Tanzania: Your Special Bush To Beach Safari

Day 1-2 Chanya Lodge

Chanya Lodge is nestled on the outskirts of Moshi town, in Tanzania, at the foothills of the majestic Mount Kilimanjaro. The prime location of the lodge is a 50-minute drive away from Kilimanjaro International Airport, making it an ideal stay for trekkers, safari seekers, business people, and families. Guests are warmly welcomed by the smiles of friendly, helpful staff and accommodated in one of 32 en-suite rooms. The lodge is known for its abundant green carpeted-grass gardens, multi-cuisine restaurant, and its large swimming pool.

Rooms

he lodge comprises 32 fully furnished cozy rooms with a mixture of singles, doubles, twins, and triples, in a semi-bungalow style setting. The theme of “Tanzanian culture” penetrates throughout the accommodation, where each guest can experience a hot rain shower in the en-suite bathrooms; or stay-in, relax, and put their feet up on African wooden beds. A veranda extends from every room, providing a personal seating area for guests to rejuvenate with nature’s fresh air.

Highlights

• Enjoy the tranquility away from the hustle and bustle of Moshi, while being close enough to visit
• Easy drivable access to all Kilimanjaro National Park gates
• Dine at the open-aired restaurant and bar

Quick facts

• 32 rooms
• Restaurant
• Bar
• Swimming pool
• Massage & wellness facilities
• Gardens
• Gift shop
• Equipment rental store
• Wifi

Day 2-3 Ngorongoro Farm House

Ngorongoro Farm House, a small and exclusive hotel built on a 500 acre coffee plantation, all of which has been designed to take you to the comfort and style of past times. Take a walk around the farm to contemplate the daily activities, relax in the fragrant gardens or enjoy the spectacular sunsets with the Oldeani volcano as a backcloth. The main building is situated in the middle of the lodge and consists of a restaurant, lounge and a large terrace with spectacular views of the Oldeani extinct volcano. There’s an outdoor swimming-pool. The restaurant offers market style dishes with locally grown produce on the farm.

Standard Room

Chalet type bedrooms situated at ground level with a private terrace or balcony. Overlooking the gardens and/or coffee plantation. Ample and comfortable. Rooms with a double bed or two single beds. The rooms have a bathroom with a shower.

Highlights

• 500 acre coffee plantation
• Style of the old colonial farms
• Lake Manyara Airstrip 40 min away

Quick facts

• 48 cottage rooms and 3 suite rooms
• Swimming pool
• Massage cabin
• Souvenir shop

Day 3-6 Serengeti Sametu Camp

Situated in a secluded part of the eastern edge of Central Serengeti, a short distance from the Ngare Nanyuki River, this luxury boutique camp allows guests to enjoy an endless horizon silhouetted by grazing wildebeest, zebra, and various antelope species. From the first sunray that glistens across the grassland to the crackling campfire singing with the nightlife, Serengeti Sametu Camp is the perfect balance between a safari in the wild and the comfort of luxury hospitality. Enjoy the spacious and comfortable lounge and dining areas where you can share photos and stories of your safari with family and friends, spot herds of elephants striding across the area or gathering soulfully to eat and drink under the African starry night. Sametu Camp is made up of eight spacious luxury tents, eight luxury suites, and two-family suites, where you can enjoy nights under canvas, giving you the opportunity to sleep and wake with the music of the wild Serengeti just outside.

Rooms

The camp consists of single, double, triple, and family luxury rooms with ensuite hot showers, flush toilets, bathrobes, and mosquito netting.

Highlights

• Located in a secluded part of the eastern edge of Central Serengeti
• Accessed by Seronera airstrip

Quick facts

• 18 luxury rooms and tents, including 2 family suites
• Ensuite showers
• Flush toilets
• Laundry service (extra cost)
• 24H electricity
• Power points for charging
• Separate dining area
• Lounge & bar area
• Beverage supplement (extra cost)
• Special dietary consideration
• Sundowner (extra cost)
• Nightly campfires
• Radio communication in each tent

Day 6-7 Ngorongoro Serena Safari Lodge

Nestled high above the plains into the Crater’s jagged rim, cloaked in river stone and indigenous vines, Ngorongoro Serena Safari Lodge is barely visible to the naked eye. Framed by arched stone passages and timbered decks, its torch-lit walls are adorned with stylized cave paintings. At the stone heart of the lodge burns a glowing fire, which is kept constantly alight. Rooms are looped around the Crater rim. Each has its own rock-enclosed balcony, and all enjoy completely uninterrupted views of the volcanic amphitheater far below. Tanzania’s prehistoric Ngorongoro Crater, a UNESCO World Heritage Site known as the Eighth Wonder of the World, has yawned heavenward for millennia. Deep within its immense walls is a breath-taking blue-green landscape dotted with plains, lakes, and forests; an eerie, otherworldly “land that time forgot” thick with massive bull elephants, rhinos, wildebeests, and the highest concentration of lions in Africa. 

Standard Room

Standard rooms at Ngorongoro Serena Safari Lodge feature elegant interior spaces infused with locally inspired décor and private stone balconies overlooking the crater.

Highlights

• Wonderful dramatic sights
• Gracious service
• 5-star amenities
• Unmatched setting

Quick facts

• 75 rock-built rooms with panoramic private balconies
• Rock-built dining room and bar with central fire
• Extensive viewing terraces
• Game drives into the Crater daily
• Wedding planning and honeymoon venue
• Gift shop and business centre
• Wifi
• Tented conference centre
• Extensive selection of sports and activities
• Cultural dance and music
• TV room with satellite TV
• Safe deposit box in room
• Coffee/tea maker station
• Telephone in room
• Radiator

Day 7-9 Zanzibar Serena Hotel

Opened in 1997, Zanzibar Serena Hotel was created by restoring and rehabilitating two historic buildings. The original architectural integrity of the buildings and their decorative finishes both exterior and interior were meticulously protected and where necessary, restored. These interior and exterior spaces reflect a blend of early 19th century cultural influences typical of the Sultans of Zanzibar. In Zanzibar Serena Hotel, guests thus experience and connect with the history, culture and lifestyle of what is today recognized as the "Zanzibar Style". The hotel boasts a stunning oceanfront setting, interiors adorned in Arabic and Swahili opulence, warm, gracious hospitality and alluring culinary journeys. An ambience of relaxed sophistication has been created in each of the 51 rooms and suites, with wood-framed louver doors opening onto private balconies with uninterrupted Indian Ocean views. Cool, white walls, high-ceilings and crisp royal blues and whites give a sense of Zanzibar coastal serenity and charm.

Executive Suite

Spacious and elegant, the Executive Suites offer a magnificent bedroom with four-poster bed, a sumptuous bathroom (with bath and shower) and a relaxing sitting room (with TV and mini bar), which opens onto a magnificent L-shaped balcony with panoramic ocean views, its own al fresco cocktail area and a double hammock.

Highlights

• Located in the historic Stone Town
• Offers the spice tour, visits to the Sultan’s baths, slave caves and slave market
• One of the most renowned diving sites in the world

Quick facts

• 51 rooms
• Dhow trips and idyllic island escapes, dolphin, turtle and whale watching
• Swahili feasts with Taarab music
• Conference and event facilities
• Swimming pool and pool deck
• Live music nightly
• Treatment rooms
• Business center, travel desk, taxi service
• Wedding planning service
• Gift Shop, news-stand and travel requisites kiosk
• Baby-sitting, children's dining/menus

Day 9-11 Kendwa Rocks Beach Hotel

Welcome to a beach hotel where the tide never leaves the shore and the glowing sunsets are an everyday thrill. Unwind on the white coral beach and in the clear turquoise waters. The relaxed atmosphere at Kendwa Rocks will mellow you down in no time. Kendwa Rocks offers an unforgettable beach holiday, with swinging palm trees above your sunbed and tropical gardens surrounding your bungalow.

Pool Bungalow

The pool bungalows are the most luxurious option. They have a sundeck and a jacuzzi or a dipping pool and are stylishly appointed with carved wood and shades of blues. Among them are two family-sized bungalows that can accommodate large groups.

Highlights

• Enjoy the water sports center based at the hotel or indulge in a treatment at the spa
• The restaurant specializes in Indian Ocean cuisine and also offers Western favorites
• Monthly full moon parties feature entertainment and attract a big crowd

Quick facts

• Beach
• Swimming pool
• Spa
• Gym
• Water activities
• Restaurant
• Bars
• Night club
• Wifi
• Air conditioning and fans

Frequently Asked Questions

Passports & Visas

Entering Tanzania requires both a valid passport and a Tanzanian visa. While the information below is up to date at the time of writing, it is advisable to always check ahead to ensure visa processes or charges have not changed.

Who needs a visa?

With the exception of Hong Kong, Jamaica, Barbados, Malaysia, and roughly a dozen African nations; everybody entering Tanzania is required to have a tourist visa.

Passport

To enter Tanzania, you’ll also need a passport with at least six months of validity remaining. If you are planning to apply for a visa upon arrival, you will also need two free, adjacent pages remaining in your passport.

How to obtain a visa

Visas are available upon arrival* in Tanzania, whether you’re landing at the airport or are making a border crossing. *For all Countries except for those which require a referral visa. The cost of a visa upon arrival is $50 for non-US citizens and $100 for US citizens. This should be paid in USD. Other currencies are not accepted. Furthermore, it is also possible to get the Tanzanian visa online. In order to do this, visit the eVisa Website and Under New Application you can set up a new account and fill in your application. If you have any further questions about the visa process, please don’t hesitate to contact us!

Health & Vaccines

As a developing country, Tanzania has issues with a number of potentially harmful diseases. Thankfully, many of these can be vaccinated against before you travel. Before departing for your trip, it is advisable that you speak with your physician about getting vaccinated against the following:

• Typhoid
• Hepatitis A & B
• Meningitis
• Rabies

These are in addition to the vaccinations that all travelers should have up to date regardless of where they are traveling such as MMR (measles, mumps, rubella), diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis, chickenpox, polio, and a flu shot. It is also advisable that you speak with your physician about measures that you can take to minimize your chance of exposure to malaria and cholera. Finally, if you are traveling from an area where yellow fever is a problem, you will be required to have a yellow fever vaccination as a condition of entry. If you are traveling from such an area and do not have a vaccination certificate, your visa application may be denied. Malaria is prevalent throughout Tanzania, except in high altitude areas (above 1,800m) such as Mt. Kilimanjaro and Ngorongoro. Malaria medications differ from country to country dependent on conditions, so be sure to advise your physician that you’ll be traveling to Tanzania. Saying you’ll be traveling to Africa is not enough, as conditions differ greatly between countries. You should begin taking your malaria medication a few days before your trip and continue to take it for a short period after you have returned home. When it comes to medical attention, nurses and doctors in Tanzania are highly qualified, especially in cities such as Arusha, Mwanza and Dar Es Salaam. Most camping sites, lodges, and hotels have on-site or access to physicians and are in close contact with the Flying Doctors Service should an evacuation be needed. (Recommended to subscribe to a Flying Doctors Service for the duration of your trip as well as travel insurance to cover everything from flight delays to loss of belongings as well as safety precautions) For assistance in subscribing for a Flying Doctors + Travel Insurance package, please reach out and we can send you the details.

COVID-19

Please visit https://afyamsafiri.moh.go.tz/ for the latest updates regarding COVID-19 set by the Ministry of Health in Tanzania.

Cash & Cards

The official Tanzanian currency is the Tanzanian Shilling. They have coins for 50, 100, and 500 shillings; and notes for 1000, 2000, 5000, and 10,000 shillings. The US Dollar is widely used, as well as Euros and British Pounds, but may not be accepted in some establishments. It is also important to note that most businesses that do accept foreign currency will not do so if it is torn or wrinkled. Notes must not be older than 2006, as local businesses & banks will automatically reject these due to a past counterfeiting problem.

Banks & Currency Exchange

Banks in Tanzania are open from 9 am until 3.30 pm Monday to Friday, and from 9 am until 11 am on Saturdays. Most banks have bureau de change services possible!

ATMs

ATMs that accept both Visa and MasterCard are available in most cities. You will be able to withdraw from your accounts in local (Tanzanian shillings) currency by entering your PIN. The daily withdrawal limit amounts to roughly $300 USD. Be sure to alert your bank that you will be traveling to Africa. Many banks will deem transactions made out of your native country as suspicious and may lock access to your accounts if you have not forewarned them.

Credit Card

International credit cards (particularly Visa & MasterCard) are accepted in most stores, restaurants, hotels, camping sites, lodges, car rental companies, etc. Many smaller stores will not have EFTPOS facilities, so it is generally better to carry cash. Credit cards typically attract a 5-15% service charge tax.

Dress Code On Safari

Casual, comfortable and easy to wash clothes are recommended. There is no specific attire or dress code to wear as safaris are informal and its entirely up to you. Choose something comfortable as you will likely be wearing the same outfit for the most part of your day on game-drive. Always ensure to dress in layers so you can adjust to temperature changes as early morning game drives can be quite cold depending on the time of year while daytime temperatures can get quite warm. Stick to neutral or khaki colours and avoid wearing dark blue or black clothes as these colours tend to attract Tsetse flies. Wide brimmed hats, sunglasses, sunscreen, insect repellent are a necessity. After sunset, we recommend that you wear long pants, long-sleeved shirts, and socks and spray insect repellent to avoid being bitten by mosquitoes.

Suggested Packing List

• T-shirts and tank tops
• Long-sleeved shirts (for protection from sunburns)
• Shorts
• Light long pants or convertible long-short pants
• Warm fleece pullover or jacket (for cold early mornings and evenings during dinner time) & Light rain jacket
• Cardigans/Sweaters
• Swimming costume (if you decide to go for a swim and if your accommodation offers the service)
• Cotton socks and underwear
• Pajamas
• One pair of comfortable walking shoes/boots
• One pair of sandals or flip-flops (for use in and around the camps/lodges and showers)
• Wide-brimmed hat
• Bandana (for dust)
• Gloves & Beanie (Particularly for the cold weather between June - August)
• Sunglasses
• Lip balm/Chapstick
• Sunblock
• Insect Repellent
• Antihistamine Cream
• Flashlight
• Preferred Toiletries
• Contacts or eyeglasses if needed
• Camera, spare batteries, dust proof case, cleaning equipment & memory cards
• Universal Travel Adaptor

Gratuities

Tipping is customary in Tanzania and plays a huge role for the income of many people in the hospitality and tourism industry within the country. As a general rule of thumb, tipping for satisfactory service is recommended as per below:

• $20-$30 per day for your safari guide per group (private group)
• $3-$5 per person per day for the hotel staff (normally a tip box is present at the reception in camps and lodges)

Safety Tips On Safari

• Most camps and lodges are unfenced, so carefully listen to your guide and obey it
• Don’t go out of your safari vehicles unless asked or guided by your guide
• Don’t disturb the animals unnecessarily which might put you in danger
• Don’t plan any trips to the wild bushes at night

Additional Tips & Recommendations

Wildlife on Safari

You should never feed animals while you are on safari. In addition to this, you should try to remain as quiet and still as possible so as not to startle the animals. Always listen to your guide’s instructions. They are experts when it comes to Tanzania’s wildlife, and will advise you how best to act. Never get out of the vehicle without your guide’s implicit instructions. It may appear safe, but you never know what’s lurking in the tall grass! There should not be more than five vehicles around one animal so please understand if your driver decides to move on.

Optimizing your Safari

Please communicate with your guide about what you want to see and learn and what is not interesting for you. This is the beauty of a private safari and you should take full advantage of it. You can also tell your guide to give you more or less information about certain things. Don´t hesitate to speak your mind.