Tanzania & Zanzibar Luxury Fly-in — 9 Days

Day-by-day itinerary

1. 1

   Arrive Arusha — Gateway to the Northern Circuit

   Your safari begins at Kilimanjaro International Airport or Arusha Airport, where an AECONS representative meets you and transfers you to your overnight hotel in Arusha — the bustling highland town that sits between Mount Kilimanjaro and Mount Meru. Use the afternoon to rest, explore the vibrant local market, or visit the Cultural Heritage Centre for a taste of Tanzanian art and jewellery. A welcome dinner and full safari briefing from your guide sets the tone for the adventure ahead.

   🏨 Arusha Coffee Lodge or similar 🍽 D
2. 2

   Fly to Tarangire — Elephants and Baobabs

   After an early breakfast you transfer to Arusha Airport for your light-aircraft flight south to Tarangire National Park, touching down on a bush airstrip fringed by the iconic landscapes you have only seen in photographs. Tarangire is Tanzania's best-kept secret: in the dry season the Tarangire River becomes the sole water source for the region, pulling in elephant herds of 200 or more, lion prides, fringe-eared oryx and vast flocks of birds including the striking yellow-collared lovebird. Your afternoon game drive takes you beneath cathedral-like baobabs while your guide unravels the intricate web of savanna life.

   🏨 Oliver's Camp or Tarangire Treetops 🍽 B, L, D
3. 3

   Full Day Tarangire — Deep Into the Wilderness

   A full, unhurried day in Tarangire allows you to move at your own pace, following wildlife rather than a fixed route. Morning light is ideal for photography as lion cubs play near their mothers and elephants wade through the shallows of the river. A packed bush lunch can be taken under an acacia tree before afternoon drives venture into the Silale Swamps, a year-round magnet for buffalo herds and the elusive greater kudu. As the sun sets, return to camp for sundowners around the fire and a star-filled night sky unmarked by city light.

   🏨 Oliver's Camp or Tarangire Treetops 🍽 B, L, D
4. 4

   Fly to Central Serengeti — The Endless Plains

   A morning game drive en route to the airstrip captures Tarangire's golden early light before your light aircraft lifts off northward, revealing the patchwork of savanna and woodland stretching toward the Rift Valley escarpment. Landing in the central Serengeti — near Seronera — you are met by your camp vehicle and driven to your luxury tented camp in the heart of Tanzania's most celebrated national park. An afternoon game drive into the Seronera Valley, renowned for resident leopard and lion, introduces you to the scale and silence of the Serengeti. Sundowners on the open plains as wildebeest silhouettes drift across the horizon mark your first magical evening in this iconic landscape.

   🏨 Four Seasons Safari Lodge Serengeti or Singita Sabora Tented Camp 🍽 B, L, D
5. 5

   Full Day Serengeti — Big Cats and Open Plains

   Rise before dawn for a game drive timed to catch predators active in the cool early hours — cheetah mothers scanning the plains for Thomson's gazelle, or a pride of lions sprawled across a kopje warming themselves in the first rays of sunrise. The Serengeti's vast network of tracks allows your guide to range widely, tracking radio-collared lion prides or following fresh leopard prints to a fig-draped riverine tree. A bush lunch in the shade of an acacia returns energy for an afternoon drive that might reveal painted wolves (African wild dogs) trotting in formation or a hippo pool alive with territorial bellowing. Return to camp for a private dinner under the stars.

   🏨 Four Seasons Safari Lodge Serengeti or Singita Sabora Tented Camp 🍽 B, L, D
6. 6

   Serengeti to Ngorongoro — Crater Rim Sunset

   A final morning game drive in the Serengeti makes the most of the light aircraft's flexible departure time before you board for the scenic flight south to Ngorongoro. Landing at the highland airstrip you transfer up a winding road through Afromontane forest — home to olive baboon and Colobus monkey — to the crater rim at 2,286 metres, where the air is cool and the views across the caldera are simply breathtaking. Check in to your crater-rim lodge and spend the late afternoon on the deck watching clouds roll across the ancient volcanic floor 600 metres below, as the colours shift from gold to crimson at sunset.

   🏨 Ngorongoro Crater Lodge or &Beyond Ngorongoro Crater Lodge 🍽 B, L, D
7. 7

   Ngorongoro Crater — The World's Greatest Natural Zoo

   Descend at dawn into the Ngorongoro Crater, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and natural fortress sheltering one of the densest concentrations of wildlife on the planet within its 260-square-kilometre floor. The crater's permanent water — Lake Magadi's soda flats, the Lerai Forest springs and the Munge River — sustains wildebeest, zebra, hippo, buffalo and the Big Five year-round, with black rhino sightings among the most reliable in Africa. Your guide navigates the crater floor seeking out hunting lion, grazing elephant bulls (no breeding herds descend permanently) and the vivid pink carpet of flamingos on the soda lake. A picnic lunch at the hippo pool completes one of Africa's most extraordinary game-drive experiences before you ascend back to the rim for a celebratory sundowner.

   🏨 Ngorongoro Crater Lodge or &Beyond Ngorongoro Crater Lodge 🍽 B, L, D
8. 8

   Fly to Zanzibar — Indian Ocean Arrival

   After a leisurely breakfast on the crater rim savour the final panoramic views before transferring to the airstrip for your connecting flights to Zanzibar's Abeid Amani Karume International Airport — the gateway to the Spice Island. On arrival you are met and driven to your beachfront resort, with the choice of Stone Town's UNESCO-listed historic quarter, the coral-reef snorkelling of the east coast, or the powder-sand bays of the north. The afternoon is entirely your own: plunge into the warm turquoise Indian Ocean, enjoy a traditional Swahili seafood dinner, or simply fall asleep to the sound of waves.

   🏨 Zuri Zanzibar or Baraza Resort & Spa 🍽 B, D
9. 9

   Zanzibar — Departure

   Your final morning in Zanzibar is yours to enjoy at leisure — a last swim in the Indian Ocean, a stroll through the spice markets of Stone Town, or a leisurely brunch on the beach terrace. Your AECONS representative arranges a timely transfer to the airport for your onward international flight, leaving you with memories of vast savanna skies, volcanic craters teeming with wildlife, and the gentle rhythm of the Swahili coast. Safe travels and asante sana — thank you — for travelling with us.

   🍽 B