A safari followed by a few days on Zanzibar is one of the most popular trip shapes in East Africa, and for good reason. After a week of 5.30am starts and dusty roads, a beach where you have nothing to do is exactly what most people want. The logistics are simple once you know how the pieces fit.
In short: do the safari first, fly to Zanzibar on the last safari day or the morning after, and allow three to five nights on the island.
We almost always recommend finishing on the beach. Safari days are early and tiring; the beach is where you recover before the flight home. It also gives you a buffer: if a flight is delayed, you lose beach time rather than a game drive.
The exception is when international flights make it much easier to start on the island - for example, if you are flying into Zanzibar directly.
Zanzibar has its own airport with regular domestic and regional flights.
Light-aircraft flights often have strict luggage limits, typically soft bags with a weight limit. We confirm the allowance for your specific flights.
Our Zanzibar beaches guide explains the differences in more detail.
For most people, yes - even half a day. Stone Town is the island's historic heart, and a guided walk gives context to everything else you see on Zanzibar. It is easy to visit from any resort.
Zanzibar is part of Tanzania. If you are on a Tanzania safari, your Tanzania visa covers the island, although you pass a short immigration check on arrival. If you are flying in from Kenya, you need Tanzanian entry documents as well as your Kenyan eTA. Check current requirements for your nationality before you travel - see our Kenya visa guide for the Kenya side.
The driest months on the island, roughly June to October and December to February, line up well with the main safari seasons. The long rains, roughly March to May, bring heavy showers on the coast and inland.
Put the beach at the end, allow at least three nights, choose your coast based on whether you want swimming or quiet, and leave half a day for Stone Town. We can book the safari, the flight and the beach stay together so the connections work.
No, not if you already have Tanzanian entry documents. Zanzibar is part of Tanzania.
Yes. Flights connect Nairobi and Zanzibar, so a Masai Mara safari followed by a beach stay works well.
Light aircraft often limit you to a soft bag within a set weight. We confirm the exact allowance for your flights.
Send us your dates and we will build the safari, the flight and the beach stay into one plan.
