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🇹🇿 Itinerary · Tanzania · 7 days

1-week Tanzania itinerary 2026: express safari

7 well-paced days: short safari Tarangire, Serengeti, Ngorongoro, then 2 nights in Zanzibar. The essential format, with detailed budget and transport.

🔄 Updated June 1, 2026

📅 See the program 🔄 See variants

In brief

Duration

7 days

Stops

5 places

Average budget

€2,200-3,500

Total distance

~800 km

Profile

First time

Season

Jun-Oct

Arusha 1d · Tarangire 1d · Serengeti 2d · Ngorongoro 1d · Zanzibar 2d

Itinerary map

The route at a glance

Tanzania 1-week itinerary map: Arusha, Tarangire, Serengeti, Ngorongoro, Zanzibar

© OpenStreetMap contributors

Detailed program

7 days, day by day

1

~€110/pers

Arusha · Arrival and prep

  • Morning Landing at Kilimanjaro (JRO), transfer to Arusha (50 km, 1 h).
  • Afternoon Rest, currency exchange, briefing with the guide.
  • Evening Dinner at the lodge and gear check.
🛌 🛌 Arusha · e.g. Mount Meru Hotel (1 night)·🚙 Private 4x4 transfer·Tanzania guide →
2

~€260

Arusha → Tarangire · First elephants

  • 7am Drive to Tarangire (120 km, 2h30). Entry $53/day.
  • Day Game drive among elephant herds and baobabs.
  • Evening Night on the edge of the park.
🛌 🛌 Tarangire · e.g. Tarangire Safari Lodge (1 night)·🚙 4x4 with open roof
3

~€290

Tarangire → Serengeti · The plains

  • 8am Drive to the Serengeti via Ngorongoro (230 km, 5 h of track).
  • Midday Central Serengeti entry (Seronera), $70.80/day.
  • Afternoon First game drive: lions, cheetahs, gazelles.
🛌 🛌 Central Serengeti · e.g. Serengeti Sopa Lodge (2 nights)·🚙 4x4, long track
4

~€250

Serengeti · Full day

  • 6am Morning game drive, the best time for predators.
  • Midday Break at the lodge during the heat.
  • 4pm Second game drive, golden light on the kopjes.
5

~€310

Serengeti → Ngorongoro · The crater

  • Morning Last game drive leaving the Serengeti, stop at Olduvai.
  • Afternoon Drive to the crater rim (145 km, 3h30).
  • Evening Sunset over the caldera.
🛌 🛌 Crater rim · e.g. Ngorongoro Sopa Lodge (1 night)·🚙 4x4
6

~€290

Ngorongoro → Zanzibar · From bush to ocean

  • 6:30am Descent into the caldera (vehicle fee $295): black rhino, lions, flamingos.
  • 1pm Domestic flight to Zanzibar (1h20, $200-280).
  • Evening Check-in Stone Town, dinner at Forodhani Gardens.
🛌 🛌 Stone Town · e.g. Park Hyatt Zanzibar (1 night)·✈️ Domestic flight essential
7

Flight

Zanzibar → Return · Beach and flight

  • Morning Spice tour or a beach morning at Nungwi depending on flight time.
  • Afternoon Airport transfer (ZNZ), return flight via Addis Ababa, Doha or Nairobi.

How much

Itinerary budget (per person, flight included)

Backpacker

€2,200

per person

  • ✈️ Return flight: €750
  • 🚙 Shared group safari: €900
  • 🏕️ Budget camps: €90/night
  • ✈️ Domestic flight Zanzibar: €200
  • 🏖️ Guesthouse: €40/night
Recommended

Comfort

€2,900

per person

  • ✈️ Return flight: €850
  • 🚙 Private 4x4 safari + guide: €1,300
  • 🏨 4★ lodges: €180/night
  • ✈️ Domestic flight Zanzibar: €250
  • 🏖️ Beach hotel: €110/night

Premium

€5,500

per person

  • ✈️ Business flight: €2,000
  • 🚙 High-end private safari: €2,200
  • 🏨 Luxury camps: €600/night
  • ✈️ Domestic flight Zanzibar: €280
  • 🏖️ 5★ resort: €350/night

Shorter, longer

Other possible durations

You're here

1 week

1 week

Short safari + 2 nights Zanzibar. The essential format.

2 weeks

2 weeks

Full northern safari then the beaches of Zanzibar.

1 month

1 month

The grand tour: northern circuit, wild south, Kilimanjaro and archipelago.

How to get around

Itinerary logistics

A tight week: the safari is done in a 4x4 with a driver-guide, then a single domestic flight links the Serengeti to Zanzibar. That flight saves a full day over road plus ferry.

🚙

4x4 with driver-guide

Included in the safari package · open roof

🛬

Kilimanjaro-Arusha transfer

~€40 · 1 h

✈️

Flight Serengeti → Zanzibar

$200-280 · Coastal Aviation · 1h20

🚐

Zanzibar airport transfer

~€30 · depending on hotel

Adapt by season

A short week, aim for the dry season

Over 7 days, every game drive counts: travel from June to October, when animals gather at waterholes and tracks are clear. Avoid April-May (long rains, muddy tracks). In Zanzibar, the end of the trip stays flat and sunny outside that window.

Author tips

What I would redo (and change)

✅ Would redo

  • • In September 2023, descending into the Ngorongoro crater on the last safari morning, then flying to Zanzibar that afternoon: you go from bush to ocean in a few hours, and it's striking.
  • • Keep 2 nights in the Serengeti even on a week: a single night isn't enough.
  • • Book the domestic flight early: on 7 days, there's no margin for the road.

⚠️ Would change

  • • Skip Tarangire if time is short and add a night in the Serengeti.
  • • Choose a shared group safari to cut the cost sharply.
  • • Keep Zanzibar for the end: the return fatigue is easier to handle by the sea.

FAQ

Itinerary FAQ

Is one week in Tanzania enough? +
Yes for a focused first safari: short northern circuit plus 2 nights in Zanzibar. Trying to add the south or Kilimanjaro on 7 days is unrealistic.
Is the domestic flight to Zanzibar essential? +
Yes on a week. It costs $200-280 and takes 1h20, versus a day of road plus a ferry. The time saved is decisive on a short format.
What budget for 7 days? +
Count about €2,200 on a budget basis, €2,900 in comfort and €5,500 in premium, per person, flight from Paris included. The safari and park fees make up most of it.
Do I need antimalarial treatment? +
Yes, Tanzania and Zanzibar are malaria zones. See a vaccination center before departure. Yellow fever is required if you come from an at-risk country.
Is this itinerary family-friendly? +
Yes from age 6, but the long tracks can tire children. Prefer a private safari to adjust the pace and stops.
What's the best period? +
June to October: dry season, concentrated animals and calm sea in Zanzibar. Avoid April-May, the long rains make the tracks difficult.

Marie Laurent ✓

·

Southeast Asia specialist · itinerary personally tested.

Last updated: June 1, 2026.

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