Turquoise waters of a beach in Zanzibar

African Family Vacation: Safari and Sandy Beaches

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Customizable Itinerary

This is a sample itinerary to inspire a personalized trip designed with your travel specialist

Countries Visited

Tanzania

Places Visited

Ngorongoro, Serengeti, Bwejuu, Stone Town

Suggested Duration

13 Days

Enjoy an African safari adventure and then escape to an Indian Ocean, island paradise where there are five beach days and three exploring days immersed in Zanzibar’s atmospheric history. Curated with the island’s best family-friendly hotels and activities, this two-week tour invites you to leave the everyday behind. Explore Tanzania’s famous northern circuit that is complete with a safari in the Serengeti and Ngorongoro. Then, luxuriate around safe ocean waters, where you will soak up the delights...

Customizable Itinerary

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Trip Highlights

  • Spend five days at a small, five-star beach resort where there is both a spa and a children’s club
  • Immerse all your senses in the African safari experience with handpicked camps that are deep within nature
  • Walk through an ancient forest and come face to face with endangered red colobus monkeys
  • Cruise on a traditional dhow to an island that is home to a hundred Aldabra tortoises
  • The warm lagoon waters around your beach resort are perfect for paddling and snorkeling, being both shallow and current free
  • Discover the Serengeti’s endless grass plains and get intimate with the big five in Ngorongoro Crater
  • Explore Stone Town’s vibrant history and culture on a guided walking tour
  • Pick your fruits and smell all the spices on a tour of a spice plantation
  • Choose activities such as ocean fishing, kayaking, and swimming with dolphins

Detailed Description

Zanzibar entices all ages with colobus monkeys that swing through the forest canopy, rousing aromas that fill spice plantations, wild dolphins that swim straight past you, and the magical atmosphere of Stone Town that captivates all its visitors. Of course, the island’s big appeal is the beach. This is an Indian Ocean island, and the beaches come from a dream. Long stretches of white sand lean towards turquoise lagoon-like waters, which is an ideal place to go for a paddle or snorkel. Forests and palms provide a backdrop, and the resorts are found among these, offering plenty of shade throughout the day. Every angle looks like a postcard. However, unlike many Indian Ocean islands, Zanzibar has enough going on to keep everyone interested. This is not a tiny island that you can walk around in ten minutes. Zanzibar feels much more like a country with endless places to go and things to do.

A vacation in Zanzibar is an escape from the everyday. An African safari is an escape into another world. This vacation starts with four days on Zanzibari safari, with two nights on the rim of Ngorongoro Crater and two in the Serengeti. Ngorongoro is the perfect safari introduction because it is a compact destination that is home to all of the famous animals. The Serengeti is adjacent where the days are longer as you encounter thousands of wildebeests, zebras, and gazelles. It is brilliant a brilliant spectacle to see the predators in their natural highlight, and two days should keep you and your children interested while still offering enough time to get an authentic feel of it all.

For families, the greatest highlight of the coast is how safe the water can be. Coral reefs form barriers around the island, and sometimes you can hear the waves crashing against them, but you never actually see these waves as they are a mile beyond the shore. Stretching out from the beach are ocean lagoons, which are safe places for children to paddle and snorkel. They are warm, shallow, and free of currents. You can even walk across the lagoon at low to mid tide, finding fish and crabs without needing a snorkel. Zanzibar’s beaches are also hassle-free, especially Bwejuu and Paje, which are located on the southeastern coast. You will not be pestered by touts, and there will not be a hundred other tourists fighting for a spot to lounge in the sun. Even though it was voted in Conde Nast’s top 30 beaches list, Bwejuu and Paje remain low-key and quiet. You can reach Zanzibar via a safari flight from the Serengeti, with the resort only being one hour by road from the airport.

A children’s club makes it more idyllic, and so does a spa. These are just two features of a five-night stay at a five-star beach resort. Touch down and start on the beach where the atmosphere is calm, and a program of activities will keep your kids busy. On one morning, you visit Jozani Forest, walking in the wild to see red colobus and Sykes monkeys. There are options for snorkeling, sailing, swimming with dolphins, and swimming in the resort pool. A babysitting service is also provided by the resort, in addition to the kid’s club. Stay in a two-bedroom villa with an ocean view and a private plunge pool in addition to day beds. On some days you might not even get to the beach, even if it is just footsteps away. If you do, there is all the space the kids need to run around safely.

After the downtime, you spend three days exploring. Stay in UNESCO World Heritage Stone Town where the exotic atmosphere may have you thinking of Aladdin. Tour a spice plantation and pick your own fruits, as well as learning all the warm scents these spices have to offer. Explore the heart of Stone Town, admiring its palaces, markets, and stories. On a penultimate day, you will sail in a traditional dhow to Prison Island, where around a hundred Aldabra tortoises walk close to the beach, including one that is estimated to be around 200 years old. Five days on the beach and three in the town is usually a nice family balance and ensures there will be enough time to relax after the safari and get around all of Zanzibar’s highlights.

Starting Price

$7,600 per person (excluding international flights)

Your Zicasso trip is fully customizable, and this sample itinerary is a starting place for your travel plans. Actual costs are dynamic, and your selection of accommodations and activities, your season of travel, and other such variables will bring this budget guideline up or down. Throughout your planning experience with your Zicasso specialist, your itinerary is designed around your budget. You can book your trip when you are satisfied with every detail. Planning your trip with a Zicasso travel specialist is a free service.

What's Included

  • Accommodations
  • In-country transportation
  • Some or all activities and tours
  • Expert trip planning
  • 24x7 support during your trip

Your final trip cost will vary based on your selected accommodations, activities, meals, and other trip elements that you opt to include.

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