Guuuuuuys I am so so excited for our trip this summer to Tanzania! It’s going to be the absolute best and I am SO excited for y’all to experience this bucket list adventure! Knowing how big this trip is and how close it’s getting (eek!) there are obviously going to be lots of questions. SO, here is a rundown of all the things you might be asking yourself and ready to ask me or Linus at Shiri Adventures.
I’d love to say this is a mini guide for this trip, but I fear this will be a long page that I continue to add more to, ha!
What to Expect
- While we will try to adhere to a schedule each day it’s important to know it’s more of an outline than an exact science. We will always have an exact start time each morning, then a goal for lunch, and a goal time to return to our lodge/resort. But it is likely to shift throughout the day based on many factors. The main being the fact that – especially on safari – we are chasing wildlife all day and they don’t follow a firm schedule or plans. So please know that our days likely won’t follow a strict timeline but more an outline to ensure we aren’t leaving incredible experiences behind.
- You’ll be surprisingly tired each night! These are long days spent in the jeeps, and though we aren’t doing a ton of physical activity you’ll definitely be worn out. Especially on days where we’re starting at one park and ending at another, it’s just a lot of driving.
- You’ll get the itinerary for the next day around dinner each night and it will be sent via the Whatsapp group so make sure you’re in the group and checking your notifications.
- Linus from Shiri Adventures will be joining us on the tour! Between him, me, and the guides, we should be able to answer questions as you have them but we might need to confer with one another before having a final answer.
- On safari, we’ll want everyone to get to experience each of our guides as well as befriend everyone from the group! What that means is we’ll rotate through the jeeps each day and mix up who goes in the jeeps together so we all get friendship bonding time! But of course, if you came with someone(s), you can stick together each day and rotate through the jeeps as a unit.
- We’ll have a photographer with us for the safari portion and they will send photos from our trip after!
- Do remember that the Tanzania electrical grid is more sensitive, and it is possible that our lodges/resort lose power momentarily while we’re there. It turns back on right away and has never caused me any issues, but wanted to let you know it could happen!
Day-to-Day Itinerary
This is subject to change and we’ll remain flexible so you’ll notice there are no official timestamps for activities, but this is the overall plan:
Arrive to Arusha
Arrival daaaay! You’ll fly into Kilimanjaro International Airport (JRO) and a member of the Shiri Adventures team will pick you up when you land. They’ll take you to the gorgeous hotel we’re spending the day recovering from jet-lag and relaxing.
We’ll have an introductory group dinner this night where everyone will meet each other, meet the Shiri Adventures team, and get the lowdown on what’s going to happen on day 2.
Reminder: if you are storing any luggage at the hotel you’ll want to get your luggage organized this night, so you’re ready to go in the morning!
Where We Are: Kilimanjaro Airport > Arusha, Tanzania
Where We’re Staying: Gran Meliá Arusha
Serengeti Day 1
We are starting the day EARLY with our flight from Arusha to the Serengeti! This is a quick flight – only around an hour – and then we’ll OFFICIALLY be in Serengeti National Park.
From there we’ll load up into our safari jeeps with our guides and be out and about in the park for our first game drive of the trip!
Also, gird your loins for our incredible first safari lodge; I don’t know if y’all are ready because it is STUNNING.
Where We Are: Arusha flight > Serengeti National Park (central)
Where We’re Staying: Lahia Tented Lodge
Serengeti Day 2
We will spend another magical day exploring the BEYONNND incredible Serengeti National Park!
We’ll leave the safari lodge in the morning and be out for a fullllll day in the Serengeti looking for all the wildlife we could ever dream of. The Lion King mode activated, for real!
HOT AIR BALLOON RIDERS: At dinner, the the team will come to tell us all about what time we’ll need to be ready and what to expect for the sunrise hot air balloon ride the next day.
Where We Are: Serengeti National Park (northern)
Where We’re Staying: Lahia Tented Lodge
Sunrise Serengeti Hot Air Balloon + Ngorongoro Crater
If you are doing the optional sunrise hot air balloon ride – WHICH I RECOMMEND BECAUSE IT IS SO COOL – that group will have an EXTREMELY early wakeup call to get there on time. Make sure to bring your jacket because it’ll be cooler this early in the morning.
If you’re *not* doing the balloon, you’ll get to sleep in a little bit before hopping in the jeep and driving to Ngorongoro Crater.
Ngorongoro Crater is, in my opinion, the most beautiful park when it comes to nature so this park will be a FEAST for the eyes.
Once we’ve properly explored this park, we’ll head to our new lodge.
Where We Are: Serengeti National Park > Ngorongoro Crater
Where We’re Staying: Lake Manyara Serena Safari Lodge
Maasai Tribe Visit + Lake Manyara National Park
We’ll start the day by visiting a local Maasai tribe. We’ll learn more about the Maasai people and get an up close and personal tour of how these incredible people live today. Bring cash if you want to buy any souvenirs!
After visiting the village, we will head over to Lake Manyara National Park, which is the smallest park we’ll visit this week! But don’t let that worry you because I am certain our minds will be blown by this small but mighty park.
Where We Are: Lodge > Maasai tribe > Lake Manyara National Park
Where We’re Staying: Lake Manyara Serena Safari Lodge
Tarangire National Park
Our last BUT CERTAINLY NOT LEAST park day is in Tarangire National Park, which is beyond incredible and reminds me a little bit of the Serengeti. A highlight for this park is the unique baobab tree and it’s an excellent “last day in the parks” park.
Once we’ve finished our game drive, we’ll make a stop to do some shopping at a really amazing cultural and heritage center!
Once we’re all shopped out, we’ll return to the Gran Meliá Arusha resort, where we spent our first night. We’ll collect any of the luggage we left in storage prior to flying out to the Serengeti and repack anything we need to so we’re ready to fly out to Zanzibar in the morning!
We’ll also be given our flight information for the next day around dinner time.
Where We Are: Tarangire National Park > Arusha
Where We’re Staying: Gran Meliá Arusha
Travel to Zanzibar
Today is a travel day and we’re heading to Zanzibar! Official flight details TBD, but we will be taken to the airport in the morning to start our travel day.
Upon arrival in Zanzibar, the Shiri Adventures team will pick us up and take us to our first resort!
Once we arrive, it’s time to enter chill mode. We’ll hang out at the resort; relaxing and enjoying the all-inclusive amenities of this gorgeous place.
If you want to explore beyond the hotel feel free to, but we have no excursions organized to do so.
Where We Are: Arusha > Stone Town, Zanzibar
Where We’re Staying: Sanzibar Serena Hotel
Stone Town & Changuu (Prison Island) Tour
Today we’ll be learning a lot of history about the gorgeous island of Zanzibar!
We’ll take a tour of historic Stone Town as well as head out to Changuu, aka Prison Island, and learn some of the history of this unique and beautiful island.
You’ll want to bring cash for tips as always, but also for any shopping you may want to do for souvenirs! And you’ll also want to have a bag to store anything you don’t want to get potentially wet on the ride out to Changuu, because it’s highly likely some splashes make it into the boat.
Where We Are: Stone Town and Changuu (Prison Island)
Where We’re Staying: Sanzibar Serena Hotel
Next Resort Relaxation Day
We are going to be taken from our resort in Stone Town to an area of the island with some of the best beaches, where we’ll be staying for the next two days!
Today is another chill day where we’re going to just enjoy the vibes and amenities of the resort once again. Because we’ve earned a gorgeous, gorgeous beach day, am I right?!
Where We Are: Stone Town > northeast Zanzibar
Where We’re Staying: Meliá Zanzibar
(Optional) Snorkel/Dive + Sunset Dhow Cruise
If you’re going to go either snorkeling or diving, today is the day! And I highly recommend you do if you’re an ocean lover because wow is this Zanzibar water crystal clear and absolutely stunning. So we’ll spend the morning getting our fish on!
Those who opt out of this activity will hang out and relax at the hotel. Or, if you want to go explore on your own, you’re absolutely welcome to.
And to end our evening – and our INCREDIBLE time together – we’re going to have a sunset dhow cruise. A dhow boat is a traditional boat used on the Indian Ocean and we get to watch a stunning sunset during this extremely unique and special experience.
Where We Are: Stone Town > northeast Zanzibar
Where We’re Staying: Meliá Zanzibar
Say Goodbye 🙁
After an absolutely incredible trip together, it’s officially time to say goodbye. Which is obviously devastating. But hey, it’s better to have loved and lost than to never have loved at all, right?!
Someone from the Shiri Adventures team will pick you up from the resort and take you to the hotel based on your flight time. You will likely be grouped in with some others who have similar flight times, so you won’t be hanging out at the airport by yourself!
Trip Prep & Insurance
What are Tanzania’s vaccine requirements for entry?
- There are a number of recommended vaccines for Tanzania. I didn’t get any myself, but get whatever you feel comfortable with!
- The only required vaccine is Yellow Fever and it is ONLY REQUIRED IF you are coming from a Yellow Fever endemic country, or are in/traveling through a YF endemic country for more than 12 hours. Here’s a map from the US CDC to show you YF endemic countries.
- For example, I’ve flown from the US > Tanzania with a layover in Ethiopia (a YF endemic country) for 2 hours and didn’t need a YF vaccine.
- However, rules are subject to change so please check your home country’s Tanzania embassy website or your Disease Center. If you’re from the US, here’s a link to the Tanzanian embassy page on vaccines.
- If you’re worried about a layover in a YF endemic country before the trip, I would book your YF vaccine as soon as possible. It’s not a vaccine that’s readily available in many places.
Do you need trip insurance?
I ALWAYS recommend getting travel insurance for large trips like this if you don’t have a travel credit card where that is already included. I’m an affiliate with Travel Insurance Master and love them. They build free quotes for you from top travel insurance companies that are based on your specific needs. Then, you select what works for you.
What visa do you need?
- You’ll need a visa and the cost is $100 USD.
- You can apply for one online here, which is what I’ve done each time and it’s been great. But you can also apply for one on-arrival in Tanzania if needed (you’ll need cash for this), but it’s a lot quicker to do it online beforehand.
- The type of visa you need depends on where you come from. Americans are required to apply for multiple-entry visas, whereas everyone else can apply for single-entry. Here are more details from the Tanzania visa site.
Is your passport valid for entry to Tanzania?
Your passport needs to be valid for 6 months AFTER the last day you’ll be in Tanzania. So if it expires before then, you’ll need to get a new passport ordered ASAP. The last day of our trip is August 8, 2025, so your passport’s expiration date needs to be AFTER February 8, 2026 (or if you’re staying later, whatever your last day in Tanzania is).
Packing & What to Bring
I put together these packing guides to help you plan your trip:
Can you pack for this in a carry-on only?
- Yes and I highly recommend it! I promise this trip can be done carry-on only as I’ve done it twice (the first time was a backpack and half a roller carry-on).
- You will have to check a bag on our Arusha > Serengeti and also likely on Kilimanjaro > Zanzibar flights due to those being smaller African airlines.
- You’ll have to pack less for the safari portion anyway since that airline has tighter weight restrictions, so packing light in general will help you out!
What are the luggage requirements for the Serengeti flight?
- 15kg (33lbs) total, including your personal item
- No hard-sided luggage – must be soft-sided, a duffel, a backpack, etc.
So how am I (Amanda) packing for this?
Because of our flight to the Serengeti and its luggage restrictions, I’m going to have to switch up my luggage a little bit as an exclusively carry-on packer. I am AIMING to do the following (but I reserve the right to change my plan should I fail at it, ha):
- Roller carry-on and a backpack personal item. In my roller bag I will include a very small packed-down bag that will act as my day pack.
- Leave my roller carry-on at Gran Meliá Arusha filled with my Zanzibar stuff (minus 1 swimsuit). I’ll stuff my backpack with my clothes while using the packed-down bag (day pack) as my personal item/hand luggage.
Food & Drink
Hungry? Honestly, same. This is what our meal situation looks like each day:
- Breakfast on our own at the hotel/lodge before we leave for the day
- Lunch while out and about on our daily excursion (prepared by our safari lodge) or at the resort in Zanzibar
- Team dinner each night at the lodge/resort
All meals and drinks are covered on safari excluding liquor/spirits. And additionally, the Zanzibar resorts are all-inclusive, so we’re covered there as well!
What’s the water situation?
Our guides will have bottled water available for us. I will always have my own filtered water bottle with me just in case, but I haven’t really needed it yet in 2 of these trips as the guides have had plenty for the team.
What about dietary restrictions?
Hopefully all restrictions were gathered when you signed up for the trip, but if not please let us know in the Whatsapp group! But basically we can accommodate pretty much anything for you, just let us know what you need and we’ll make sure we communicate to the kitchen(s).
Money, Tipping, & Payments
What should you tip?
SAFARI:
- $10 – $15 USD per day, per person is the standard tipping rate for a safari.
- I’d recommend tipping your guide each day vs. a large lump sum at the end because you won’t have the same guide each day.
- $10 – $15 USD for the Masaai guide and a couple of dollars for the kids.
- 5 days of full day game drives with your guide(s) + Masaai guide = $60 – $95.
ZANZIBAR:
- $10 – $15 USD per tour works here as well.
- 4 tours (2 optional) = $40 – $60 if you do all 4.
WHAT ELSE:
- In addition, have small bills on you for tips for bathroom attendants, lodge/resort staff, etc. so maybe another $5 – $10 per day in small bills.
- If you run out of tipping money, no worries. You can always Zelle or Venmo me and I can pass it along to the Shiri Adventures team!
When should you have cash?
- Tips
- Buying souvenirs at the Masaai tribe
- Vendors on Zanzibar
- If you leave the Zanzibar resort outside of planned group activities, you may need cash for whatever you plan on doing
When can you get cash?
I would recommend getting cash before you leave for the trip! However, airports always have ATMs available, so you might want to top off when we’re headed to Zanzibar. But let us know if you need to get cash out and we can make sure to find a bank or ATM for you.
Do you need to convert money into Tanzanian Shillings? Do they accept credit cards/US dollars?
- I haven’t had to do any money conversion on any of my Tanzania trips yet, as everywhere accepted US dollars and/or credit/debit cards. Visa and Mastercard will be the options that work the most places.
- Bring multiple credit cards with you just in case your credit card company freezes yours or something happens. I recommend that for any time I’m traveling just to be safe.
- Be sure to tell your credit card companies you’ll be in Tanzania these dates so they don’t automatically flag your trips transactions as fraud.
When are final payments due?
2 weeks prior to the trip, so July 15, 2025.
What *isn’t* included? Aka what do you need to pay for?
Pretty much everything except for spending money is included! All meals are included on safari, provided by the lodges. And the Zanzibar resorts are all-inclusive! So really it’s just any spending and tipping money! And any of the optional add-ons (hot air balloon ride and snorkeling/diving).
When will we have time to souvenir shop?
- We’ll have a stop at an amazing shopping and cultural center on the safari as well as the ability to purchase souvenirs from the Masaai village.
- For Zanzibar, our Stone Town Changuu (Prison Island) day tour will include opportunities for shopping as well.
Medical & Wellness
Should you take anti-malarial pills?
This is entirely up to you and your comfort level. I’ve been on safari in Tanzania 2x now and haven’t taken them. Please opt to do whatever makes you feel comfortable and safe, your health is the priority.
Do you need bug spray?
Again, totally up to you. I have bug spray wipes/bracelets on my Tanzania Safari Packing List, but in the 2 safaris I’ve done I haven’t used any. Having them for peace of mind is nice though. Our beds will have bug nets on them too to help protect!
Cell Service & Wifi
I have an international phone plan, so I get (slower) cell service in Tanzania. However if you don’t have that I’d highly recommend an eSIM and Airalo eSIM is the one ALL my friends use.
On the safari portion specifically, while we’re in the parks, it’s highly unlikely you’ll get service either way as we’ll be far away from any cell towers. I usually turn my phone on airplane mode until we’re headed back to the lodge.
Zanzibar I had service just fine.
As far as wifi goes, the resorts and safari lodges usually have pretty solid wifi. You should be able to check email, social media, and watch videos all without major issue.
Camera & Photography
You are probably wondering if you should get yourself a nice camera and lens. And while I certainly will be bringing mine, this is always my recommendation:
If You Are Comfortable & Confident With a Camera:
Absolutely bring one. And 100% bring a zoom lens.
If you don’t have one, rent one! And use my 15% discount code AMANDAWANDERS15 at LensRentals.com and save some money on your rental. This is what I did on my first safari and it was a perfect solution.
I’d recommend at minimum a 100-400 for your zoom. I’ve brought that on 2 safaris and it’s been amazing.
If You Are Not Confident with a Fancy Camera:
Don’t worry about it. You don’t want to be spending time fumbling with camera settings you don’t understand and potentially missing out on incredible experiences right in front of you.
Just bring your phone and use that! We’ll have plenty of instances where we are super close to wildlife anyway and your phone will work just fine. Plus we’re bringing a professional photographer along (and I’ll be there too) so you will end up with gorgeous photos either way!
Other Random Tips & To-Dos
- If you’re a hungry person or the type who follows a strict eating schedule, pack snacks! But tell your guide (especially on safari) because they could place them in the cooler for you.
- On safari, when around the wildlife, it’s important to make sure sure we as a group are quiet so we don’t spook the animals. Some animals are more sensitive than others and we’re in their home, so it’s important we respect them.
- Listen to our guides at all times. Not only are they an absolutely unlimited well of knowledge, but they’re also tasked with keeping us safe. So make sure to follow their rules and suggestions and we’ll all be better off!
- Highly recommend downloading the island of Zanzibar on Google Maps so it’s available offline just in case you got separated somehow or went off on your own during free time.
I hope this pre-trip guide is helpful for you, and please reach out via the Whatsapp group to ask any questions you may have as we’re preparing to leave for the trip! Can’t wait to meet y’all!