After great trips in 2024, 2025, and 2026 we are DOING IT AGAIN IN 2027 Y’ALL! Shiri Adventures and I took all the feedback and experiences from both of these group trips to make an elite itinerary for 2028 and we’re SO EXCITED to start booking people!
Safari + Zanzibar Quick Hit info
We have an incredible luxury trip planned and Shiri Adventures worked very hard to get these prices down for our group, and I’m super thankful for that!
10 Day Tanzania Adventure
6 Day Safari + 4 Days in Zanzibar
What: Spend a week exploring some of Tanzania’s most incredible parks – Serengeti, Ngorongoro Crater, and Tarangire – feeling like you’re in a wildlife documentary. Then we’ll head to Zanzibar, home to some of the most beautiful waters in the world relax after a jam-packed week on safari.
When: October 3 – 12, 2027
Where: The town of Arusha, Serengeti National Park, Ngorongoro Crater, Tarangire National Park, and the island of Zanzibar
Cost: $5,635 $5,535 using the code AMANDAWANDERS
Meet Your Host
Hi! I’m Amanda! I’m an experienced group trip organizer and host, having taken 3 groups to Tanzania on safari, as well as groups to both Antarctica and Ecuador as well.
I still work full-time in IT consulting (remotely) and live in Portland, Oregon with my husband, dog, and our fish! My favorite thing in the world is to travel and ethically see wildlife in their national habitats, and truly there is no more magical way to see that than a safari in Africa. I’m also a voracious reader, love a good hike, and you can find me whale watching whenever I can.
I’ve been working with my safari partner Shiri Adventures for 4 years and we couldn’t have a better company to take us on safari. They’re locally owned in Tanzania and truly care about the people they employ and the guests they take on adventures.
The guides are so knowledgeable, personable, reliable, and hanging out with them on the game drives is truly half the fun of trips like these. We are not just in good hands with Shiri, but the best hands.
Testimonials
Testimonials from previous safari group trip attendees!
Itinerary
The full itinerary is also on the booking page, but let’s dig in! Also just know the per-day activities are subject to change, but the days in park will be the same!
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.
Also, this is the first trip we’ll be staying at the BRAND NEW Giraffe Manor Tanzania! There is one in Kenya and they have rescued giraffes on-site, so this is going to be ABSOLUTELY magical!
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: Giraffe Manor Tanzania
Serengeti Day 1
We are starting the day EARLY with our flight from Arusha to the Serengeti (flight time TBD, will know when we get there)! This is a quick flight on a small bush plane – 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.
HOT AIR BALLOON RIDERS: At dinner, the hot air balloon 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: Arusha flight > Serengeti National Park (central)
Where We’re Staying: Lahia Tented Lodge
Serengeti Day 2 + Hot Air Balloon Ride
We will spend another magical day exploring the BEYONNND incredible Serengeti National Park!
For those of us doing the sunrise Serengeti hot air balloon ride, this will be a VERY early day (if you’re not ballooning, enjoy sleeping in!). Ballooners will leave from the lodge when it’s still dark out, head to the hot air balloon site, and spend ~1 hr floating above the wildlife as the sun rises over the Serengeti. It’s literal magic; I’ve gone 4x and I will never stop.
Then, we’ll have a stunning breakfast and afterward, meet up with any of the crew who did NOT balloon, and have a magical day of game drives, looking for all the wildlife we could ever dream of. The Lion King mode activated, for real!
Where We Are: Serengeti National Park (central)
Where We’re Staying: Lahia Tented Lodge
Ngorongoro Highlands + Maasai Village Visit
Today we will transfer from the Serengeti to the Ngorogoro Conservation Area. We will be game driving along the way, checking for wildlife, but today is definitely a longer drive day so you’ll want something to entertain yourself with in the safari truck.
We will also stop and visit a Maasai tribe’s village, which is a look into how this east African nomadic people live. It’s super interesting and you can do some shopping while you’re there as well, buying wares from the women of the tribe.
After, we’ll head to the lodge. This is a new lodge for me specifically and I’m so excited about it because it’s going to overlook Ngorongoro Crater which is, in my opinion, the most beautiful park when it comes to nature so this lodge will be a FEAST for the eyes.
Where We Are: Serengeti National Park > Ngorongoro Rim
Where We’re Staying: Ngorongoro Rim Lodge
Ngorongoro Crater
Like I said, this is my favorite park when it comes to natural beauty, so we’re going to spend a day down in the crater admiring it and the wildlife that live there.
THIS is the day we could possibly see a rhino, 1 of the Big 5, so we’ll want everyone to bring good vibes! Of the 4x I’ve been here, I’ve seen rhinos 3x from varying distances. But we’ll want to put out the good vibes because they’re magical and rare and majestic.
Where We Are: Ngorongoro Crater
Where We’re Staying: Manyara’s Secret
Tarangire National Park > Zanzibar
This is a hell of a final day! We are starting the day on safari and ending it on a beach resort.
Tarangire National Park is SO cool; it’ll remind you more of the Serengeti as far as aesthetic goes but it is known for its famed baobab tree and GIANT elephant herds. This park really is the perfect way to end our safari portion, and I could genuinely sit in and watch the elephant herds forever.
Once we’ve finished for the day, we’re going to drive straight to the Arusha Airport. Any luggage we may have stored beforehand with the hotel will be transferred to us. We’ll also have time to re-organize our luggage before the flight to Zanzibar.
Where We Are: Tarangire National Park > Arusha > Zanzibar
Where We’re Staying: Melia Zanzibar
Stone Town Tour & Zanzibar Relaxation
Today we’ll be learning a lot of history about the gorgeous island of Zanzibar!
We’ll take a tour of historic Stone Town where we’ll visit many spots that important to the modern culture of Zanzibar as well as historic places that are a reminder of its sordid past. We will learn a lot this day
You’ll want to bring cash for tips as always, but also for any shopping you may want to do for souvenirs while we visit the market!
Additionally, there is an optional add-on for the spice farm visit for this day, which is actually really cool if you’re interested in cooking or trade or taking home cool wares.
Where We Are: Stone Town and Spice Farm
Where We’re Staying: Meliá Zanzibar
Optional Snorkeling/Diving & Sunset Dhow Cruise
If you’re going to go either snorkeling/diving or clear kayaking, today is the day! And I highly recommend you do one of these 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: Mnemba Island (snorkelers/divers) & Resort
Where We’re Staying: Meliá Zanzibar
Free Day to Relax
Today is a 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?!
If you wanted to schedule any sort of additional tour on your own, this is the day to do it! I will be relaxing at the pool or on the beach, but y’all can do whatever you want!
We will have one final team dinner where we will bond over the absolutely magical week and a half we’ve had together.
Where We Are: Resort
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!
FAQs
Is this trip solo friendly?
Absolutely! If you’re going solo, we will simply assign you to a safari lodge room with another person of the same gender. Or you can request a solo room for an additional charge.
Do I need travel 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.
Zanzibar requires its own mandatory inbound insurance, and you can apply for that here. The cost is different for individual (which covers people) and families (3-9) but it’s relatively inexpensive and easy to get.
Is there an age range?
Nope! We welcome anyone of any age, but historically these have been majority adults and if you bring children, they will be around adults.
What are the vaccine requirements?
There are a number of recommended vaccines for Tanzania. However, the only required vaccine is Yellow Fever and that is ONLY IF you are coming from a Yellow Fever endemic country, or traveling through one for more than 24 hours. So for example, I’ve flown to Tanzania from the US and laid over in Ethiopia (a YF endemic country) for 2 hours and was fine without it. However, rules are subject to change so please check your home country’s Tanzanian embassy’s website or your disease center. If you’re from the US, here’s a link to the Tanzanian embassy page on vaccines.
Can I do this trip in a carryon only?
Yes and I highly recommend it! I promise this trip can be done carryon only. You MIGHT have to check a bag on our Arusha > Serengeti and Arusha > Zanzibar flights due to those being smaller African airlines, but I have done this safari 4x with nothing more than a small backpack and roller carryon. We’re moving around a lot between hotels and safari lodges, and you don’t want to have to pack and repack a huge suitcase that many times. If needed, our lodges will have laundry. But I’d recommend packing clothes you can rewear comfortably.
If I only wanted to do the safari portion & skip Zanzibar, can I do that?
Yep! Just reach out and we can set this up for you.
Are solo supplements available?
Yes, if you don’t want to share a room you don’t have to! It’s an extra $824 for a solo supplement. You’ll select it as an add-on during the booking process!
Does the cost include flights?
The cost does NOT include flights to/from Tanzania, BUT it includes the Arusha > Serengeti flight as well as the flight to Zanzibar.
What’s included in the cost?
All accommodations, all activities, all meals (unless you leave the hotel in Zanzibar separate from determined excursions and outings), all transportation, professional guides, and taxes/VAT are included.
We will also have a photographer with us on the safari portion and they will send us photos from each day!
NOT included: international flights to/from Tanzania, personal spending money, tips, government increase tax, visas, mandatory Zanzibar inbound insurance, additional excursions such as the hot air balloon ride
What airports do I need to fly to/from?
You will fly into Tanzania’s Kilimanjaro International Airport (JRO) and you will fly out of Zanzibar’s Abeid Amani Karume International Airport (ZNZ).
You can also do some price comparisons by looking up some other routes too in order to potentially save some money. For the route in, you can also check flights into other nearby larger airports (like Nairobi in Kenya or Dar es Salaam in Tanzania) to see if they’re cheaper, and then book a separate flight to KIA from there for relatively inexpensive.
You can do the same for departing flights from Zanzibar. If you booked your round trip to/from Dar es Salaam for example, you can buy a separate one way flight from Zanzibar to Dar es Salaam and potentially save some money.
Is tipping included in the price?
No, tipping is not included, as that is totally up to you. $10 – $15 per day, per person is the standard tipping rate for a safari, and would also be a good rate for guides in Zanzibar. I’d recommend having some small bills on you too for tips for bathroom attendants and things like that.
How physically active is this trip?
Not very! You’ll need to be able to comfortably get in and out of the jeep a few times per day for the safari and walk around town in Zanzibar comfortably. But this is not a strenuous trip
What is the lodging situation?
We are staying at what Shiri Adventures categorizes as luxury lodging. This allows for more potential guests, and a truly spectacular hotel experience. The hotels are subject to change (for example we had to change a safari lodge in 2024 because it flooded and another changed ownership and tried to change prices on us) but this is what we’ve got planned for now:
- Giraffe Manor Tanzania
- Lahia Tented Lodge (2 nights in a row)
- Ngorongoro Rim Lodge
- Manyara’s Secret
- Melia Zanzibar
How many people will there be?
Shiri Adventures can handle up to 200 people in the group however we DEFINITELY won’t have that many people that is for sure. The average I tend to have on these group trips is 18 – 20. Regardless, each jeep has a max capacity of 7 people, so it will never *feel* that big.
What do I wear on safari?
How do I pay and are there payment plans?
20% deposit is required at booking, and the remaining balance is due 2 weeks prior to the trip. Shiri Adventures also accepts payments in installments, and you can pay online via credit card or wire transfer.
When do I have to book by?
August 31, 2027 is the final day to book to ensure there is lodging for everyone.
Should I take anti-malarial pills?
This is entirely up to you and your comfort level. I’ve been on safari in Tanzania 4x now and haven’t taken them. Please opt to do whatever makes you feel comfortable and safe and talk to your doctor. Your health is your #1 priority.
Is This Trip For You?
Yes if:
- You are obsessed with wildlife and seeing them in their natural habitat. You grew up on Animal Planet or The Discovery Channel and will get excited seeing your 10th, 20th, or 50th elephant.
- You don’t want to worry about a single thing itinerary or logistics-wise. You want someone else to tell you where to be at what time and what to bring.
- You love learning from experts and a good fun fact.
- You love experiencing new cultures and seeing things you’d never in a million years see at home.
- You love an action-packed adventure-filled day followed by stunning hotels that will make your jaw drop.
- You love meeting new people and making lifelong memories with new like-minded and adventure-loving friends.
No if:
- You are impatient; we spend a lot of time with the animals and seeking our even more animals. If this will bore you, this likely isn’t the trip for you.
- You are unwilling to spend most of the day in a safari jeep with new friends for action-packed days multiple days in a row.
- You need to follow a strict schedule. The wildlife determine where and when we get places. We’ll always have a goal, but if you cannot flex, this will be tough. There’s a motto – TIA aka “this is Africa” – and that applies to going with the flow when things don’t follow your plans. Flexibility is key, because while we’ll try to mitigate any issues, it’s possible something still rises up.
- You’re unwilling to get a little dirty, particularly on safari. You’ll get dirt on your face and in your hair from driving around on the dirt roads.
Sound like the trip for you?
Don’t forget to save $100 per person with the code AMANDAWANDERS, and I can’t wait to see you in Tanzania!
Any questions on this 2027 African Safari + Zanzibar group trip? Reach out!
Feel free to reach out to me via the form below, or send Shiri Adventures a message on WhatsApp!
