RoutesAfrica
Four Weeks in East Africa: Safari and Coast
The Mara, the Serengeti and Ngorongoro, then slow days on Zanzibar.
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Dotted path is schematic (great-circle-ish arcs between stops), not a transport route.
Stop by stop
Click a stop (or its pin on the map) for costs, country facts and what to do there.
1Nairobi KENairobi National Park, the Giraffe Centre and the Karen Blixen Museum.3 nights
We do not hold a full destination profile for Nairobi or its country yet, so there are no cost, climate or visa figures for this stop; the route notes describe what it involves.
safari road transfer or light aircraft · about 5.5 hours
2Maasai Mara KEMorning and evening game drives on the Mara plains.3 nights
We do not hold a full destination profile for Maasai Mara or its country yet, so there are no cost, climate or visa figures for this stop; the route notes describe what it involves.
light aircraft to Nairobi and shuttle bus via the Namanga border · about 8.0 hours
3Arusha TanzaniaSafari base town at the foot of Mount Meru, with a busy central market.2 nights
We do not hold a full destination profile for Arusha yet, so there are no stop-level cost or climate figures here; the facts below are country-level. Nearest profiled destination: Zanzibar (Stone Town and Paje) (about 420 km).
Tanzania: practical facts
- Currency
- Tanzanian shilling (TZS) · 2,635.00 TZS/USD (Financial Modeling Prep (indicative mid), Nov 05, 2026)
- Language
- Swahili and English
- Plugs and voltage
- D, G (230 V)
- Tap water
- Not drinkable
- Emergency
- 112
- U.S. advisory
- Level 2
safari vehicle via the Ngorongoro highlands · about 8.0 hours
4Serengeti (Seronera) TanzaniaGame drives in the central Serengeti, known for lions and leopards.3 nights
We do not hold a full destination profile for Serengeti (Seronera) yet, so there are no stop-level cost or climate figures here; the facts below are country-level.
Tanzania: practical facts
- Currency
- Tanzanian shilling (TZS) · 2,635.00 TZS/USD (Financial Modeling Prep (indicative mid), Nov 05, 2026)
- Language
- Swahili and English
- Plugs and voltage
- D, G (230 V)
- Tap water
- Not drinkable
- Emergency
- 112
- U.S. advisory
- Level 2
safari vehicle · about 5.0 hours
5Karatu (Ngorongoro Crater) TanzaniaA full day descending to the Ngorongoro Crater floor.2 nights
We do not hold a full destination profile for Karatu (Ngorongoro Crater) yet, so there are no stop-level cost or climate figures here; the facts below are country-level. Nearest profiled destination: Zanzibar (Stone Town and Paje) (about 500 km).
Tanzania: practical facts
- Currency
- Tanzanian shilling (TZS) · 2,635.00 TZS/USD (Financial Modeling Prep (indicative mid), Nov 05, 2026)
- Language
- Swahili and English
- Plugs and voltage
- D, G (230 V)
- Tap water
- Not drinkable
- Emergency
- 112
- U.S. advisory
- Level 2
road to Arusha and domestic flight · about 6.0 hours
6Dar es Salaam TanzaniaKivukoni fish market and the Kariakoo bazaar.1 night
We do not hold a full destination profile for Dar es Salaam yet, so there are no stop-level cost or climate figures here; the facts below are country-level. Nearest profiled destination: Zanzibar (Stone Town and Paje) (about 70 km).
Tanzania: practical facts
- Currency
- Tanzanian shilling (TZS) · 2,635.00 TZS/USD (Financial Modeling Prep (indicative mid), Nov 05, 2026)
- Language
- Swahili and English
- Plugs and voltage
- D, G (230 V)
- Tap water
- Not drinkable
- Emergency
- 112
- U.S. advisory
- Level 2
fast ferry · about 2.5 hours
7Zanzibar (Stone Town and Paje) TanzaniaStone Town's alleys, a spice farm tour and the Forodhani night market.4 nights
$452 mid
Photo: Diego Delso · CC BY-SA 4.0Swahili coast: a spice-trade capital and a kitesurfing east coast with a rising remote-work scene.
Zanzibar is two islands in one: Stone Town, the UNESCO-listed Swahili trading capital of carved doors, Omani palaces and the painful history of the slave market; and the east coast, where tidal lagoons, white sand and steady trade winds have made Paje one of Africa's kitesurfing capitals and, lately, a modest nomad…
- Daily budget
- $43–$265 per person, backpacker to comfortable, editorial estimate, Oct 2026
- This stop
- $452 4 nights at the mid-range daily estimate
- Best months
- Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct
- Internet
- 25 Mbps typical fixed line, editorial
Things to do
- Stone Town walk The old slave market and Anglican cathedral, the House of Wonders, the carved doors; a licensed guide is worth it.
- Spice farm tour Cloves, vanilla, cinnamon; the island's history in a morning.
- Kitesurfing in Paje June to September and December to February for wind; lagoon lessons for beginners.
- Jozani forest Red colobus monkeys and mangrove boardwalks.
Tanzania: practical facts
- Currency
- Tanzanian shilling (TZS) · 2,635.00 TZS/USD (Financial Modeling Prep (indicative mid), Nov 05, 2026)
- Language
- Swahili and English
- Plugs and voltage
- D, G (230 V)
- Tap water
- Not drinkable
- Emergency
- 112
- U.S. advisory
- Level 2
Full destination guide →Tanzania country guide →Visa rules →
taxi or dala dala across the island · about 1.5 hours
8Paje TanzaniaEast-coast beach days, kitesurfing and Jozani forest.5 nights
We do not hold a full destination profile for Paje yet, so there are no stop-level cost or climate figures here; the facts below are country-level. Nearest profiled destination: Zanzibar (Stone Town and Paje) (about 40 km).
Tanzania: practical facts
- Currency
- Tanzanian shilling (TZS) · 2,635.00 TZS/USD (Financial Modeling Prep (indicative mid), Nov 05, 2026)
- Language
- Swahili and English
- Plugs and voltage
- D, G (230 V)
- Tap water
- Not drinkable
- Emergency
- 112
- U.S. advisory
- Level 2
Kenya: Nairobi and the Mara
The route opens in Nairobi, where the Nairobi National Park sits on the edge of the city and the Giraffe Centre and Karen Blixen Museum fill a day. From there a road or light-aircraft transfer reaches the Maasai Mara, where three nights allow morning and evening game drives across the open plains. From roughly July to October the Mara hosts the river-crossing phase of the wildebeest migration, though the timing varies from year to year and is never certain.
Northern Tanzania: Serengeti and Ngorongoro
Crossing into Tanzania at Namanga, the route regroups in Arusha, the base for most northern-circuit safaris. Budget travellers usually join a shared camping safari, while mid and high budgets use lodges or tented camps. The Serengeti's central Seronera area is known for big cats year-round, and the drive back passes the rim of the Ngorongoro Crater, a collapsed volcano whose floor holds one of the densest concentrations of wildlife in Africa. A night or two in the highland town of Karatu, among coffee farms, breaks up the journey.
Dar es Salaam and Zanzibar
A domestic flight carries the route to Dar es Salaam, a working port city with a lively fish market and Kariakoo bazaar. Fast ferries cross to Zanzibar in about two hours. Stone Town's carved doors, spice-trade history and Forodhani night food market fill several days, along with a spice farm visit and a boat out to Prison Island. The final stretch is on the east coast at Paje, a flat white-sand beach known for kitesurfing, with the Jozani forest and its red colobus monkeys nearby. Here the pace drops entirely, which is the point of finishing a safari-heavy month this way.
Practical notes
Visas: Kenya uses an online Electronic Travel Authorisation and Tanzania offers an e-visa or visa on arrival for many nationalities; rules and fees change, so check the official Kenyan and Tanzanian immigration sites before travel. Yellow fever certificate requirements depend on your route, so confirm them in advance. Transport: safaris are almost always run by licensed operators with a driver-guide; the Namanga border is crossed by shuttle bus, Arusha to Dar es Salaam is a short flight (or a long day by bus), and Dar to Zanzibar is a scheduled fast ferry. Weather: June to October is the long dry season, with cooler highland nights; March to May brings the long rains. Budget: park and conservation fees make this one of the costlier routes per day; the mid figure assumes a private-room hotel in towns, a mid-range lodge or tented-camp safari of around eight days, and guesthouses on Zanzibar. Safety: petty crime and bag snatching are reported in Nairobi and Dar es Salaam, especially after dark; check your government's current travel advice for both countries and follow guide instructions in the parks.