Serengeti & Zanzibar: Self-Launched Overland Adventure
9 days · Tanzania
G Adventures charges £1,330
No-markup version: ~£525 per person
Estimate only, not a guaranteed price. Always verify costs independently before booking.
A self-launched take on G Adventures' 9-day Serengeti to Zanzibar camping safari. You'll join a shared 4x4 camping safari into the Serengeti and Ngorongoro Crater, detour through the market town of Mto wa Mbu, then cross Tanzania by public bus to Dar es Salaam for the fast ferry to Stone Town and the beaches of Jambiani. Book your safari seats and ferry direct, use the same-style public campsites, and keep costs to roughly a third of the tour price.
Day-by-day
Arrive Arusha
Arusha
Land at Kilimanjaro (JRO) or Arusha (ARK) and take a shared shuttle or local taxi into town (~£8-12). Stay near the clock tower / Sokoine Road area where safari operators cluster. Spend the evening sorting out your Serengeti safari seat for tomorrow and grab a cheap dinner at a local grill or the Arusha night market (nyama choma and chips, ~£4).
🚌Airport shuttle/shared taxi ~£10
🛏Budget guesthouse in central Arusha (dorm ~£10-14, private twin ~£22-30)
- →Settle in and compare safari quotes on Sokoine Road
- →Evening street food and market wander
Arusha to Serengeti (shared 4x4 safari)
Serengeti National Park
Join a shared 3-day/2-night camping safari booked directly with a local Arusha operator (or a GetYourGuide 'Serengeti & Ngorongoro camping safari' listing) — typical per-person cost is £350-500 including park fees, 4x4, cook, tents and most meals. Leave early for the long drive via the Ngorongoro gate and Naabi Hill, entering the plains in the afternoon for a game drive. Set up camp inside/at the edge of the park and eat with your group under the stars.
🚌Shared safari 4x4 with pop-up roof, ~7hrs driving with game-viewing stops
🛏Public campsite tent (provided by safari operator)
- →Afternoon game drive in the Serengeti
- →Camp cooking and stargazing
Serengeti morning drive to Ngorongoro rim
Ngorongoro Conservation Area
Sunrise game drive in the Serengeti before heading south toward the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. Optional hot-air balloon safari can be booked direct with Serengeti balloon operators (from ~£450) — expensive but the classic splurge. Otherwise, arrive at a campsite near the crater rim in the late afternoon, zip up a fleece (it's cold at 2,300m) and watch the sun set over the highlands.
🚌Shared safari 4x4, ~5-6hrs with stops
🛏Public campsite near the crater rim (operator tent)
- →Sunrise game drive
- →Optional hot-air balloon safari (book direct)
- →Crater rim sunset
Ngorongoro Crater floor, Mto wa Mbu, back to Arusha
Ngorongoro / Mto wa Mbu / Arusha
Descend into the crater at dawn with your guide for the best wildlife odds — lions, rhino, flamingo-filled Lake Magadi. Exit late morning and drive back toward Arusha. Ask your driver to drop you at Mto wa Mbu for an hour: hire a local guide at the village tourism office for a short cultural walk and a home-cooked lunch (~£10-12) with a Chagga or Maasai family. Continue to Arusha and check into your guesthouse for the night.
🚌Shared safari 4x4; safari ends in Arusha
🛏Budget guesthouse in Arusha (~£22-30 twin)
- →Ngorongoro Crater game drive
- →Mto wa Mbu village walk and community lunch
Arusha to Bagamoyo by bus
Bagamoyo
Long travel day. Take a morning bus from Arusha to Dar es Salaam (several companies run express coaches, ~9-10hrs, ~£15-20) — book the day before at the bus stand or via a local agent. Hop off at Bagamoyo or take a short dalla-dalla from the Dar outskirts (~£1). Bagamoyo is a sleepy old Swahili port with a heavy slave-trade history; walk the ruins and the beach at sunset. Budget guesthouses are plentiful.
🚌Express bus Arusha–Dar es Salaam ~£18, plus dalla-dalla ~£1
🛏Simple guesthouse in Bagamoyo (~£15-22 twin)
- →Bagamoyo old town and Kaole ruins walk
- →Sunset on Bagamoyo beach
Bagamoyo to Stone Town, Zanzibar
Stone Town, Zanzibar
Dalla-dalla into Dar es Salaam, then the fast ferry from Kigamboni/Dar port to Zanzibar (~2hrs, ~£30-35 one-way; book with Azam Marine or Seagull online or at the port). On arrival pay the Zanzibar arrival fee at the port. Check into a Stone Town guesthouse, then wander the alleys on your own self-guided loop: the Old Fort, Forodhani Gardens at dusk for seafood skewers (~£3-5), and Freddie Mercury's doorstep. A local walking guide can be picked up at the Old Fort for ~£10-15 if you want the history.
🚌Dalla-dalla ~£1, fast ferry Dar–Zanzibar ~£32
🛏Stone Town budget guesthouse / hostel (~£15-25)
- →Self-guided Stone Town walk
- →Forodhani Gardens night food market
- →Optional local guide ~£12
Stone Town to Jambiani beach
Jambiani
Morning in Stone Town: Christ Church Cathedral and the Old Slave Market museum (~£4), Sultan's Palace Museum (~£3), and coffee at a Zanzibari café. In the afternoon take a dalla-dalla south to Jambiani (~1hr, ~£1-2) and settle into a beach banda or hostel right on the sand. Swim, walk the seaweed farms at low tide, and eat grilled fish at a beach shack.
🚌Dalla-dalla Stone Town–Jambiani ~£2
🛏Beach banda / hostel in Jambiani (~£15-25)
- →Old Slave Market and cathedral
- →Sultan's Palace Museum
- →Seaweed farm walk at low tide
Jambiani beach and reef day
Jambiani
Free day on the east coast. Book a dhow snorkelling or diving trip direct with a Jambiani boat captain or guesthouse (~£20-35 including gear), or take a shared taxi to the Jozani Forest for red colobus monkeys (~£10 entry plus transport, ~£25 total). Otherwise, do nothing at all: hammock, swim, and a sunset sail on a wooden dhow (~£12).
🚌Local taxi/dalla-dalla for optional trips ~£5-10
🛏Beach banda / hostel in Jambiani (~£15-25)
- →Dhow snorkelling trip
- →Optional Jozani Forest
- →Sunset dhow sail
Jambiani to Stone Town and depart
Stone Town
Dalla-dalla back to Stone Town in the morning (~1hr, ~£2). If your flight is later, leave bags at the guesthouse or the port and do a last lap of the markets for spices and kanga cloth. Ferries back to Dar run through the day (~£32) if you're continuing on the mainland — budget at least 3hrs before any onward flight.
🚌Dalla-dalla ~£2, optional ferry to Dar ~£32
🛏None (departure day)
- →Last-minute spice market shopping
- →Stone Town wander
Self-launched vs. G Adventures
| This itinerary (self-launched) | G Adventures | |
|---|---|---|
| Price per person | ~£525 | £1,330 |
| Duration | 9 days | 9 days |
| Who books it | You and your group, direct | Tour operator, guided group |
| Savings | £805 per person (61%) | |
Estimate only, not a guaranteed price. Always verify costs independently before booking.
Want to see more G Adventures-style trips? Check them out here.~£525
estimated per person
You never pay Travel Crew for this — you pay hostels, transport, and activity providers directly, the same as if you'd booked it all yourself.
This publishes your dates so other travellers can find and join you — no tour operator needed.
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Frequently asked questions
How much does Serengeti & Zanzibar: Self-Launched Overland Adventure cost?+
Doing it yourself with this self-launched itinerary costs an estimated £525 per person for 9 days in Tanzania. This is an AI-generated estimate based on typical budget-traveller prices — actual costs will vary by season and how you book.
Is this cheaper than booking with G Adventures?+
Yes — G Adventures charges around £1,330 per person for a similar tour. Doing the same route independently, using the same standard of accommodation and activities, costs an estimated £525 — a saving of roughly £805 (61%) per person.
How long is the Tanzania trip?+
This itinerary runs 9 days, covering 9 day-by-day stops through Tanzania.
How do I join this trip?+
You can join an existing open departure using this itinerary if one is scheduled, or launch your own departure with your own dates and invite other travellers to join you — no tour operator required.
Isn't it easier to just use a tour operator?+
Well, yes, a tour operator will book all the individual parts of your travel for you and provide a guide. That's obvious, but doing this has the potential to save the group thousands, which can in turn improve your itinerary substantially or save you huge amounts of money. Also, when you launch a departure, Travel Crew has tools in place to help you book the individual sections of the trip or make it easier for you to do this as a group. Really, you do not need a middle man. If you are more comfortable paying more and using a middle man, then you should certainly do this.
Is it safer to book through a tour operator?+
Arguably, there isn't much difference. A self-launched trip runs on the same principle as a group travel crew: collective responsibility, everyone looking out for each other, the same way it would if a group of friends organised the trip themselves — because that's exactly what's happening. You should always take out travel insurance before you go, self-launched or not; that doesn't change either way. Every open departure is published publicly with real dates and a real trip organiser, so it's never an anonymous arrangement, and our support team is reachable any time you need help, including in an emergency while you're away. Longer-term, we're building direct relationships with ground DMCs in popular destinations, offered as an optional paid add-on for extra on-the-ground support. Ultimately, though, the group is responsible for its own conduct and safety on a self-launched trip, same as on any trip you plan yourself.
What kind of trip is this?+
This is a adventure, wildlife, backpacker trip through Tanzania, self-launched rather than run by a tour operator — you organise it with a group you find or bring yourself.
Would you like to name the operator, name the trip, or have any suggestions about how to improve this itinerary?
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