Compare Road to Zanzibar by Intrepid Travel vs Selous & Zanzibar Holiday by Wayfairer

Day 1 Nairobi

Jambo! Welcome to Kenya. Your adventure begins with a welcome meeting at 6 pm. You can arrive at any time as there are no activities planned until this important meeting. If you arrive early, perhaps head out and explore the National Museum of Kenya, the Karen Blixen Museum or the highly recommended Bomas of Kenya, where traditional homesteads of several Kenyan tribes are displayed in an outdoor village.

Day 2 Mto wa Mbu

Depart early for Mto wa Mbu in your overland truck. The trip includes a border crossing from Kenya into Tanzania, so be sure to have your passport handy. While you're on the road, there will be a stop at an ATM and a market or shop to stock up on any supplies you might need for the coming days. Arrive in Mto wa Mbu and acquaint yourself with this delightful small village – it's a fascinating snapshot of small-town African life, situated well off the tourist trail.

Day 3 Ngorongoro Crater / Serengeti National Park

Get up early, put your camping and personal gear into a six-person jeep and head out for an excursion into the Serengeti via the Ngorongoro Crater. Enjoy a safari in the crater, spending 3 to 4 hours exploring this incredible, perfectly intact volcanic caldera. Watch for black rhinos, lions, leopards, elephants, impalas, zebras and hippos. The crater floor offers excellent game viewing all year round (some 30,000 animals live here) and the photo opportunities are unrivalled. Next, it's on to the wide-open plains of the Serengeti. Green after the rains, brown and burnt in the dry season, this is perhaps the quintessential image of Africa – the home of thousands of hoofed animals and fierce predators. Your campsite is within the Serengeti itself, so listen out for the sounds of nocturnal animals as you drift off to sleep.

Day 4 Serengeti National Park

Awake at dawn and embark on a game drive. You will head out while the animals are at their most active, then head back to camp for brunch at around 11 am. After spending the middle of the day relaxing, just like the animals do, head out again as the day begins to cool. You'll return from this second game drive in time for dinner. There's also the option of a balloon ride over the park this morning – in place of some of today’s game drives. If you have pre-booked this activity, you will be picked up before dawn and driven to the launch site. After a safety briefing, glide through the dawn, sometimes at tree height, getting some amazing photo opportunities. Sometimes you will ascend, getting an overview of the enormity of the plains and the early morning movements of the teeming herds. After landing, indulge in a five-star bush breakfast, then be returned to camp.

Day 5 Serengeti National Park / Mto wa Mbu

Rise with the sun and enjoy another game drive as you leave the Serengeti in your dust. Jump back into your overland vehicle and head for Mto wa Mbu. Once camp is set up, join the local community for a guided stroll around the farming areas, milling machine, and local homes and farmlands. After, we'll share a local dinner in town and if time permits you may have the oppertunity to watch how it's made with a local cooking demonstration. After setting up camp, we'll take a guided stroll through the farming areas, milling machines, and local homes and farmlands, getting to know the local community and their way of life. Later, we'll enjoy a scrumptious local dinner in town. If time permits, you might even get to witness a local cooking demonstration and see how it's made.

Day 6 Usambara Mountains

Prepare yourself for a long travel day heading for the Usambara Mountains. Stretch your legs during a brief supply stop in Arusha, then jump back in the vehicle and watch the ever-changing scenery, read your favourite book or get to really know your fellow travellers. Your base will be Lushoto – an old German colony and home to the Wasambaa people. This highland town sits at approximately 1400 metres and this evening you'll camp in the grounds of one of the oldest hotels in Africa.

Day 7 Usambara Mountains

Explore the beautiful Usambara Mountains today – a lovely unspoilt area of Tanzania. Unlike the coast and the north, very few tourists visit this part of the country, so it has a freshness that can be hard to find elsewhere. As beautiful as the surrounding mountains and rainforests are, however, the real jewels here are the local people and villages. You'll experience some hospitality on a visit to some of the small local communities. From your base, you will take a walk out to the gorgeous Irente viewpoint. It's best to pack some water and snacks in a day pack for this trip. On your way back, visit a local cultural project based at an Irente farm and enjoy a picnic lunch.

Day 8 Dar es Salaam

Leaving the mountains behind, travel further south to the coastal town of Kipepeo Beach in Dar es Salaam. Your camp at Kipepeo is by the beach, so make the most of it – perhaps take a stroll along the shore after you arrive and settle in.

Day 9 Stone Town

Rise and shine to catch a ferry to Zanzibar. Filled with pristine white-sand beaches, winding cobblestone alleyways and fragrant bazaars, Zanzibar has had a colourful history – everything from slave traders to Arabian sultans and fruit exporters. The sight of traditional dhows sailing along the coast evokes what the island must have been like in centuries ago. Explore the many charms of Stone Town, the historic part of Zanzibar's main city, with a local guide. Taste the local delicacies and gain insight into daily local life living on Zanzibar.

Day 10 Zanzibar Northern Beaches

Once checked out of your Stone Town accommodation, consider booking in to an optional guided tour of the island's spice plantations, learning all about the history of this town's spice trade. You will have the opportunity to smell and taste various spices, such as cinnamon, vanilla and ginger, plus sample some teas made with these spices too. After lunch, head to the Northern Beaches, where white sands and sparkling blue seas await. This is the Indian Ocean at its best.

Day 11 Zanzibar Northern Beaches

Enjoy free time in this beautiful archipelago today. There are many ways you can spend your day – perhaps talk to your leader for any recommendations they might have. Snorkelling in search of exotic fish is an excellent option, or you could take a traditional dhow boat on the water. You might also like to feast on a sumptuous lunch of grilled local seafood, or just relax in a hammock underneath a coconut tree with a good book. It's totally up to you!

Day 12 Stone Town

After checking out of your accommodation this morning, you will make your way back to Stone Town, arriving at a centrally-located hotel around 12 pm. With no activities planned for today, you are free to leave at any time. That doesn't mean your adventure has to come to an end! If you wish to stay on in Zanzibar, either at the Northern Beaches beach resort or in Stone Town, we'll be happy to organise additional accommodation (subject to availability).

Day 1:

Your ‘Selous and Zanzibar Holiday’ starts as soon as you board your international flight to Dar es Salaam Airport. If you’re flying from the UK we recommend that you fly with British Airways or Kenya Airways via Nairobi, total flight duration approximately 11 hours 50 minutes.

Overnight: International flight

Day 2:

Meals: Lunch and Dinner

Overnight: Selous Reserve

Upon arrival at Dar es Salaam Airport you will be met by a representative and transferred to the domestic terminal. You will then board your scheduled light aircraft flight to the Selous Game Reserve in southern Tanzania. A representative will meet you at the airstrip and drive you to your camp or lodge where you’ll stay for the next four nights.

Days 3-5:

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Overnight: Selous Reserve

Selous is Africa's largest game reserve covering over 50,000 square kms, yet it remains one of Tanzania’s least known reserves and the numbers of visitors to Selous are much lower than the northern parks.

The rivers and lakes of Selous host some phenomenal game, including the largest hippo and crocodile and hippo populations in Africa. Along the banks of the Rufiji River you’ll find large herds of elephants, especially in the dry season (June to November) and you can also expect to see good numbers of buffalo, giraffe, zebra, impala, eland, wildebeest, baboon, hyena, lion and leopard, and endangered African wild dog.       

As the Selous is a game reserve your guide can go off road in your safari vehicle and you can get much closer wildlife encounters than in National Parks where you are restricted to the roads. As well as morning and afternoon game drives you can also enjoy bush walks and boat safaris.

Day 6:

Meals: Breakfast and Dinner

Overnight: Zanzibar

This morning you can enjoy one final game drive in the Selous before being transferred back to the airstrip for your scheduled light aircraft flight to Zanzibar.

You will be met on arrival in Zanzibar and driven to your accommodation where you will stay for the next four nights. We offer a range of accommodation options on the island and we will ensure that we match you to the most suitable accommodation for your requirements and sense of style – whether that is a rustic beach lodge or a luxurious 5 star resort.

Days 7-10:

Meals: Breakfast and Dinner

Overnight: Zanzibar

With its beautiful sandy beaches, clear turquoise waters and colourful coral reefs, Zanzibar is the perfect destination for post-safari relaxation. 

Should you wish to be active there are plenty of excursions that you can join, including visits to historic Stone Town, Jozani Forest, Prison Island, the spice plantations and cultural tours to local villages. There’s also a wide choice of adventure activities that you can participate in, including mountain biking, hiking, bird watching, wind surfing, kite surfing, sea kayaking and sailing. Additionally, the island has fantastic coral reefs which are perfect for diving and snorkelling – and you may even be lucky enough to see dolphins, green turtles and, at certain times of the year, whale sharks.

Day 11:

Meals: Breakfast

Unfortunately your ‘Selous and Zanzibar Holiday’ has come to an end. After breakfast you’ll check out of your accommodation and you’ll be driven back to Abeid Amani Karume International Airport (ZNZ) for your flight home.

Overnight: International flight