Ten days is enough to combine a serious northern Tanzania safari with Zanzibar, but it only works well if you resist adding every park that appears on the map.
For this itinerary, we would concentrate the safari around three areas: Tarangire, Ngorongoro and the Serengeti. Arusha is simply the arrival gateway, not another safari stop. After the Serengeti, fly towards Zanzibar and finish with several days on the coast.
That gives the trip a clear rhythm: safari first, beach afterwards.
The route
Day 1: Arrive in Arusha
Day 2: Tarangire National Park
Day 3: Ngorongoro
Days 4–6: Serengeti
Day 7: Fly to Zanzibar
Days 8–10: Zanzibar
Your safari operator may adjust the exact order around accommodation, flights and the season, but this is the route structure we would aim for.
Day 1: Arusha
Treat Arusha as the practical start of the safari rather than another destination you have to complete.
After an international flight, an overnight here gives you time to sleep, meet your safari operator and reorganise your luggage before heading into the parks. Unless your flight arrives very early and your operator has built the schedule around it, there is little benefit in landing and immediately starting a long road transfer.
Day 2: Tarangire
Tarangire works well as the first safari area because it sits naturally on the northern circuit and offers a different landscape from what comes later. Baobabs, river systems and large elephant populations are among the reasons people come here.
The temptation is to add Lake Manyara as well simply because it is nearby. With only ten days, we would not automatically do that. Every extra park creates another transfer and another accommodation change, and Tarangire deserves a proper day rather than being treated as one item in a checklist.
Day 3: Ngorongoro
Ngorongoro is one of the northern circuit’s most distinctive experiences. The crater creates a concentrated wildlife area surrounded by extraordinary scenery, and it fits naturally into a safari that also includes Tarangire and the Serengeti.
It can also be busy. Go because it is remarkable, not because you expect an empty wilderness experience.
Days 4–6: Serengeti
The Serengeti should receive the largest share of the safari.
Three days gives you enough time to stop treating wildlife sightings like a deadline. The ecosystem is enormous, animals move and driving distances can be substantial, so one night here would be poor value from an experiential point of view even if it makes the itinerary look impressively varied.
Where you stay can depend partly on the time of year, especially if migration movements matter to you. But do not become so focused on the Great Migration that you overlook the broader point: the Serengeti remains an exceptional wildlife destination outside the headline river-crossing periods.
Day 7: Fly to Zanzibar
This is where we would spend a little more to improve the itinerary.
Rather than driving all the way back towards Arusha purely to catch another flight, use a scheduled bush flight from the Serengeti towards Zanzibar if the timings and budget work.
Ten days is short enough that buying back most of a day has real value. Check the exact route and baggage allowance before booking, as small safari aircraft usually have tighter luggage restrictions than international flights.
Days 8–10: Zanzibar
Once you reach Zanzibar, resist the urge to create another touring itinerary.
Choose what you actually want from the coast. If history, architecture and food are priorities, make time for Stone Town. If the main objective is beach time, choose one part of the island and settle there.
Different Zanzibar coastlines suit different travellers, which is why choosing the area should come before choosing the hotel. That deserves its own guide rather than trying to explain every beach here.
What we would avoid in a short beach section is moving repeatedly between Stone Town, the east coast and the north simply to say you saw everything.
Why safari first?
The sequence is deliberate. Safari days often involve early starts, dusty roads and long stretches in a vehicle, even when the experience itself is extraordinary.
Zanzibar works naturally afterwards because the pace changes completely. You finish the trip somewhere you can stop planning the next day’s drive.
Doing the beach first is not wrong, but for this particular ten-day combination we think safari first and coast last flows better.
When should you do this trip?
The drier period from roughly June to October is one of the easiest times to combine the northern circuit with Zanzibar. January and February can also work well, particularly for travellers interested in the southern Serengeti calving season.
April and May are generally wetter.
Rather than searching for one perfect month, decide what matters most: general safari conditions, migration movements, beach weather, crowds or price. For a straightforward first combination, September remains a strong compromise.
Entry requirements
Visa requirements depend on nationality.
UK passport holders currently need a tourist visa.
US passport holders also need a visa; US tourists are treated differently from most nationalities and are normally required to obtain Tanzania’s multiple-entry visa.
Many EU/EEA passport holders also require a tourist visa and are eligible for the ordinary visa/eVisa process, with many nationalities also eligible for a visa on arrival.
Tanzania’s immigration service recommends using its official online visa platform. Passports should have at least six months’ validity and at least one unused visa page, and travellers should be ready to show a return or onward ticket. (Tanzania Visa)
There is also an important newer rule that applies regardless of whether you already have private travel insurance: visitors to both mainland Tanzania and Zanzibar must have Tanzanian government-provided inbound travel insurance. You buy the policy for your first port of entry, either mainland Tanzania or Zanzibar, and it can cover stays of up to 92 days. (GOV.UK)
You should still have your own comprehensive travel insurance covering your safari and planned activities.
Packing for the safari flight
Small aircraft are one reason we would not bring a huge hard-shell suitcase on this trip. Baggage limits differ by airline and route, but soft-sided luggage is generally easier and weight allowances can be considerably lower than on international flights.
Check the exact rules for your flight rather than assuming your long-haul baggage allowance applies throughout the trip.
Do you need a safari operator?
For the northern circuit, a good operator makes the logistics much easier. Vehicles, guides, accommodation, park access, transfers and internal flights all need to fit together, so comparing itineraries is more useful than comparing headline marketing language.
Check exactly what is included and how much time you are actually getting in each park. A route that lists four parks is not automatically better than one that visits three properly.
Common mistakes
Trying to add Lake Manyara or another park simply because it is nearby is the most obvious one. Tarangire + Ngorongoro + Serengeti is already three substantial safari areas.
We would also avoid giving the Serengeti only one night, driving back to Arusha unnecessarily when a suitable bush flight is available, changing Zanzibar hotels repeatedly and booking the cheapest international flights before understanding how they connect with the safari.
If you have more than ten days
Twelve to fourteen days makes this trip noticeably more relaxed. The extra time could go towards another Serengeti night, Lake Manyara, Stone Town or simply a longer stay on the beach.
Those additional days should remove pressure rather than force you to invent more attractions.
The Meskel verdict
For ten days, we would keep it simple:
Arusha → Tarangire → Ngorongoro → Serengeti → Zanzibar.
That means three safari areas, followed by the coast.
It is enough variety for a first trip, and it leaves the Serengeti enough time to feel like a destination rather than a drive-through experience.