Zanzibar to Serengeti: Self-Launched 11-Day Camping Safari

Arrive in Dar (Julius Nyerere airport or bus station) and head to the Kigamboni or Magogoni ferry terminal. The fast Azam Marine or Kilimanjaro ferry to Zanzibar takes about 2 hours and costs roughly £27-32 one-way (book online a day ahead; bring your passport and yellow fever certificate if arriving from an endemic country). Check into a Stone Town guesthouse, then spend the late afternoon getting lost in the alleys: the Old Fort, the House of Wonders waterfront, the Darajani market and the Forodhani Gardens night food stalls (try urojo soup and Zanzibar pizza for under £3).

🚌Azam Marine fast ferry Dar es Salaam to Zanzibar, ~£30 one-way; taxi to port ~£5

🛏Stone Town guesthouse or hostel dorm, £12-18/night

• →Stone Town alleyway wander
• →Forodhani Gardens night market
• →Old Fort and waterfront

Morning half-day spice tour to a plantation near Kizimbani or Kidichi — book through your guesthouse or GetYourGuide for £15-20 including transport; you'll taste cloves, cinnamon, vanilla and pepper straight off the tree. Afternoon: join a walking tour (or DIY with the Lonely Planet map) covering the former slave market and Anglican Cathedral, the Arab House and Freddie Mercury's birthplace. Optional sunset dhow cruise from the waterfront for £15-20 if you fancy it. Local lunch of pilau or octopus curry ~£3.

🚌Shared minibus to spice farm included in tour; local dala-dalas ~£0.50 per ride

🛏Stone Town guesthouse or hostel dorm, £12-18/night

• →Half-day spice plantation tour (~£18)
• →Stone Town heritage walk
• →Optional sunset dhow cruise

Take a dala-dala or shared minibus from Stone Town up to Nungwi/Kendwa in the north (about 1.5 hours, £2-3 per person, or a shared taxi for £10-12). The north coast has the tide-friendly beaches where you can actually swim all day, unlike the east coast. Afternoon swimming, sunset at Kendwa Rocks, cheap grilled fish and chips dinner on the sand. If you'd rather dive, Nungwi has several PADI shops doing discover dives for £60-70 and two-tank fun dives for £50.

🚌Dala-dala/shared minibus Stone Town to Nungwi, ~£3

🛏Beach bungalow or hostel dorm in Nungwi, £12-20/night

• →Beach swimming and snorkelling from shore
• →Optional discover scuba dive (~£65)

Book a shared snorkelling dhow trip to Mnemba Atoll — around £25-35 per person including gear, boat and fruit/water, arranged through any Nungwi dive shop or guesthouse. The reef is one of the best in East Africa; you may see dolphins on the crossing. Back by mid-afternoon for beach time, a kitesurf lesson if you're keen (£50-60), or just a hammock. Note Acacia's itinerary uses the Zanzibar east-coast beaches (Paje/Jambiani); if you prefer that vibe, base yourself there instead — kite-surfing heaven and cheaper dorms, but tidal swimming.

🚌Boat trip included in snorkel package; local transport on foot/dala-dala ~£1

🛏Beach bungalow or hostel dorm in Nungwi, £12-20/night

• →Shared Mnemba Atoll snorkelling dhow trip (~£30)
• →Optional kitesurfing lesson

Ferry back to Dar es Salaam in the morning (£30, ~2 hours), then take a shared minibus or bus from Ubungo or Mwenge bus stand up the coast to Bagamoyo — about 1.5 hours, £2-3. Bagamoyo is a sleepy old Swahili port town and former slave-trade terminus; the German colonial ruins, the Old Fort, the Catholic mission museum and the Kaole ruins are all walkable and mostly £2-4 entry. Sunset on the long empty beach, dinner of grilled fish at a beachside shack (£5-7).

🚌Ferry Zanzibar-Dar ~£30; shared minibus Dar-Bagamoyo ~£3

🛏Bagamoyo guesthouse, £12-16/night

• →Bagamoyo Old Fort and German colonial ruins
• →Kaole ruins and Catholic mission museum
• →Beach sunset walk

Long travel day: shared minibus back into Dar and then a bus to Moshi (coaches from Ubungo, roughly 8-9 hours, £12-15; book a morning departure). From Moshi, a dala-dala to Marangu takes 45 minutes for about £1. You'll arrive in the cool green Chagga highlands at the foot of Kilimanjaro — a striking change from the coast. Marangu is the gateway village for the Kilimanjaro Marangu Route; even if you're not climbing, the coffee-farm walks and the views of the mountain at dawn are worth it. Guesthouse dinner of Chagga banana stew ~£5.

🚌Coach Dar es Salaam to Moshi ~£14; dala-dala to Marangu ~£1

🛏Marangu guesthouse or homestay, £12-18/night

• →Kilimanjaro foothill views
• →Chagga village wander

Early start for the best chance of a clear Kilimanjaro summit view from Marangu; optional short coffee-farm or waterfall walk (£5-8 with a local guide). Then dala-dala to Moshi and a shared bus or shuttle down to Arusha (about 2 hours, £4-6). Alternatively stop at the Kilimanjaro view point on the Moshi road for the classic photo. In Arusha, visit the snake park and Maasai market (entry £5-8) — Acacia's included snake park stop — and use the evening to meet your safari operator and confirm your Serengeti departure, pickup time and what's included in the park fees.

🚌Dala-dala Marangu-Moshi ~£1; shared bus Moshi-Arusha ~£5

🛏Arusha hostel dorm or budget guesthouse, £10-16/night

• →Snake park and Maasai market (~£7)
• →Coffee farm walk
• →Safari briefing

Join a shared 4-day camping safari (booked in advance via a Arusha-based operator or GetYourGuide, typically £450-600 per person for the Serengeti + Ngorongoro circuit including park fees, vehicle, cook, camp and guide). Leave Arusha early through the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, pausing at the crater rim viewpoint, and game-drive into the Serengeti across the Naabi Hill gate. Afternoon game drive among the plains — lion, elephant, giraffe, and if the timing is right for the migration, wildebeest herds. Overnight in a public campsite tent (shared 2-person tent) with dinner cooked by the camp cook; expect basic bucket showers and long-drop toilets.

🚌Shared 4x4 safari vehicle with pop-up roof, included in safari package

🛏Serengeti public campsite, tent provided by safari operator (included in safari price)

• →Ngorongoro Conservation Area transit
• →Naabi Hill and afternoon Serengeti game drive

Up before dawn for the best wildlife hours — a sunrise game drive in the central Serengeti (Seronera valley is good for leopard and lion). Return to camp for brunch, pack up, and game-drive north-west out of the park towards the Ngorongoro highlands. Overnight at a campsite on or near the crater rim (Simba campsite is the classic), which gets cold at night — bring a fleece. Dinner and early night ahead of the crater descent.

🚌Shared safari 4x4, included

🛏Ngorongoro rim campsite, tent provided (included in safari price)

• →Sunrise game drive in Serengeti
• →Scenic crater rim viewpoint

Descend into the crater at first light via the switchback road — the UNESCO World Heritage caldera is the best single place in Tanzania to see black rhino, plus huge lion prides, flamingos on Lake Magadi and elephant bulls. Picnic lunch at the Ngoitokitok springs (watch your sandwiches around the kites). Climb back out mid-afternoon and drive to Arusha or Mto wa Mbu for the night. Your safari operator's package normally ends back in Arusha in the evening.

🚌Shared safari 4x4, included; evening drop-off in Arusha

🛏Arusha hostel dorm or budget guesthouse, £10-16/night

• →Ngorongoro Crater descent and full game drive
• →Picnic lunch at Ngoitokitok springs

Take a morning shuttle bus from Arusha to Nairobi (Riverside/Impala or similar operators, roughly 6-7 hours including the Namanga border crossing, £22-30 one-way; book the day before and carry your passport plus Kenya eTA confirmation). The route passes Mount Meru's flanks and crosses the Maasai steppe. Arrive Nairobi late afternoon — if you're flying out, the airport is 45 minutes from the centre; if you have a night spare, stay in a Westlands or Kilimani hostel (£15-20) and eat at a local nyama choma joint.

🚌Arusha-Nairobi shuttle bus ~£26; Namanga border crossing

🛏Optional Nairobi hostel dorm, £15-20/night (not included in total)

• →Overland crossing via Namanga
• →Mount Meru views