2 Weeks In Tanzania: Itinerary for Kilimanjaro and the Serengeti

I always thought it was impossible to name my favorite country to visit…until I spent 2 weeks in Tanzania. From climbing the tallest mountain in Africa to being surrounded by a herd of elephants and eating in the African bush, there was never a dull moment on this trip. Tanzania is really one of the most diverse countries I’ve been to.

So what does spending 2 weeks in Tanzania entail? Let’s take a look at my Tanzania itinerary below:

This Tanzania itinerary includes Mount Kilimanjaro, the Serengeti, and Zanzibar.

Day 1: Zanzibar

We spent the beginning of our 2 weeks in Tanzania in Zanzibar. The means we had to fly into Dar es Salaam which is Tanzania’s international airport. From here, we hopped on another flight to Zanzibar. We figured this would give us some time to adjust to the time change and relax before hiking Kilimanjaro.

Now, there’s a few different parts of Zanzibar that you can visit. The northern coast is full of lively resorts whereas the east is a lot more laid back. The central region is where Stone Town is, but I would recommend staying at the beach since the weather is so hot.

We started off on the East coast in a small boutique resort. The was some of the warmest water I’ve ever felt and the ocean was full of kite boarders.

Day 2: Beach day and The Rock Restaurant

We spent our first day relaxing on the beach and then headed to The Rock for our dinner reservation in the evening. The Rock is one of the most famous restaurants Tanzania, because it is quite literally on a rock slightly off the coast of the mainland. You can either take a small boat to get here or wade through the seaweed infested waters.

There’s a variety of seafood here but we went with the lobster.

Day 3: Stone Town

On our third day we made our way into Stone Town which is most famous for being the primary trade post for slaves as well as spices and silks in the 1800s. The town is made up of a series of narrow alleyways filled with markets, shops and restaurants. It feels like traveling back in time.

We made a lunch reservation at Emerson on Hurumzi Rooftop Tea House to try some local cuisine with a view. I highly recommend this place, it was such a fun experience. If you’re a history buff, there are a lot of other places to visit in Stone Town, but the hot weather made this a quick trip for us.

Day 5: Head to Arusha for Kilimanjaro

We first flew into Dar es Salaam and then grabbed a flight to the Arusha airport (ARK) .From the Arusha airport, we were picked up by a shuttle and driven to our hotel. When you book your tour company for hiking Kilimanjaro, it is likely that your hotel stay before and after the hike will be included in the price, and they can also set up a shuttle for you at the airport. We booked our Kilimanjaro trek with Climbing Kilimanjaro.

Once you arrive, the guides will meet you and go over the plan for the next 7/8 days.

Day 6-12: Climbing Kilimanjaro

I already detailed the entire Kilimanjaro hike in my post on Kilimanjaro here.

Day 13: Fly to the Serengeti

Hop on a flight from the Arusha airport to one of the air strips in the Serengeti. When you book a lodge in the Serengeti, they will be able to help you with flights/transportation there. We stayed at the Melia Resort in the Serengeti which I couldn’t recommend enough. This was definitely one of the best hotels I’ve ever stayed at in my life. A man had to walk us back to our rooms at night with a sword to ward of leopards, and there were literally baboons drinking from the pool!

Day 14: Game Drive on the Serengeti

After waking up for a very scenic breakfast at the Melia, our driver loaded up our car with snacks and drinks for the day and we were off on our first game drive. This was the second safari I’ve been on (the first was Kruger), and I was way more impressed with the animal sightings in the Serengeti. Within the first hour, we had a herd of elephants surround our vehicle and saw a pride of lions in the trees. We also got the chance to see a cheetah and a leopard.

Day 15: Game Drive on the Serengeti

On the last day of our 2 weeks in Tanzania, we decided to do another morning game drive on the Serengeti. We then took the afternoon off to spend some time at the hotel pool and relax. It was a nice end to the trip, and the view of the sunset from the pool was unforgettable.