Tanzania - Island Getaway

After breakfast, it will be time to say an undoubtedly sad good-bye or “Kwaheri” in Swahili to the Lodge at Ngorongoro Crater and the incredible wildlife. What a lifetime high! You will depart for the drive back to town. We will bring a boxed lunch for the journey home.

On the drive to Arusha, we will stop at the domestic airport and you connect with your flight to Zanzibar. We will assist with all boarding and check-in. Your flight is a zippy 45mins. This flight gives you a great opportunity to see more of the African landscape from an aerial perspective. The flight itself will be an amazing experience. Fly over the countryside of Tanzania, over the beaches and onto the tropical and exotic island of Zanzibar.

You will be met on arrival and transferred to the five star, luxurious Zanzibar Serena Inn, located in the historical heart of Stone Town.

After settling in to our wonderful hotel, enjoy dinner on the deck of our hotel overlooking the Indian Ocean (dinner is included). What a great start to our journey!

Zanzibar Serena Inn

Idyllically situated on the sea front of ancient Stone Town and flanked by an exotic melange of sultan's palaces, Portuguese forts, ancient dhow harbours, dark slave markets, and bright bazaars, the Zanzibar Serena Inn is a haven of tranquillity and opulence amongst the bustle of Zanzibar town and a member of the prestigious Small Luxury Hotels of the World group.

Faithfully restored and lavishly embellished with a collection of antique clocks, crystal chandeliers, fretwork screens, carved staircases, Persian rugs and brass-studded doors, the interior design concept is a fusion of authenticity and opulence that reflects the very essence of Zanzibar. Adorned with arched niches, antique plates and brass lamps and featuring traditionally carved furniture, cool-ceramics, intricate fretwork, draped beds and louver doors giving onto wrought-iron balconies overlooking the Persian-bath pool and azure bay beyond, each room reflects a blend of essential Zanzibar and world-class elegance.

Our next 2 days (3 nights) will focus on seeing the many diverse sites of Zanzibar. This island is literally crammed full of history, unique geography and has been touched by cultures from around the globe. Our tours include a Stone Town tour, and an island spice tour. The cost of the tours is included in the tour package price. With the abundance of interesting places to eat, we decided to give you the chance to explore Stone Town in the evenings and dine on your own. We’ve also given you a free day to wander the fascinating alleys, markets and museums of this enchanting place.

Start your day with a sumptuous buffet breakfast – the tropical fruit is outstanding!

We will begin our exploration of this remarkable city on our first morning with a relaxed guided tour of ancient Stone Town. To enter the world of Zanzibar is to step through the looking glass into the world of a thousand and one nights and black eyes that smile from behind deep veils. There's a House of Wonders and a street of food, a Palace Museum, an ancient slave market, an age-old fort, a ruined harem and the house where Dr. Livingstone once lived.

Our private tour begins by taking a leisure walk through the incredible food market where we can buy spices and exchange conversation with the friendly locals. We will wander through the narrow streets of the Stone Town (old part of Zanzibar Town) where most of the houses date back 150 years or more. We will have a chance to see the exotic small bazaar, design of Zanzibar doors and doorsteps, locals enjoying their evening life. This introductory guided tour provides living evidence of a rich cultural heritage, where Arab, Indian, Persian and European influences blended with local African tradition. Historic buildings with elaborately carved wooden doors shaded by balconies, loggias and verandas line the narrow winding streets.

Ask your guide for some recommendations for a wonderful spot for lunch in the walled city. There are some outstanding places where the views, atmosphere and food are as exotic and enthralling as walking through the old town.

Your afternoon is yours to enjoy. Rest on a deck chair by the pool watching the Indian Ocean. Explore the old Town – your hotel is in the heart of it. Shopping in Stone Town is a huge attraction and there are many stores with local and African things to buy. Dinner is served at your hotel. Make sure you watch the sunset – it is simply magnificent and usually is accompanied by dhows sailing through the pink sky on the lovely ocean.

Wake up to amazing Tanzanian coffee and a buffet breakfast at the hotel.

After breakfast, we depart for an Island Spice Tour with a local guide. For centuries past, sultans and princes have prized cardamom, clove and cinnamon culled from the fabled spice gardens of the enchanted island of Zanzibar alike. Now you can pick them for yourself on a spice tour that takes you from the winding alleys, carved doors and cool courtyards of Stone Town, through the slave caches of the coral bays, past the blue-domed bath-houses of long dead sultans and out onto the silver and blue ribbons of Zanzibar's perfect beaches.

This guided tour offers a look at small farms in the rural area that grow cloves, vanilla, nutmeg, cardamom and other spices, medicinal and ornamental plants, and tropical fruits. It also includes a visit to the Persian Baths build in 1850 by Seyyid Said bin Sultan (first Sultan of Zanzibar) for his wife Princes Shehrzard (grand-daughter of Fateh Ali Shah of Persia).

We will stop for lunch along the way. After our lunch, we will proceed to Breezes Beach Club & Spa where you’ll spend the next 3 nights in beach heaven.

Breezes All-Inclusive Beach Club & Spa

An outstanding five star resort on the north-west part of the island. The options for things to do range from resting by the pool, playing in the azure water and white sand, snorkelling to optional diving and other adventure activities. This is your time to do what makes you the happiest!

The Breezes Beach Club & Spa is situated on a pristine, peaceful beach on the North West coast of Zanzibar. The Resort is less than a leisurely 2-hour's drive from Stone Town - on an all weather tarmac road. Breezes is the most romantic of hotels offering warm personalised service and exquisite cuisine. Set within exotic tropical gardens and waterfalls inviting guests to enjoy the pristine view over the Indian Ocean,

It lies on a palm fringed stretch of sand and marries old world charm with the highest level of service. This resort is set amongst tropical gardens and is imaginatively decorated in Zanzibari style. It offers a selection of al fresco restaurants and bars, the first spa in East Africa that features world-class treatments and facilities, a dive centre and extensive sporting activities.

For the active guests or for guests mixing business with pleasure, the resort offers additional facilities: an international diving centre, a fully equipped water sports centre, a gym, and the Mvua African Rain Spa. All this without compromising the relaxed yet elegant atmosphere that has become synonymous with the name Breezes.

All rooms feature large four poster beds with billowing mosquito nets, en suite bathrooms, veranda/balcony, air-conditioning, ceiling fans, stocked mini-bars, hair dryers, electronic safes and tea/coffee making facilities. It also features a broad range of themed nights and nightly entertainment (Swahili dancers, Taarab music, acrobatic displays, and live bands).

Today explore the facilities at your beachside resort. Go swimming in the crystal clear waters, play on the sand beaches or practice some tennis - you choose!

Today you might need to go through your photos from your time in Tanzania. It will probably take you that long given all the amazing experiences you have had and wildlife you have seen. There is just so much to be excited about from your Safari and Island experience in Tanzania.

Today you will leave Zanzibar in the morning after breakfast. We will transfer you to the Zanzibar airport and help you check in. You’ll take a short flight to Tanzania’s interesting seaside capital, Dar es Salaam. Upon arrival in bustling “Dar” you will be met at the domestic airport and transported to the Serena Hotel in the city centre. Use the day room at this hotel to re-pack your souvenirs before your flight home.

Serena Hotel

Encircled by tropical gardens and just minutes from the broad sweep of Indian Ocean beaches that characterize this vibrant city, the 230-room Dar es Salaam Serena Hotel offers a unique mix of pan-African style, world-class professionalism and 5 star facilities. Many of you will want to do your shopping for souvenirs and this part of Dar is the perfect place to fill your luggage.

All great things have an ending and today will come the ending to what we hope will be a trip that you will rank as one of your lifetime highs. The journey home begins after a relaxing day at the Serena Dar es Salaam. You will be transferred after dinner to the International Airport in Dar es Salaam. Once we have your flight details, we will finalize arrangements.