ENCOUNTERSAFRICA
9-Day Safari & Beach Honeymoon

Tanzania - Fly-in safari

9-Day Safari & Beach Honeymoon

Duration
9 days
Countries
Tanzania
Suited to
2 guests
Pricing
From USD 19,680

The journey

Updated on 23 August 2026

Most Tanzania honeymoons try to cover the whole northern circuit in a week and spend half of it in a vehicle. This one does the opposite. Two properties, eight nights, one flight between them, and no drive longer than an hour once you are on the ground. The first four nights are at One Nature Nyaruswiga, below the Nyaruswiga hills in the central Serengeti, where the suites run to 91 square metres and the rate covers premium wines, sparkling wine and cocktails rather than charging for them. Couples get the camp's complimentary Under the Stars dinner, laid well away from the main deck. On one of the mornings you lift off in a balloon at first light and come down to a champagne breakfast set out on the plains. The last four nights are at The Residence Zanzibar at Kizimkazi, on the quiet south-west coast, where all sixty-six villas have a private pool and a walled garden. June to October is the strongest window: the plains game is concentrated and the ocean is calm. January to March is warmer and emptier, with the calving herds south of you.

Your camps, day by day

Stay 1

Into the Central Serengeti

You land at Kilimanjaro International and connect straight onto the light aircraft, about ninety minutes to Seronera with one stop at Arusha. One Nature Nyaruswiga meets you at the strip. The suites run to 91 square metres, with the Nyaruswiga hills behind and open plain in front. There is time for a shower and a first drive before the light goes.

Stay 2

Leopards in the Yellow Fever Trees

The Seronera Valley is half an hour from camp and holds the highest leopard density in the Serengeti, because the river carries water through the dry months and the yellow fever trees give the cats somewhere to lie up. Out at first light with coffee in the vehicle, back for lunch and the pool, then a second drive that ends with sundowners on a kopje.

Stay 3

Balloon at First Light

Pick-up is at 04:45 and you are at the launch site while the burners are still filling the envelope. You fly for about an hour, low enough over the plains to see which way the zebra are drifting, then land somewhere in the grass for a champagne breakfast laid out under an acacia. Back at camp by mid-morning, with the whole afternoon free and nothing to do in it.

Stay 4

Dinner Under the Stars

A full day out with a picnic lunch, working the kopjes east of camp where the lion lie up on the warm rock. Tonight is the dinner One Nature gives honeymoon couples: a single table set out in the grass away from the main deck, lit by storm lanterns, with a waiter who keeps his distance and a chef who does not. Nothing else is on the programme.

Stay 5

Serengeti to the Indian Ocean

A last drive at dawn, then Seronera airstrip and roughly two and a half hours in the air to Zanzibar. From the airport it is an hour south-west to Kizimkazi and The Residence, sixty-six villas spread along a kilometre of private beach. Yours has a walled garden, an outdoor shower and a pool you can swim in without being seen from anywhere.

Stay 6

A Villa and Its Pool

The south-west coast is the quiet side of the island, with less wind than the east and a tide that goes a long way out and comes a long way back. Breakfast on your own veranda if you would rather not see anyone. The estate runs bicycles, and the beach is long enough to walk for an hour without turning round. Turndown comes with frangipani on the bed.

Stay 7

Dhow at Sunset

A traditional dhow takes you out in the late afternoon with the sail up and the engine off, running along the Kizimkazi shore while the light drops. Two of you, a crew of two and a cool box. Kizimkazi has resident bottlenose dolphins and, between August and October, humpback whales pass on their way south. Dinner back at the villa afterwards, on the veranda.

Stay 8

Reef, Spice or Nothing

The last full day is yours. Snorkel the reef off the point, take the boat out to look for dolphins, or drive an hour north to Stone Town for the old Omani quarter and the spice market. Most couples do none of it and stay put. The kitchen will lay lunch wherever you ask, which usually means a table on the sand at the end of your garden.

Stay 9

Departure from Zanzibar

Breakfast on the veranda, a last swim, then the hour's drive north-east to Abeid Amani Karume International Airport for your onward flight. If your international connection is late in the day we hold the villa until the afternoon rather than checking you out at ten, so the last morning is a morning rather than a wait in a departure hall.

Safari highlights

  • Four nights in the Serengeti, four in a villa with its own pool
  • Balloon over the plains at dawn with a champagne breakfast
  • Complimentary Under the Stars dinner for honeymoon couples
  • One flight from the Serengeti to Zanzibar, with no backtracking
  • A private sunset dhow sail off the Kizimkazi coast
  • Honeymoon deals checked: 4-for-3 plus 15 percent at The Residence

What is included

Included

  • 8 nights accommodation, per person sharing
  • Light aircraft Kilimanjaro International to Seronera, and the scheduled Seronera to Zanzibar sector, which is single class in practice so there is no business fare to average against
  • Road transfers between Zanzibar airport and The Residence at Kizimkazi in both directions, about an hour each way
  • All meals, house and premium wines, sparkling wine, spirits and cocktails, twice-daily game drives, laundry, WiFi and Seronera airstrip transfers at One Nature Nyaruswiga
  • Hot air balloon safari over the central Serengeti at about USD 599 per person, an hour aloft and a champagne breakfast laid under an acacia afterwards
  • The complimentary Under the Stars private dinner that One Nature lays on for honeymoon couples, and sundowners on a kopje
  • Serengeti National Park entry at USD 83 per person per 24 hours and the concession fee of USD 71 per person per night, for all four nights inside the park
  • Half board in a one-bedroom pool villa at The Residence Zanzibar, plus lunches, and a private sunset dhow sail off Kizimkazi
  • Tanzania tourism development levy and AMREF Flying Doctors evacuation cover

Not included

  • International flights to and from Africa
  • Tanzania visa, currently USD 50 for most nationalities and USD 100 for United States passport holders
  • Zanzibar infrastructure tax of USD 4, charged per room per night rather than per person and payable locally at the property
  • Travel and medical insurance, which is compulsory on this programme
  • Champagne beyond the balloon breakfast, and imported spirits at The Residence
  • Spa treatments, certified scuba dives and courses, and the Kizimkazi dolphin boat
  • Gratuities for guides, pilots, boat crew and lodge staff, and items of a personal nature

Frequently asked questions

How much does a 9-day Tanzania safari and beach honeymoon cost?

This programme starts at USD 19,680 per person sharing in shoulder season and reaches about USD 22,280 at peak. That covers eight nights split between One Nature Nyaruswiga and a one-bedroom pool villa at The Residence Zanzibar, both internal flights, all road transfers, the balloon safari with its champagne breakfast, all meals, the drinks included at One Nature, and every Serengeti park and concession fee.

Are international flights included in a honeymoon safari price?

No. International flights to and from Africa are excluded, so you book your own long-haul into Kilimanjaro International and home out of Zanzibar, usually via Doha, Amsterdam, Istanbul, Addis Ababa or Nairobi. Booking them yourself means you can spend miles on the upgrade. Both flights inside Tanzania are included: Kilimanjaro to Seronera, and Seronera across the country to Zanzibar.

Do Tanzania lodges give honeymoon discounts or a free night?

Several do, and it is worth asking. The Residence Zanzibar runs a year-round 4-for-3 rate, so a four-night stay is charged as three, and it combines with a 15 percent honeymoon discount. andBeyond takes 50 percent off one partner's accommodation on its honeymoon offer, which covers Mnemba Island. One Nature includes a complimentary Under the Stars dinner. Asilia publishes no honeymoon rate. Expect to show a marriage certificate dated inside the past twelve months.

How much is a hot air balloon safari over the Serengeti?

About USD 599 per person, and it is included here. Pick-up is around 04:45, you lift off as the light arrives and fly for roughly an hour over the Seronera plains, then land for a champagne breakfast set under an acacia. The central Serengeti launch operates year-round, unlike the northern and southern sites, which run seasonally. Minimum age is seven and the operator will ask your weight.

Can you fly from the Serengeti straight to Zanzibar?

Yes. Scheduled light aircraft run daily from Seronera to Zanzibar, roughly two and a half hours with one stop. The sector is single class in practice, so there is no business fare to average against and no premium to pay. Baggage is capped at 15 kilogrammes per person in a soft bag, so pack a holdall rather than a hard case and leave the wedding gifts at home.

When is the best time for a Serengeti and Zanzibar honeymoon?

June to October. The central Serengeti is dry, the game concentrates on the Seronera River and the Indian Ocean is calm and clear. January to March is the other window, warmer on the coast and quieter in camp, with the wildebeest calving on the southern plains. Avoid April and May, when the long rains flood the plains and several Zanzibar properties close.

Is andBeyond Ngorongoro Crater Lodge open for honeymoons in 2026?

No. Crater Lodge is closed for a full rebuild and is not due to reopen until January 2027, so it cannot be booked for any 2026 honeymoon. This programme skips Ngorongoro entirely, which is the right call for a honeymoon anyway: the crater rim is cold, busy and a long drive from anywhere. Lemala Ngorongoro, Entamanu and The Highlands are the rim alternatives we use when a client insists.