Not many countries in Africa can offer a variety of wildlife, nature, and cultures found in Tanzania. Explore some of the fascinating cultures in this safari mecca – from Bushmen to the famous Maasai Warriors. Get a glimpse into the culture and lifestyles of these local tribes. Escape to the exotic island of Zanzibar to relax after your exhilarating Safari. This Cultural Safari is a beautiful blend of Tanzania’s culture, wildlife, and beautiful tropical beach life.
14-Days Cultural safari and zanzibar
5/5
2 reviews
14 days · 13 nights
Tanzania
Arusha, Lake Manyara, Ngorongoro Crater +2
About this tour
- Customization
- This tour can be customised
- Duration
- 14 days
- Minimum age
- 4 years
- Countries
- Tanzania
- Comfort level
- Mid-range
- Physical level
- Easy
Getting there
- This tour starts in Kilimanjaro International Airport (JRO) and ends in Zanzibar.
- Your flight should arrive at Kilimanjaro International Airport (JRO).
Trip itinerary
Day 1 · Start
Kilimanjaro International Airport (JRO)
4×4 Land Cruiser 1 meal
Upon arrival at Kilimanjaro airport, you will be met by your driver and transferred to Ambureni Coffee Lodge in Arusha for dinner and overnight. Settle into your accommodation, ready to start your safari proper in the morning.
- Transport
- 4×4 Land Cruiser
- Meals
- Half Board
- Drinks
- Drinking water, Coffee, Tea
≈ 1 h 5 min · 43 km Kilimanjaro International Airport (JRO) → Arusha National Park by 4×4 Land Cruiser
Day 2
Arusha National Park
4×4 Land Cruiser 3 meals
After breakfast you drive to Arusha National Park for morning game drive with picnic lunch. This is one of the smaller national parks in Tanzania, but it has a rich variety of wildlife and landscapes. From the swampy Ngurdoto Crater and alkaline lakes to dense jungle and the towering peaks of Mount Meru and Kilimanjaro. In the afternoon you go on a 2-hours forest hike on the base of Mount Meru to the Tululusia waterfall. Apart from the amazing view of this mountain from the park, it is also the best place to view the highest mountain in Africa, Mount Kilimanjaro. In the late afternoon return to Ambureni coffee lodge for dinner and overnight.
- Main activities
- Game Drive
- Transport
- 4×4 Land Cruiser
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
- Drinks
- A bottle of soda, Coffee, Drinking water, Tea, Juice
≈ 3 h 50 min · 153 km Arusha National Park → Lake Manyara National Park by 4×4 Land Cruiser
Day 3
Lake Manyara National Park
4×4 Land Cruiser 3 meals
After breakfast you will drive to Mto wa mbu for a guided village tour. In a small but very busy town where people belonging to all 120 tribes in Tanzania live together, you will have the opportunity to see the typical daily life of Tanzanians. Your walking guide will take you to rice and banana plantations where you will interact with the people working in their farms, you will visit a traditional beer bar/factory, you will visit a school and carvings factory where the famous “Makonde” use ebony black wood to carve different statues. You will then continue to Lake Manyara national park for a game drive with picnic lunch. Elephant, lion, giraffe, buffalo, zebra, and a variety of antelope inhabit the park as well as a variety of monkeys and a large population of hippos. The birdlife is also abundant and plenty of forest species. In the late afternoon continue your drive to Burudika Manyara Lodge for dinner.
- Main activities
- Bird Watching, Game Drive
- Transport
- 4×4 Land Cruiser
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
- Drinks
- A bottle of soda, Coffee, Juice, Drinking water, Tea, Beer
≈ 6 h 15 min · 248 km Lake Manyara National Park → by 4×4 Land Cruiser
Day 4
Day 4
4×4 Land Cruiser 3 meals
Today you go on a morning and afternoon game drive in the famous Serengeti National Park. If you want to spot the Big Five – lion, elephant, leopard, rhino and buffalo- all in one park, the Serengeti is one of the best places to do so. The abundance of wildlife in this park is unmatched anywhere else in Africa. Depending on which time of the year you visit this park, you can also witness the Great Migration. It’s an impressive experience to see all those hoofed mammals, followed by iconic predators, migrate in a clockwise circle every year. Late in the afternoon, you return to Serengeti Osinon camp for dinner and overnight.
- Main activities
- Bird Watching, Game Drive
- Transport
- 4×4 Land Cruiser
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
- Drinks
- A bottle of soda, Beer, Coffee, Drinking water, Juice, Tea
No transfer · another full day in
Day 5
Day 5
4×4 Land Cruiser 3 meals
Another day of morning and afternoon game viewing in the Serengeti. With so many wildebeest, gazelles and zebras present it is no wonder the Serengeti is also home to 4,000 lions and 1,000 leopards. Apart from the Big Five the Serengeti boasts the cheetah, jackal, hyena, serval, aardvark, pangolin, porcupine, crocodiles, giraffe, python, black mamba, spitting cobra, ostrich, martial eagle, lovebirds, and vultures, just to name a few. Enjoy this supreme game viewing and return to Serengeti Osinon camp in the evening. After taking a hot shower you will meet your guide at the fireplace for a cold Serengeti beer or a glass of wine as he gives you a short history of Tanzania. Dinner and overnight will be at Osinon camp.
- Main activities
- Bird Watching, Game Drive
- Transport
- 4×4 Land Cruiser
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
- Drinks
- A bottle of soda, Beer, Coffee, Drinking water, Juice, Tea
≈ 4 h 5 min · 162 km → Olduvai Gorge by 4×4 Land Cruiser
Day 6
Olduvai Gorge
4×4 Land Cruiser 3 meals
After early breakfast you will collect picnic lunch and drive to the Olduvai gorge. This is the place where Dr. Leakey and his wife Mary Leakey found a fossil of a hominid. You will then visit the shifting sand (a dune of magnetic volcanic sand that changes its location every year). Later you will continue to Ngorongoro crater rim for a hiking on the rim of the Ngorongoro crater with an armed ranger/guide. This hiking is a great opportunity for you to enjoy seeing the wildlife in the distance while out of the car, see different plants with their medicinal uses and animal tracks. It feels nice also stretching yourselves after several days of seating in the vehicle. In the late afternoon you will continue to Ngorongoro tortilis Lodge for dinner and overnight. This lodge is located at the highest point on the Ngorongoro Crater’s rim and offers great views across the enormous crater.
- Main activities
- Game Drive, Hiking
- Transport
- 4×4 Land Cruiser
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
- Drinks
- A bottle of soda, Beer, Coffee, Drinking water, Juice, Tea
≈ 1 h 5 min · 42 km Olduvai Gorge → Ngorongoro Crater by 4×4 Land Cruiser
Day 7
Ngorongoro Crater
4×4 Land Cruiser 3 meals
Today you set off towards the Ngorongoro Crater for your last game drive. It shelters close to 30.000 animals including the Big Five. The crater teems with zebras, buffaloes, lions, wildebeest, warthogs, baboons, elephants, flamingos, ostriches, hippos, cheetahs, and a small population of the rare black rhino. The beautiful colors and dancing clouds make the crater almost surreal. Because of its natural beauty the Ngorongoro Crater is chosen as one of Africa’s Seven Natural Wonders. In the late afternoon you drive to Lake Eyasi safari lodge for dinner and overnight.
- Main activities
- Bird Watching, Game Drive
- Transport
- 4×4 Land Cruiser
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
- Drinks
- A bottle of soda, Beer, Coffee, Drinking water, Juice, Tea
Day 8
Monduli Juu
4×4 Land Cruiser 3 meals
After breakfast, you drive to the Hadzabe Bushmen. This tribe hunts on wild animals with bow and arrows, eating roots, honey and wild fruits. You can join the Bushman on a hunting and gathering trip. Walk-behind them and see how they shoot their animals by using bows and arrows, then see how they skin them, roast them and eat. After this fascinating experience and lunch at the lodge, you drive to Monduli Juu. A Maasai guide welcomes you and leads you around a Maasai village where he introduces you to family members. You can communicate with them, see how they cook and dance, and get a real insight into the way of life of the Maasai. After dinner, the chief of the village will explain their culture and traditions and you can also share your stories with him. You can spend here the night (we will provide some bedding for you if you sleep in the Maasai hut). It’s also possible to sleep at the nearby A1 hotel for overnight.
- Transport
- 4×4 Land Cruiser
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
- Drinks
- A bottle of soda, Beer, Coffee, Drinking water, Juice, Tea
≈ 4 h 50 min · 194 km Monduli Juu → Monduli Juu by 4×4 Land Cruiser
Day 9
Monduli Juu
4×4 Land Cruiser 3 meals
Early wake up today to milk the cows with the Maasai ladies. After breakfast, you go fetch water with the ladies and learn how they carry the water buckets on their heads. Later you visit a traditional Maasai doctor and experience how he uses plants to cure different diseases, then drives to Tulia hotel for lunch and a short siesta. In the afternoon you will visit mama Chris home and join her to prepare your dinner. Today you will participate in preparing your dinner (great opportunity to learn about African cuisine). After your dinner with this Tanzanian modern family, you will be transferred to Tulia hotel for diner and overnight. After lunch you drive to a local market in Arusha to buy some food that you can eat today. The owners of a Home Stay welcome you later this day. There is time for a shower and a little rest. During dinner time you can interact with this family and prepare dinner together. we choose safe and neat home stay.
- Main activities
- Walking Safari
- Transport
- 4×4 Land Cruiser
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
- Drinks
- Coffee, Drinking water, Tea
≈ 13 h 30 min · 541 km Monduli Juu → Zanzibar by 4×4 Land Cruiser
Day 10
Zanzibar
4×4 Land Cruiser 3 meals
This is the last morning you spend with the family. After lunch you head off to Arusha Airport for your flight to Zanzibar. Upon arrival at Zanzibar Airport, you will be met by your driver and transferred to Next Paradise Boutique Resort for dinner and overnight in a beachfront bungalow
- Transport
- 4×4 Land Cruiser
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
- Drinks
- Coffee, Drinking water, Tea
No transfer · another full day in Zanzibar
Day 11
Zanzibar
Minibus 3 meals
Explore the lively Stone Town today – the cultural and historical heart of Zanzibar. It is a fascinating labyrinth of narrow streets and alleyways that are a joy to explore. Discover the architectural gems, tasteful restaurants, churches, markets and gardens. There are plenty of interesting places to visit on a cultural tour, like the House of Wonders, Darajani market place, Sultan’s Palace, and the Slave Market. The mix of Arab, Persian, Indian and European influences makes Stone Town absolutely unique. In the afternoon you go on a boat trip to visit Prison Island. This island was once used as a place where slaves were detained and later it functioned as a camp where people with deadly diseases were sent. Today the island is a nature reserve for giant tortoises and a place to see the ruins that once functioned as the prison. Dinner and overnight will be at Next Paradise resort.
- Transport
- Minibus
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
- Drinks
- Coffee, Juice, A bottle of soda, Tea
No transfer · another full day in Zanzibar
Day 12
Zanzibar
4×4 Land Cruiser 3 meals
These 2 days will be at leisure to relax or explore as you like. All meals and overnight will be at Next Paradise Boutique Resort. This resort is protected by a coral reef and set along the white sand, palm-fringed beach offering views of the Indian Ocean
- Transport
- 4×4 Land Cruiser
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
No transfer · another full day in Zanzibar
Day 13
Zanzibar
Bus 3 meals
These day will be at leisure to relax or explore as you like. All meals and overnight will be at Next Paradise Boutique Resort. This resort is protected by a coral reef and set along the white sand, palm-fringed beach offering views of the Indian Ocean
- Transport
- Bus
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
- Drinks
- Coffee, Drinking water, Juice, A bottle of soda, Tea
No transfer · another full day in Zanzibar
Day 14 · End
Zanzibar
Minibus
After breakfast, you will be transferred to Zanzibar airport for your departure (this will depend on your departure time).
- Transport
- Minibus
What is included
Price includes
- Park Fees
- Domestic Flights
- All Accommodations
- All meals
- All activities
- Drinking water
- A professional guide
- All taxes
- Roundtrip airport transfer
Price excludes
- International Flight
- Personal Item expense
Payment terms
- All services are subject to availability and are not guaranteed until confirmed.
- A deposit of 25% to 50% of the total value for each person referred to on the booking form is required at the time of booking. If a higher deposit is required for any particular tour, this will be indicated before confirmation.
- Where gorilla permits are required, they must be paid in full at the time of confirmation and are non-refundable. This is in addition to the standard non-refundable deposit.
- The remaining balance is due 30 days before the start of the tour, unless otherwise indicated of which a certain percentage can be paid upon the start of the tour. Should this payment not be received without notice, Earthlife Expeditions reserves the right to treat the booking as cancelled, whereby normal cancellation conditions apply.
- If the booking is made within 30 days of the tour start date, full payment is required at the time of booking. The contract between us is made when we issue your confirmation invoice.
- At the time of booking, we require full details for all passengers (names must be as they appear in passports).
Cancellation policy
5.1 Cancellation by you:
We have two different cancellation & refund policies that make us the most flexible operator in the industry.
5.1.1 If you decide to cancel your holiday you must notify us as soon as possible. Any notification by telephone must also be confirmed in writing or by e-mail within 24 hours and is effective from the day we are notified, provided that written confirmation is received by us within 24 hours of the original notification.
Rescheduling: With this mostly preferred method by most of our clients we give you the opportunity to move the full payments of your booking to the future without additional funds. This is valid for 24 months (or more depending on the reason for postponement) since the cancellation/postponement).
Refunds resulting from, and/or happening during unforeseen circumstances beyond our control mentioned under section LIABILITY 7.4, may take prolonged processing time than expected.
On the occasion that a client uses our recommended accommodations (we have a plethora of properties to choose from), the properties that have flexible cancellation policies;-
Cancelling up to 60 days prior to the start of your itinerary, a total amount of the reservation minus a 7% consultation fee & bank charges will be refunded.
Cancellation within 59-30 days prior to the start of your itinerary, 50% of the total amount minus 7% consultation fee & bank charges bank charges will be refunded
Cancellation within 29 – 0 days or no show, 100% of your deposit will be charged
Above terms are dictated by the accommodations. However, some accommodations have more strict cancellation terms. In case a client chooses to use these accommodations, Earthlife Expeditions will advise accordingly.
5.1.3 No refund will be given for gorilla permits, independent of the cancellation date.
5.1.4 Refunds will not be given for unused services, the late arrival or the absence of clients.
5.1.5 We accept no liability for any loss or damage arising from cancellations.
5.2 Cancellation by Earthlife Expeditions:
5.2.1 We reserve the right to cancel your holiday and charge cancellation fees (as defined above)
should you fail to pay the balance when due.
5.2.2 Earthlife Expeditions reserves the right to cancel your tour up to 60 days before start date.
After this we will not cancel your tour unless it is for a reason outside our control. In such circumstances we will offer you the choice of an alternative holiday if available, or full refund. If we have to cancel your holiday we will offer you:
a) Arrangements of a similar nature, standard and price, if available.
b) Arrangements of a lower standard, whereby the difference in price will be refunded.
c) More expensive arrangements, whereby the difference in price will be paid by you.
d) A full refund.
5.2.3 Earthlife Expeditions accepts no liability for any loss or damage arising from cancellations.
Additional information
- Wheelchair accessible: This tour is accessible to wheelchair users.
- Children must be accompanied by their parents
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- A vegetarian option is available; please let us know at the time of booking if you require it.
Reviews
From travellers of Earthlife Expeditions, the company that runs this tour.
5.0/5
Excellent
Based on 2 reviews
Been here? Tell other travellers.
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Bill Wings
Tanzania safari with Earthlife Expeditions is simply a perfect match I am lost with words! Where do I even begin? I am kind of a wanderlust and I am lucky to travel 65 countries across the globe, well Tanzania made it 66 and if there is a single country that is blessed with beautiful parks my answer will always be Tanzania. Perhaps I am being recency biased? Not very sure but for sure this country just stunned us and thanks to Earthlife Expeditions our trip was nothing but a lifetime experience. As safari consultant from Earthlife Expeditions called Angel was very helpful and friendly, everything we could’ve asked for. Even though we didn’t have an idea what exactly we wanted to see in Tanzania, Angel came up with a very attractive proposal just after we mentioned our length of stay in Tanzania. She even invited us for a Skype call where she helped breaking down each destination and why they were worth visiting. We were very afraid that lack of flight due to the current lockdowns could’ve affected our travel plans so we were slow to pay but Angel told us not to worry as she suggested an option of doing 50% deposit just before the last 7 days of our trip. Also she shared a very friendly safari amendment policy that allowed guests to postpone their travels and travel again later within 12 months. But one thing I should mention that I liked so much with Earthlife expeditions is the way they insisted and maintained the COVID-19 safety measures. Every staff we met had protective mask and gloves and the safari vehicle was always super cleaned and sanitized and had bottles of hand sanitizers with it. Our guide Abu who was very good at spotting animals in the thickets made sure our health and his were never in a jeopardy. When Abu told us he has guided tourists in the Tanzania Parks for more than 30 years now, we were not shocked his high level knowledge and guiding skills had already said for themselves. He could guide us to the quite bush and switch the car off for sometimes and just ask us to remain silent with our cameras….within a few minutes we’d see a wildlife coming out of the bushes in our close proximity. If you are planning to go to Tanzania go with these guys. They are very professional and always have attention to even small details. We were so happy with our accommodations thanks to Earthlife Expeditions suggestion. While safaris are expensive, we were very satisfied with the price we were charged. I couldn’t believe how we ended up getting a luxury experience in the bush without paying jaw dropping fees. Thank you Earthlife Bill Wings, Houston
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Delphine Rose
My husband and I had an affordable lifetime experience with Earthlife. We have just returned from our very first African safari that we had from 23th July – August 4th this year. We were not certain which exact country to go but after a lot of research and a few documentaries, we were convinced that Tanzania was the place to go. However, the task remained, which operator to use? With so many in Tanzania we felt a bit lost. Thanks we found Tanzania tour operator which really brought together few of the most credible local companies to make things easier. After sending our requests to local companies (somewhere between 5-7 of them) we felt comfortable with Earthlife Expeditions, we wanted to see as much as we could but without rushing from one place to another and Earthlife Expeditions really met our requests and wishes very easily thanks to Deo the owner of this company. He later mentioned to us that he had been working as a tour guide for nearly 20 years. The organization went really smoothly and he was very quick to answer our questions. He also didn’t show any signs of feeling irritated when we kept suggesting changes time after time. We even made some changes in our itinerary just 5 days before safari. Another thing worth mentioning was our guide Paul, wow! This man new his work. Sometimes it felt like his all life was based on the Tanzania bushes the way he kept telling us interesting wilderness stories…day after another. I remember when we were in Serengeti we met another safari vehicle and their guide had confused the way back to their lodge, well Serengeti is like so so huge so we were not shocked by this. Amazingly, Paul gave this fellow guide a direction who thanked him and go back to another direction, they were going in a totally wrong way. Later on, we were shocked when Paul told us that the last time he was in that lodge was in 2009. Honestly, the whole experience was made possible and so special by our driver guide. We couldn’t thank him enough the way he was guiding us through these wonderful wild places of Tanzania and showing us so much wildlife. The thing I liked most about Paul that he was very respectful, both of the place and of wildlife in general. Something we found so different with other guides especially in the more crowded places like central and north Serengeti. He always stayed calm, never blocked other vehicles view with a greedy of seeing wildlife much closer. What he did was waiting while finding a more convenient space where we felt so comfortable. The man was very knowledgeable and he enjoys guiding tourists through the beautiful parks of Tanzania. We would want to be guided with him again and again whenever we visit Tanzania again! Lastly, we were very happy with the accommodation options Earthlife Expeditions suggested to us. All of them were very classy and we couldn’t have wished for more in the package that we opted for which was a mid-range which looked everything like a luxury service. Accommodation and food were all spot on. We recommend booking a safari with Earthlife Expeditions. We are already thinking to go back again in the next August, we couldn’t get enough of the beautiful wildebeests migration despite staying in North Serengeti for 3 days!
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