· Golden Memories Safaris
Zanzibar is known for white beaches and Stone Town, but it is also one of the easiest places in East Africa to add a real safari to a holiday. There is no road from the island to the national parks, so you fly, and a short scheduled flight can put you on a game drive in the mainland bush before lunch. This guide explains how a safari from Zanzibar works, compares the four trips we organise, gives the official park fees and facts for each destination, and helps you choose the right one for the time and money you have.
How a safari from Zanzibar works
Every safari from the island starts with a scheduled flight to the mainland. We arrange the hotel pickup, the airport transfer, the flights and a driver guide who meets you when you land. You spend the day or days in the park, then fly back to Zanzibar and are taken to your hotel.
The advantage is time. A journey that would take a day or more by road and ferry becomes a morning flight. Scheduled airlines serve the northern parks from Zanzibar: Auric Air, for example, has published flights between Zanzibar and the Serengeti area, and the trip to Arusha takes a little over an hour. Because these are light aircraft, baggage is limited to about 15 to 20 kg per person including hand luggage, in a soft bag. Leave your large suitcase at your Zanzibar hotel.
Your four options for a safari from Zanzibar
1. One day fly in safari to Mikumi National Park (USD 500 per person)
Mikumi is a mainland national park of open grassland where you can see elephants, giraffes, zebras, buffaloes, wildebeest, impalas, hippos and lions. On our one day joining safari you fly in early, spend a full day on game drive in a shared 4x4, enjoy a picnic lunch in the park and fly back in the evening. The price includes the return flights, airstrip and hotel transfers, the park entry fee, a professional English speaking guide, lunch and drinking water.
It is a long day, and exact times depend on the confirmed flight, but it is the most affordable genuine safari from Zanzibar. It suits travellers with a single free day and a budget to watch. The official TANAPA tariff lists Mikumi at USD 30 per adult per day, well below the northern parks, which helps keep the price down.
2. Two day fly in safari to Mikumi with a night at camp (USD 1,220 per person)
If you would rather not rush, add a night in the bush. Our private 2 day Mikumi safari includes two days of game drives, an overnight stay at Double G Safari Camp, meals as listed in the itinerary and flights both ways. You see Mikumi at golden hour and again in the morning light, then fly back to Zanzibar in the afternoon of the second day, around 3:00 PM. It is the best choice for couples who want a relaxed pace and time to photograph.
3. Two day Tarangire and Ngorongoro Crater safari (USD 1,350 per person)
This is the trip for travellers who want the famous northern parks in the shortest time. You fly from Zanzibar to Arusha, spend day one in Tarangire National Park, known for its large elephant herds and giant baobab trees, and sleep at Farm of Dreams Lodge. On day two you descend into the Ngorongoro Crater, then return to Arusha for an evening flight back to Zanzibar.
Two world class sites in two days is ambitious, but it works because both are close to Arusha. The official TANAPA tariff charges non resident adults USD 50 per day in Tarangire, and the Ngorongoro Conservation Area Authority charges USD 70.80 per adult plus a crater service fee of USD 295 per vehicle. Sharing the vehicle keeps that fee manageable.
4. Four day fly in, fly out safari to the Serengeti (USD 3,000 per person)
For serious wildlife lovers we fly you from Zanzibar to the Serengeti, sometimes with a short transit in Arusha, and give you three full days on the plains with a final early morning game drive before the flight home. Because there is no long road transfer, you spend far more of your trip with the animals, and you can choose between full day drives with a picnic lunch or a morning and afternoon schedule with a rest at camp in between.
See all our safaris from Zanzibar
The parks you can reach from Zanzibar
Mikumi National Park
A relaxed, accessible park on the southern circuit, famous for open grassland plains and easy wildlife viewing. It is quieter than the northern parks and cheaper to enter, which makes it ideal for a short trip.
Tarangire National Park
Tarangire is famous for its large elephant herds, giant baobab trees and the Tarangire River, which draws wildlife in the dry season. It is an excellent half or full day from Arusha.
Ngorongoro Crater
The Ngorongoro Conservation Area was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1979. Its crater is described as the world’s largest inactive, intact and unfilled volcanic caldera, around 610 metres deep with a floor of about 260 square kilometres, and it holds roughly 25,000 large animals. It is also one of the few places where you have a realistic chance of seeing the endangered black rhino.
Serengeti National Park
The Serengeti was inscribed by UNESCO in 1981 and covers about 1.48 million hectares of savannah. It is home to what UNESCO describes as the largest remaining unaltered animal migration in the world, with more than a million wildebeest and hundreds of thousands of zebras and gazelles on a circular journey of about 1,000 km. It deserves at least three days.
Why fly instead of driving?
The mainland parks are far from the coast, and the journey by ferry and road takes most of a day in each direction. A holiday of one or two weeks cannot afford to lose that time. Flying turns the safari into an excursion from your hotel rather than a separate trip, keeps your beach plans intact and gives you more hours with the wildlife. The trade off is cost and luggage, because scheduled flights add to the price and light aircraft limit your baggage.
Flying also changes how you see the country. From the air you watch the coastal plains give way to the Rift Valley escarpment, the green highlands and the open savannah, and you land at a bush airstrip a short drive from the first sighting. For many guests the flight is part of the adventure.
A sample itinerary: seven nights in Zanzibar with a two day safari
Many guests ask how to fit a safari around a beach holiday. This simple pattern works well and avoids rushing.
- Nights 1 to 3: arrive in Zanzibar, relax on the coast and visit Stone Town.
- Day 4: early flight to the mainland, a full day of game drives and a night at the lodge or camp.
- Day 5: a second morning of wildlife, then the flight back to Zanzibar and your hotel.
- Nights 5 to 7: unwind on the beach, snorkel or join a sunset dhow cruise, then fly home.
Placing the safari in the middle of your stay means you recover from your international flight first and finish the holiday relaxed. If you want a longer wildlife experience, extend the safari to three or four days and shorten the beach stay.
Which safari from Zanzibar should you choose?
- One free day and a tight budget: the one day Mikumi joining safari.
- Two days and a wish for comfort: the 2 day Mikumi safari with a night at Double G Safari Camp.
- You want the classic northern parks: Tarangire and the Ngorongoro Crater in 2 days.
- Wildlife is the main reason you came: four days in the Serengeti.
- You want a full safari and then a proper beach stay: a luxury safari that finishes in Zanzibar, such as our 8 day Tanzania safari and Zanzibar beach escape.
The best time for a safari from Zanzibar
Wildlife viewing is good in the dry months from June to October, when animals gather near water and the grass is short. According to the Tanzania Tourism Board, the herds reach the Grumeti River in the western Serengeti by around July, and the calving season on the southern plains around Ndutu runs from January to March, with February the peak.
The long rains from roughly March to May bring green landscapes, fewer visitors and lower prices. The official TANAPA Serengeti fee drops from USD 70 to USD 60 per adult per day between 15 March and 15 May, and lodges lower their rates too. If you travel at Christmas, New Year, or in July and August, book early, because both flights and camps fill quickly.
What to know before you go
- Visa. The official eVisa for an ordinary tourist visa costs USD 50 and is valid for the mainland and Zanzibar. Apply only through the official Tanzania Immigration portal, because other websites charge more.
- Luggage. Light aircraft allow about 15 to 20 kg including hand luggage, in a soft bag. Store your heavy suitcase at your Zanzibar hotel.
- Early starts. Flights and game drives begin at first light, so expect an early hotel pickup.
- Flight schedules. Day trips depend on confirmed flights, so times can change slightly. We confirm everything with you before you travel.
- What to wear. Neutral colours, a hat, sunscreen, a light jacket for cool mornings and comfortable closed shoes.
- Health. Speak to a travel clinic about malaria prevention and vaccinations well before you travel.
- Insurance and tips. Both are your responsibility. We recommend cover that includes medical evacuation.
Planning a Zanzibar holiday with a safari
The simplest plan is to keep your beach hotel and add a safari in the middle of your stay, so you rest before and after. A popular pattern is three nights on the coast, a two day safari, then three more nights by the sea. If you want a longer safari first, a trip such as our 8 day luxury safari that finishes on the Zanzibar coast gives you the wildlife and the beach in one booking.
Common questions about safari from Zanzibar
Can I do a safari from Zanzibar in one day?
Yes. Our fly in trip to Mikumi National Park leaves in the morning and returns the same evening, and includes the flights, a full day of game drives, lunch and your transfers.
How far is the Serengeti from Zanzibar?
Not far by air. You can fly to the Serengeti on a scheduled flight, sometimes with a short stop in Arusha, and be on your first game drive the same day.
Is it better to visit Mikumi or the Serengeti from Zanzibar?
Mikumi is closer, cheaper and works as a single day. The Serengeti is far bigger, with much more wildlife and the Great Migration, and deserves at least three days.
Are flights included in the price?
Yes. Our fly in packages include the return flights, airport transfers, park fees, a professional English speaking guide and the meals listed in the itinerary. International flights and Zanzibar hotel nights are not included.
Can children join a safari from Zanzibar?
Yes. The official park tariffs give children aged 5 to 15 much lower daily fees and let under fives in free, though a one day fly in trip is long for very young children. A two day trip with a night at camp is gentler.
Add a safari to your Zanzibar holiday
Tell us your dates, your hotel and how many days you can spare. We will suggest the trip that fits, confirm the flights and look after everything from your hotel door in Zanzibar back to it again.
More guides and pages for this trip
Tanzania mandatory travel insurance
Sources and further reading
Facts and fees in this guide come from the following sources. Fees and flight schedules change, so confirm current details before you book.
- Tanzania National Parks Authority (TANAPA), Tariffs from 1 July 2023 to 30 June 2024, tanzaniaparks.go.tz.
- Ngorongoro Conservation Area Authority, Tariffs, ncaa.go.tz.
- UNESCO World Heritage Centre, Serengeti National Park (1981) and Ngorongoro Conservation Area (1979), whc.unesco.org.
- Tanzania Tourism Board, Great Migration and Ndutu Plains pages, tanzaniatourism.com.
- Tanzania Immigration Department, eVisa guidelines and visa fees, visa.immigration.go.tz.
- Auric Air and Tanzania aviation news (atcnews.org) on scheduled flights between Zanzibar and the northern parks.
- Golden Memories Safaris package prices, per person for two travellers sharing, October 2026.