Eleven nights link northern Tanzania’s parks with the Indian Ocean coast. You begin in Arusha, the staging town beneath Mount Meru, then move to Randilen on Tarangire’s edge, the wooded southern rim of the Ngorongoro Crater and the Moru Kopjes of the central Serengeti, before closing on the Michamvi Peninsula on Zanzibar’s southeast coast.
You travel by road between the parks and by air to the coast. The days hold twice-daily game drives, walking safaris and night drives where the land allows, an early descent to the crater floor, then reefs, dhow waters and long beaches. The camps and lodges are the working bases for each region, from a plantation lodge and tented bush camps to coral-walled beach villas.
You land at Kilimanjaro International, often after dark, and wake to Mount Meru's outline before the drive to the parks begins. The single night sits at around 1,400 metres, high enough for cool air and a low-malaria climate that suits the start of a trip. Set inside a working Arabica coffee estate five minutes from the airport, Arusha Coffee Lodge puts you among the coffee rows, with a guided walk that follows the bean from tree to cup and finishes with a tasting. Cottages and suites stand among the bushes at the foot of Meru, each with a private veranda.
From Arusha you drive to Randilen, on the northeastern edge of the Greater Tarangire ecosystem. Because the camp lies beyond the national park boundary, the days can include what the park itself forbids: walking safaris with an armed guide and drives after dark, alongside twice-daily game drives across both the management area and the park. Elephant herds, giraffe and plains game move through year-round. Olkeri Camp keeps eight canvas tents plain and comfortable, its mess, lounge and bar set over a waterhole where wildlife appears within view of the campfire.
A drive brings you up to the wooded southern rim of the Ngorongoro Crater, at around 2,200 metres in montane forest. The signature outing is an early descent to the caldera floor, made before the heavier flow of vehicles arrives from lodges further out; the crater holds black rhino and elephant, lion and leopard among its dense concentration of large mammals. Higher up, buffalo, waterbuck and zebra graze below the terraces. Laba Ngorongoro Lodge sits minutes from the main gate, its rooms warm and cocooning, with the preserved 1950s stone house of Henry Fosbrooke serving as reception and bar-lounge.
You continue into the Moru Kopjes region of the central Serengeti, set well away from the busier routes around Seronera. The position brings resident big cats and the Great Migration within reach of a single base: lion, leopard and cheetah hold territory here through the year, and the granite outcrops of Moru remain one of the more reliable places in the park to track black rhino. Twice a year the migration passes directly by camp on its circuit. Dunia Camp is run entirely by women, its eight tents looking out over acacia woodland and open grassland, with evenings around the fire.
A flight carries you from the Serengeti to the coast, to Dongwe on Zanzibar's Michamvi Peninsula. Four nights run to warm seas, dhow sailing and reefs that rank among East Africa's finest diving, with the red colobus forest of Jozani-Chwaka Bay reachable for a day. Meals follow the guest rather than a timetable, appearing wherever suits. Xanadu Villas are nine coral-walled villas built from reclaimed dhow timber, each with a private plunge pool and a dedicated butler, on a beach that runs for miles in both directions.
Ed Charles, BBC Producer
Fitzroy are true specialists in accessing the wilderness. They know where to go and importantly, when to go there. Highly recommended.
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tanzania & uganda
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tanzania
Ten nights from Mount Meru across the eastern and southern Serengeti to the Ngorongoro Crater rim.
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tanzania
Fly by light aircraft into the Serengeti for three nights tracking the migration, with walks, bikes and crater drives.
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our approach
Every journey starts with a conversation. We take the time to understand your vision before we start planning.
Whether by phone or in person, we work with you directly to shape something that is considered, personal, and expertly delivered.
Every journey starts with a conversation. We favour a direct, personal approach: understanding your vision before anything else.
Whether by phone or in person, we work with you directly to shape a journey that is both thoughtfully considered and expertly delivered.
Get in touch to start planning yours.
