change to make.

PajeADD IMAGE · Dhow under sail off Zanzibar’s east coast at sunset

07/ 09

One excursion if you want one; the beach if you do not.

06°16′S 39°32′EDay 7 · Paje

Zanzibar, a day on the water or none

Travel: No transfer
Game viewing: No game drive
Meals: Breakfast; other meals per hotel plan
Sleep: Same hotel

Morning
If you want to do something, a dhow trip on the lagoon, snorkelling on the reef or Jozani forest for the red colobus monkeys are all within reach. We book them locally, with a local guide.
Evening
Dinner at the hotel or somewhere along the beach. Tell us in advance if you would like something arranged for an occasion, and we will say honestly what the hotel can do.

PajeADD IMAGE · Palm-fringed beach at low tide, Paje, Zanzibar

08/ 09

A day with nothing in it on purpose.

06°16′S 39°32′EDay 8 · Paje

Zanzibar, the last full day

Travel: No transfer
Game viewing: No game drive
Meals: Breakfast; other meals per hotel plan
Sleep: Same hotel

All day
No plans. If you have not seen Stone Town, a half-day there is possible, but it is an hour each way and most couples leave it for the variation below.
Evening
Pack loosely: tomorrow is the airport.

Zanzibar AirportADD IMAGE · Road through palm groves on Zanzibar

09/ 09

Roughly an hour by road to the airport.

06°10′S 39°11′EDay 9 · Paje → Zanzibar Airport

To the airport and home

Travel: ~1 h road
Game viewing: No game drive
Meals: Breakfast
Sleep: Homeward

Morning
Breakfast and check-out. Ask the hotel about a late room if your flight is in the evening — it is not always possible.
Departure
A driver takes you to Zanzibar airport, roughly an hour, timed to your flight.

IVRates

Priced by group size, because the vehicle is shared.

Park fees, accommodation, vehicle, guide and meals as listed — per person, no booking fees. Rates move with the month and lodge availability; your quote is fixed once you book.

Midrange · price per person, sharing
Group size	1 person	2 people	3 people	4 people	5 people	6 people
From year	rate	rate	rate	rate	rate	rate

Single supplementamount

Children

Child policy: ages, sharing discount, lodge minimum ages

Luxury · price per person, sharing
Group size	1 person	2 people	3 people	4 people	5 people	6 people
From year	rate	rate	rate	rate	rate	rate

Single supplementamount

Children

Child policy: ages, sharing discount, lodge minimum ages

What moves the price

What changes itHow much

The month you travel
July to October and the Christmas weeks are peak rates in the Serengeti and on Zanzibar. April and May are the lowest, and some places close.
The light-aircraft flights
Three scheduled flights are a large share of this plan’s price, and they cost the same whether you are two or six.
The balloon
A fixed price per person, set by the operator, on its own line.
Where you sleep
A beach villa with its own pool can cost several times a standard room in the same hotel.
Park fees
Fixed per person per day by the authorities, and the same whoever you book with. We show them as their own line.

Not sure which level suits you? Tell us your dates, group and budget and we will send an itemised quote with named properties.

Request a free quote →

On request

VWhere you sleep

Three places in eight nights, and you unpack properly in two of them.

Each night is described by type first, because the right camp depends on your month. The properties we normally use at each level are listed below; your quote confirms them against availability.

Night 11×

Arusha

Garden lodge or small hotel

One night to land and sleep before the light aircraft. Close to the domestic airport.

Midrange here means: En-suite room, hot water, mains power, Wi-Fi.
Step up: A coffee-estate lodge on the slopes of Meru.

Nights 2–43×

Central Serengeti

Permanent tented camp

Three nights in one camp: close to the balloon launch, no packing, and a spare morning if the balloon cannot fly.

Midrange here means: En-suite tent, hot shower (sometimes bucket-filled), power in the evenings, no fence.
Step up: A smaller camp with fewer tents, spaced further apart, for more privacy.

Nights 5–84×

Zanzibar east coast

Small beach hotel

Four nights is enough to stop moving. Paje is quieter than the north of the island.

Midrange here means: Air-conditioned or fan-cooled room, en-suite, pool or beach access.
Step up: A villa or suite with its own plunge pool, set apart from the other rooms.

The properties we use

Where	Midrange	Luxury
Arusha	property	property
Central Serengeti	property	property
Zanzibar east coast	property	property

What ‘midrange’ means on this trip

En-suite everywhere. Your own bathroom every night, including in the Serengeti.
A proper double. We ask each property for a double bed, not twins; tell us it is a honeymoon and we pass that on.
Power. Mains in Arusha and on Zanzibar; solar or generator hours in the Serengeti camp. Bring a power bank.
Food. Full board in the Serengeti. On Zanzibar the meal plan depends on the hotel — your quote will say which.

VIThe fine print

What is in the price, and what isn’t.

✓Included

Private 4×4 safari vehicle in the SerengetiPop-up roof, window seat each, yours alone
A professional driver-guideFor the Serengeti days
Scheduled light-aircraft flightsArusha → Serengeti, Serengeti → Arusha → Zanzibar
One balloon flight eachWeather permitting. Priced on its own line on your quote
All park and conservation feesItemised on your quote
Eight nights’ accommodationAs described above
Meals as listed each dayFull board in the Serengeti
TransfersKilimanjaro Airport to Arusha; Zanzibar airport to Paje and back, by a driver

–Not included

International flights
Tanzanian visaApply online before you travel
Travel insuranceRequired. It must cover medical evacuation
Tips for guide and camp staffWe send guidance with your booking
Drinks at lodges, camps and the hotelUnless the property includes them
Excursions on ZanzibarDhow trips, snorkelling, Jozani, Stone Town

VIIAdd-ons & changes

The plan is a starting point, not a package.

The changes people ask for most, each with what it costs you in days or hours. Not in the standard price — arranged on request, and most can be combined.

+1 nightprice

A night in Stone Town

Stop in Stone Town on the way to the coast: an evening in the old town and a morning walk before the drive east.

Makes senseIf you want some of the island’s history, not only its beach

Zanzibar →

Same lengthprice

Nungwi instead of Paje

The north of the island is less tidal, so you can swim at most hours, and the sunsets are over the sea. It is also busier.

Makes senseWhen swimming matters more than quiet

Zanzibar →

+2–3 nightsprice

Add the Ngorongoro Crater

Drive into the Serengeti via Tarangire and the crater instead of flying in, and fly out as planned. More road, more parks.

Makes senseWhen it is your only safari

The Ngorongoro Crater →

+2 nightsprice

The northern Serengeti, for the river

Fly on to the Mara River region for the crossings instead of staying central.

Makes senseJuly to October

The migration month by month →

Same lengthprice

Pemba instead of Zanzibar

The quieter island to the north, reached by a further short flight. Fewer hotels, fewer people, good diving.

Makes senseWhen privacy matters most

Pemba →

Same lengthprice

The balloon, honestly

What the flight is like, what it costs, and the mornings it does not fly.

Makes senseBefore you book

The balloon flight →

VIIIWhen to go

Rated for this route, not for the country.

The Serengeti half is at its best from June to October and from December to February. April and May are the long rains in the north — and on Zanzibar too, where some beach hotels close for the season and the sea is rougher. November brings shorter rains to both. If your wedding date is fixed, tell us the month and we will say honestly what each half will be like.

Jan

Dry spell, green plains

Feb

Calving in the south

Mar

Rains building

Apr

Long rains

May

Rains easing

Jun

Dry season begins

Jul

Dry, busy, cool

Aug

Dry, busy

Sep

Dry, Tarangire at its best

Oct

Dry, dusty

Nov

Short rains

Dec

Green, quieter

Three bars — the route at its bestTwo — good, with trade-offsOne — possible, and quiet

IXFlights & extras

Getting there.

Arrive

Kilimanjaro International (JRO)

About an hour by road from Arusha, and the airport most long-haul connections use. Land any time on day one — the first night exists to absorb late arrivals.

Between

Arusha ↔ Serengeti ↔ Zanzibar

Scheduled light aircraft: Arusha to the Seronera airstrip on day two, and Seronera to Zanzibar on day five, changing planes in Arusha. Light aircraft often stop at other airstrips on the way. Soft bags only, with a weight limit — ask us for the current figure.

Depart

Abeid Amani Karume International, Zanzibar (ZNZ)

Paje is roughly an hour by road from the airport. Allow for that, and the check-in time, before an international flight.

What else to budget.

Not part of the safari price, in order of how much they matter.

Tanzanian visaApply online before travel
Current fee
Travel insuranceMust cover medical evacuation
Typical cost
TipsGuide and camp staff, per day
Guideline
DrinksAt lodges and camps
Typical range
Personal spendingLaundry, crafts, extras
Varies
Zanzibar entry requirementIsland levy or insurance, if applicable
Current requirement

XWhy book with us

Only what we can prove.

Arusha, since 2010

A Tanzanian company, locally owned, running safaris and climbs from Arusha for more than fifteen years.

Licensed and registered

TALA-licensed through the Tanzania Tourist Board and registered with BRELA. Ask us for the numbers; we will send them.

Your own guide on safari

In the Serengeti one guide and one vehicle are yours alone. On Zanzibar you are met and moved by a driver, and any excursion you choose goes with a local guide.

Every fee on its own line

Park, conservation and concession fees are shown separately on your quote, so you can see exactly what goes to the authorities.

XIQuestions

10 days · Serengeti & ZanzibarSerengeti & Zanzibar, Bush and BeachRead the plan →

12 days · North & southGrand Tanzania, North and SouthRead the plan →

7 days · Northern circuitThe Great Midrange JourneyRead the plan →

3 days · Northern circuitTarangire, Ngorongoro & Manyara ExpressRead the plan →

Ten parks, three circuits.

Where the trip lands.

The roof of Africa.

The people behind the journey.

How you see it.

Honest reasons a trip costs less.

Out and back before dark.

Honeymoon: Serengeti Balloon & Zanzibar

Three nights in the Serengeti, four on the beach, and no long drives.

Two flights in, two flights out, and very little road.

Nine days, one at a time.

Arrive in Arusha

Fly into the Serengeti

The balloon, then the Serengeti

The Serengeti, at your own pace

From the bush to the beach

Zanzibar, nothing planned

Zanzibar, a day on the water or none

Zanzibar, the last full day

To the airport and home

Priced by group size, because the vehicle is shared.

What moves the price

The month you travel

The light-aircraft flights

The balloon

Where you sleep

Park fees

Three places in eight nights, and you unpack properly in two of them.

Arusha

Central Serengeti

Zanzibar east coast

The properties we use

What ‘midrange’ means on this trip

What is in the price, and what isn’t.

✓Included

–Not included

The plan is a starting point, not a package.

A night in Stone Town

Nungwi instead of Paje

Add the Ngorongoro Crater

The northern Serengeti, for the river

Pemba instead of Zanzibar

The balloon, honestly

Rated for this route, not for the country.

Getting there.

Kilimanjaro International (JRO)

Arusha ↔ Serengeti ↔ Zanzibar

Abeid Amani Karume International, Zanzibar (ZNZ)

What else to budget.

Only what we can prove.

Arusha, since 2010

Licensed and registered

Your own guide on safari

Every fee on its own line

The ones we are asked most.

Is the balloon guaranteed?

Why fly rather than drive?

Can we swim at Paje?

Is there anything special for honeymooners?

How much luggage can we bring?

Which months are best?

Send us your dates. We will send you the real version.

Asante — it is with us.