The Complete Tanzania
North, South, and Everything Between
5.0 Stars — 204 Reviews about Yera
Duration: 14 Days
Tier: Signature
Price From
$5,500 per person
Depends on number of people
Overview
Fourteen days. Four Tanzanias. Zero compromise.
This complete journey connects Tanzania's northern classics with the wild south and the coast — the Serengeti's endless plains, Ruaha and Selous/Nyerere's untouched wilderness, and Zanzibar's white sand, joined by road where it makes sense and by light aircraft where it doesn't.
One planner, one quote, one itinerary — built by a team that got tired of asking guests to choose between the north, the south, and the beach.
What to Expect
On safari with Yera
- Tarangire's Elephant Herds & Ancient Baobabs
- Ngorongoro Crater — the Big Five in One Day
- Resident Big Cats in Central Serengeti
- The Great Migration, Wherever It Is That Week
- Some of Africa's Largest Lion Prides, in Ruaha
- Rufiji River Boat Safari in Selous/Nyerere
- A Final Stretch on Zanzibar's Beaches
Day by Day
The Itinerary
◆ THE ROUTE
What You'll Do Today
Land in Arusha and settle in before the journey begins in earnest. Your guide meets you for a welcome briefing covering the full fourteen days ahead — pacing, what to expect at each stop, and any last details — before a transfer to your lodge for the night.
What to Expect to See
Tonight's Stay
Meals
Half Board
Route
Airport → Arusha
What You'll Do Today
Tarangire holds some of the largest elephant herds anywhere in Tanzania, drawn to the Tarangire River even in the dry season, and its skyline of ancient baobabs is unlike anywhere else on this route. Morning and afternoon game drives take in both.
What to Expect to See
Tonight's Stay
Meals
Full Board
Route
Arusha → Tarangire
What You'll Do Today
Descending into the crater is one of this circuit's defining moments — over 250 square kilometres of grassland, lake, and forest sealed inside a volcanic caldera, holding lion, elephant, hippo, and one of East Africa's last strongholds of black rhino. A full day is spent tracing the crater floor before returning to the rim.
What to Expect to See
Tonight's Stay
Meals
Full Board
Route
Ngorongoro Crater
What You'll Do Today
The drive from Ngorongoro into central Serengeti trades highland forest for endless open plains. Arriving with the afternoon light still good, your guide heads straight into a game drive rather than waiting for the following morning.
What to Expect to See
Tonight's Stay
Meals
Full Board
Route
Ngorongoro → Serengeti Central
What You'll Do Today
Central Serengeti (Seronera) holds some of the most reliable big cat sightings on the entire circuit, with year-round resident prides rather than only seasonal visitors. A full day of game drives is spent working the river courses and kopjes where predators concentrate.
What to Expect to See
Tonight's Stay
Meals
Full Board
Route
Serengeti Central
What You'll Do Today
Rather than committing to a fixed location months in advance, this day is deliberately left seasonal: your guide routes it to wherever the wildebeest and zebra herds actually are at the time of your travel, whether that's the southern plains, the western corridor, or the northern Mara region. It's the one day on this itinerary built around real-time movement, not a static plan.
What to Expect to See
Tonight's Stay
Meals
Full Board
Route
Serengeti — Migration Zone
What You'll Do Today
The north/west corridor sees far fewer vehicles than central Serengeti — granite kopjes, the Grumeti and Mara river systems, and savanna that stretches to the horizon. For those who want it, a hot air balloon safari at dawn drifts silently over the plains, followed by a champagne breakfast on landing.
What to Expect to See
Optional Activities
Tonight's Stay
Meals
Full Board
Route
Serengeti — North/West Corridor
What You'll Do Today
A light-aircraft transfer takes you from the Serengeti south to Ruaha — Tanzania's largest national park, and one of its least visited. After landing, an afternoon orientation drive introduces you to a completely different landscape: baobab-studded hills in place of open plains.
What to Expect to See
Tonight's Stay
Meals
Full Board
Route
Serengeti → Ruaha (Fly)
What You'll Do Today
Ruaha holds some of the largest lion prides recorded anywhere in Africa, drawn by the Great Ruaha River that anchors the park's ecosystem even in the dry season. Morning and evening game drives take advantage of the cooler hours, when wildlife is most active — and with so few other vehicles in the park, sightings are yours alone.
What to Expect to See
Tonight's Stay
Meals
Full Board
Route
Ruaha National Park
What You'll Do Today
For those who want it, a guided walking safari offers a different register entirely — tracking, reading signs, and moving through the bush at the pace the land sets, with an armed ranger and your guide. As the day cools, a dusk game drive gives you one more chance at whatever Ruaha has to offer.
What to Expect to See
Optional Activities
Tonight's Stay
Meals
Full Board
Route
Ruaha — Second Day
What You'll Do Today
A light-aircraft transfer takes you from Ruaha to Selous/Nyerere — at over 50,000 square kilometres, the largest protected wilderness area in Africa. After landing, an afternoon orientation drive introduces you to river channels, floodplains, and miombo woodland in place of Ruaha's dry hills.
What to Expect to See
Tonight's Stay
Meals
Full Board
Route
Ruaha → Selous/Nyerere (Fly)
What You'll Do Today
The Rufiji River is the defining feature of this ecosystem, and a boat safari is the only way to properly see it — hippo pods, basking crocodile, and an exceptional range of birdlife line the banks. Today blends all three ways of experiencing the wilderness — on foot, by vehicle, and by boat — matched to where the wildlife is and what the day offers.
What to Expect to See
Tonight's Stay
Meals
Full Board
Route
Selous/Nyerere — Full Immersion
What You'll Do Today
A light-aircraft transfer takes you from Selous/Nyerere to Zanzibar, arriving in the early afternoon. The rest of the day is left free — a walk on the beach, a swim, or simply doing nothing at all after twelve days of early starts.
What to Expect to See
Tonight's Stay
Meals
Full Board
Route
Selous/Nyerere → Zanzibar (Fly)
What You'll Do Today
Your final morning is left unstructured — the beach, Stone Town if you haven't already explored it, or simply one more slow morning by the water — before a transfer to the airport for your onward or homeward flight.
What to Expect to See
Tonight's Stay
Meals
Breakfast
Route
Zanzibar
Extend Your Journey
Your safari doesn't have to end here
Add on days before you fly home — each extension is built into your itinerary, not a separate booking.
Your Investment
What determines the price
Pricing on this journey starts from $5,500 per person and varies based on three factors.
Group Size
Smaller private groups carry a higher per-person rate than joining a shared departure; larger groups reduce the per-person cost of vehicles, flights, and guiding.
Season
This itinerary's Day 6 is routed to wherever the Great Migration herds are at the time of your travel — the southern plains, the western corridor, or the Mara region — so season affects both routing and lodge rates across the year. With several camps and internal flights to coordinate across four regions, we recommend booking at least 6 months ahead for best availability.
Lodge Tier
This is our Signature tier. A Bespoke tier — fully custom, higher-end properties and private charters — is also available on this same route, selected with you during planning.
Included
Your guide accompanies you across all four regions of this journey — the Northern Circuit, Ruaha, and Selous/Nyerere — for the full fourteen days.
Every flight connecting Serengeti, Ruaha, Selous/Nyerere, and Zanzibar is included and confirmed before you travel — no separate booking.
All national park entry fees and conservation levies for the full 14-day route.
13 nights across hand-picked Signature or Bespoke tier lodges and camps, selected with you during planning — this itinerary is tier-flexible rather than a fixed set of named properties.
All meals are included on safari days, as detailed in each day of the itinerary — Half Board on arrival, Full Board through the safari days, and breakfast on your final morning.
A boat safari along the Rufiji River during your day in Selous/Nyerere is included as part of the itinerary, not an optional add-on.
Excluded
Dining Across Four Regions
Every kitchen, professionally run
Every lodge and camp on this journey employs professional kitchen teams experienced in preparing a full range of dietary needs — without compromising on quality or variety, from the Serengeti to Zanzibar. Simply let us know your dietary preferences when booking, and we'll confirm with each property in advance.
Before You Travel
Documents & Preparation
Valid for at least 6 months beyond your travel dates, with two blank visa pages.
Most nationalities can apply for a Tanzania e-Visa online prior to arrival, or on arrival at the airport.
Required only if arriving from, or having transited through, a country with risk of yellow fever transmission.
We recommend comprehensive cover — medical, evacuation, cancellation, and baggage — for all safari travel.
Packing List for The Complete Tanzania
Everything to bring, across the safari days and the Zanzibar coast — PDF, 1 page
What Our Clients Say
Travelers who saw all of Tanzania
“Fourteen days sounds long until you're doing it — the Serengeti and Ruaha genuinely feel like different countries, and the Rufiji boat safari in Selous was a highlight we hadn't expected going in. Ending on Zanzibar after twelve days in the bush was the right call.”
Rebecca & Tom N. · Canada, September 2025
“What sold us was not having to book three separate trips. One itinerary covered the Northern Circuit, Ruaha, and Selous/Nyerere, with all the internal flights sorted in advance. Ruaha in particular had almost no other vehicles around.”
Hans W. · Germany, June 2025
“A long trip but never a rushed one. The migration-zone day was genuinely routed to where the herds were that week, not a guess made months earlier.”
Priya K. · Singapore, August 2025
Why Travel With Yera
What sets this journey apart
Local Expertise, 20+ Years
Two decades guiding across every region on this route — from the Northern Circuit to Ruaha, Selous/Nyerere, and Zanzibar.
One Itinerary, One Team
One planner and one quote connect all four regions — no separate bookings, no handoffs between operators who each only know one corner of the country.
Free Itinerary Revision
Change camps or pacing up to 60 days before departure at no charge.
Common Questions
Before You Go
This is a 14-day Tanzania safari itinerary built as one continuous journey across four regions — Northern Circuit, Serengeti, Ruaha, and Selous/Nyerere, finishing on Zanzibar — rather than a compressed sampler. Fourteen days is what it actually takes to give each region a real full day or more, not a fly-through.
Arusha, Tarangire, Ngorongoro, and the Serengeti are close enough together that road transfers make sense and let you see the landscape change along the way. Ruaha, Selous/Nyerere, and Zanzibar are each too far apart, and too remote, for road transfers to be practical within this itinerary — so those legs are covered by light aircraft instead.
Day 6 is deliberately left unfixed until closer to your travel dates. Your guide routes it to wherever the Great Migration herds actually are that week — the southern plains, the western corridor, or the northern Mara region — rather than committing to a location that may be wrong by the time you arrive.
It's an optional add-on — from $500 pp, on Day 7 — booked in advance due to limited daily capacity.
No — it's optional, offered on Day 10 in Ruaha. Availability and exact format are confirmed per camp at booking.
This itinerary is tier-flexible: Signature and Bespoke lodge/camp options are both available and selected with you during planning. Pricing shown (from $5,500 pp) reflects the Signature tier.
Fourteen days across four regions means several camps and internal flights to coordinate — we recommend booking this itinerary at least 6 months ahead for best availability, especially for Ruaha and Selous/Nyerere camps, which are limited in number.
Yes — private guide throughout, across all four regions.
Yes — extending the Zanzibar stay, adding Mahale Mountains chimpanzee trekking, upgrading to a private mobile camp for the migration days, or adding a Kilimanjaro day hike before departure are all available; see Extend Your Journey below.
Most nationalities require a visa, available on arrival or in advance online (e-visa). We recommend confirming requirements for your specific passport before travel.