Road to Zanzibar

12 Days | Safari to sea on an overland African adventure

4.9 out of 5 based on 120 reviews submitted.
Overland
Wildlife
From
EUR €1,554
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Travel overland on a 12-day eastern Africa experience all the way to Zanzibar. Whether you’re spotting lions deep in the Serengeti, hiking a lush mountain trail in the Usambara Mountains, cruising on a traditional dhow in the Indian Ocean’s azure waters or interacting with local communities near Mto wa Mbu, you’re set to learn a thing or two about the wonders of these lands and its people. Travel with an expert local leader and a group of likeminded adventurers keen to scour every inch of the Ngorongoro Crater for the Big Five and share travel stories over a seafood meal in Zanzibar.

Trip overview

Map of Road To Zanzibar including Kenya and Tanzania, United Republic Of
Start
Nairobi, Kenya
Finish
Zanzibar, Africa
Theme
Overland, Wildlife
Destinations
Tanzania, Kenya
Physical rating
Indicates how physically exerting a trip is, and how fit you will need to be to enjoy it. More info on physical ratings
Style
Basix
Ages
Min 15
Group size
Min 1 - Max 22
Trip code
YXODC
This trip generates 31 kg of CO2-e per person per day.
We offset these emissions on your behalf. But we know that is not enough, so we also have a carbon reduction target.

Why you'll love this trip
  • Explore the Serengeti, a wildlife arena like no other, and look for lions, leopards, elephants and giraffes in this iconic park.
  • Take a mind-blowing safari across the floor of the Ngorongoro Crater in an open-roof 4WD vehicle for a chance to see the endangered black rhinoceros.
  • Embark on a hike through the Usambara Mountains to the Irente viewpoint, then stop at a farm on the way back for a picnic lunch.
  • Wander around Stone Town’s bustling bazaars and fragrant spice markets, and consider heading on an optional guided tour of the island’s spice plantations.
  • Accompanied by a local crew — a leader, driver and cook – you'll be in excellent hands for the duration of your adventure.

Is this trip right for you?
  • This is an overland trip. That means you’ll be travelling with a group in a purpose-built vehicle, visiting remote communities, setting up your own tent, occasionally roughing it in the bush with no facilities, and getting the best possible views of the Big Five. While the trucks don’t have air conditioning, they do have sliding windows which let in the breeze and make it even easier to take spectacular snaps of the local wildlife. The drive days can be long, but it’s as much about the journey as the destination, and half the fun is the camaraderie. For more info on this style of travel, see our Africa overland page: https://www.intrepidtravel.com/africa/overland
  • Camp in the Serengeti National Park itself without fences between you and the animals. Your leader will brief you on the safety measures the group will need to take for the two nights spent in the park.
  • As the early bird catches the worm, the early camper sights the animals. There will be many early starts either to make use of the better safari time or to beat the morning traffic on long travel days.

Itinerary

Map of Road To Zanzibar including Kenya and Tanzania, United Republic Of

Inclusions

Meals

11 breakfasts, 6 lunches, 7 dinners

Transport

Overland vehicle, 4x4 Safari Vehicle, Ferry, Minibus

Accommodation

Camping (with basic facilities) (2 nights), Camping (with facilities) (5 nights), Hotel (2 nights), Bungalow (2 nights)

Activities
  • Ngorongoro Crater - 4x4 Game Drive
  • Serengeti National Park - 4x4 Game Drive
  • Mto Wa Mbu - Village walk & local dinner
  • 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 - Snorkelling - USD50
  • Zanzibar - Dhow Trip - USD35

Dates and availability

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Important notes

1. A single supplement is available if you’d prefer not to share a room on this trip. The single supplement applies to all nights of your trip and is subject to availability. Please speak to your booking agent for further information.
2. An optional sunrise balloon ride in the Serengeti National Park is possible on this itinerary. Please see the itinerary above for full details of this activity. As the balloon only holds 16 people, places are limited, and we recommend you book in advance. Please inquire when booking your trip to book this optional activity.
3. This trip is a combination of YXON and YXOP of our most popular itineraries. As such the make up of your group and your leader may change on Day 9.
4. The Zanzibar portion of your itinerary may have a few more passengers than the maximum group size of 22 as we have a crossover of trips starting and finishing in Zanzibar.
5. This trip starts in Nairobi on Day 1 at 6pm. This allows time after the welcome meeting to explore the National Museum of Kenya, the Karen Blixen Museum or the Bomas of Kenya. This trip finishes upon arrival in Stone Town on Day 12. Please do not book any flights until after 12 pm this afternoon.

Essential Trip Information

Want an in-depth insight into this trip? Essential Trip Information provides a detailed itinerary, visa info, how to get to your hotel, what's included - pretty much everything you need to know about this adventure and more.

Read Essential Trip Information

Reviews

4.9 out of 5 based on 120 reviews submitted.
Reviews are from travellers who have completed their trip and want to share their experience. We show all reviews, but may remove any that include profanity or inappropriate content, are unrelated to the trip or reveal personal details.

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Gill · Traveled January 2024
This was a very enjoyable trip with a very eclectic mix of nationalities and ages. Age range 25 to 85. Our guide Labo was fantastic, as was our chef Dawid and driver Sam and Trainee Ray. They were all very helpful with putting up and taking down the tents, quite often in the dark. The journeys were long and the mornings early but obviously necessary. We saw the big 5 and so much more. The rest came at the end in Zanzibar which was wonderful. We loved it so much, staying an extra 4 days.
Review submitted 14 Feb 2024

Karl · Traveled January 2024
We thoroughly enjoyed this Road to Zanzibar trip. The experiences we had in the Serengeti, Usambara Mountains and Zanzibar beaches were outstanding. The Intrepid team took excellent care of us, making sure we were safe and extremely well fed. We highly recommend the accommodation upgrades where they are possible.
Review submitted 17 Jan 2024

Amy · Traveled January 2024
Great trip! Excellent value for money seeing the "real Africa" highly recommended to get the most out of Tanzania and Zanzibar!
Review submitted 18 Jan 2024

Natalie · Traveled November 2023
Amazing tour. From start to finish this has been incredible. It’s impossible to choose a favourite activity or place as they have all been so unique and wonderful.
Review submitted 29 Nov 2023

James · Traveled October 2023
Absolutely fantastic. The perfect combination of safaris, sight seeing and relaxing. Couldn’t recommend enough.
Review submitted 09 Nov 2023
Road to Zanzibar
From
EUR €1,554