Classic Tanzania Honeymoon: 12-Day Southern Circuit

Cheetahs in Selous National Park, Tanzania

What to expect on this itinerary

Explore Ruaha National Park’s epic wilderness during remarkable safari drives through the bushveld, treasure Selous Game Reserve’s rugged charm while savoring exquisite Tanzanian cuisine, and cherish Lazy Lagoon Private Island’s spectacular secluded ambiance when lounging on the tranquil shores. The beauty of Tanzania is yours to discover in detail during this southern circuit honeymoon to some of the country’s most enchanting destinations.

Countries Visited

Tanzania

Places Visited

Ruaha National Park, Selous Game Reserve, Lazy Lagoon Private Island

Suggested Duration

12 Days

Customizable Itinerary

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Day 1

Ruaha National Park - Breathtaking Scenes of the Great Ruaha River

Tanzania is home to several iconic game reserves that you will be delighted to explore on this 12-day honeymoon vacation beginning in Ruaha National Park. You will touch down at Dar es Salaam Airport, meet your private transfer, and be whisked away to the park, which boasts diverse landscapes and abundant wildlife to discover during your stay at a glamorous lodge pinned into the wilderness. Checking into your secluded suites sharing panoramas of the park’s Great Ruaha River, you will swoon over the breathtaking scenes of Tanzania’s untamed wilds.

What's Included:

Transfer
Accommodation
Activity
Dinner
Day 2

Ruaha National Park - Tanzania’s Safari Spirit

Day 3

Ruaha National Park - Bewitching Moments Spent with the Game

Day 4

Ruaha National Park - Choose Your Ruaha Highlights

Day 5

Selous Game Reserve - A Relaxing Welcome to Selous

Day 6

Selous Game Reserve - Gorgeous Game Drives through Tanzania

Day 7

Selous Game Reserve - Fine Dining Safari

Day 8

Selous Game Reserve - Spellbinding Boating along the Rufiji River

Day 9

Lazy Lagoon Private Island - Island Escape off the Tanzanian Coast

Day 10

Lazy Lagoon Private Island - Sensational Sea Scenes

Day 11

Lazy Lagoon Private Island - Setting Sail across the Sea

Day 12

Lazy Lagoon Private Island - Spectacular Seascapes on Your Final Morning

Trip Highlights

  • Discover the morning hunters, such as lions and leopards, of Ruaha National Park on a sunrise safari revealing the wondrous wildlife that comes to life before dawn
  • Join knowledgeable guides for remarkable birding and game viewing experiences across Ruaha’s staggering environments, from stretching golden plains to densely forested pastures
  • Spend your final day in Ruaha relishing special experiences tailored to your expectations, from private dinners prepared for you on your balcony to glamping in the middle of the bushveld
  • Explore the surrounding wilderness of Selous Game Reserve on extensive safaris through the greenery that will reveal the lush landscapes and abundant wildlife inhabiting these untouched environments
  • Relish a unique boating safari across the stunning Rufiji River that runs through the Selous reserve and savor a private dinner prepared on the river banks
  • Explore the marine habitats circling Lazy Lagoon Island on sensational snorkeling and kayaking tours over fluorescent reefs and across glimmering swells
  • Set sail across the sea surrounding Lazy Lagoon Island to marvel at the sweeping sapphire panoramas stretching as far as the eye can see
  • Fine dine as the sun sets over Tanzania with a private chef preparing gorgeous meals at a table set on the secluded sands on the doorstep of your lavish suite

Starting Price

$17,600 per person (excluding international flights)

Your Zicasso trip is fully customizable, and this sample itinerary is a starting place for your travel plans. Actual costs are dynamic, and your selection of accommodations and activities, your season of travel, and other such variables will bring this budget guideline up or down. Throughout your planning experience with your Zicasso specialist, your itinerary is designed around your budget. You can book your trip when you are satisfied with every detail. Planning your trip with a Zicasso travel specialist is a free service.

What's Included

  • Accommodations
  • In-country transportation
  • Some or all activities and tours
  • Expert trip planning
  • 24x7 support during your trip

Your final trip cost will vary based on your selected accommodations, activities, meals, and other trip elements that you opt to include.

5.0

Verified Traveler Reviews

Based on 5 reviews

South Africa, Zimbabwe, Mozambique Vacation Review: Victoria Falls, Safari Experience, Local Cuisine, 1-Month Trip

Zicasso's travel partner planned a trip for us that exceeded even our very high expectations. We started our search by contacting three travel agents and explaining what we wanted in terms of timeline, cost, and experiences. Our travel agent came back with a plan that was exactly what we were looking for. He clearly understood that our main goal was a variety of experiences, a trip that included Cape Town and Victoria Falls, safaris where we could have a chance of seeing the Big Five, no driving of our own, a pace that would not leave us exhausted, a price that would not break our budget, accommodations that were comfortable but not extravagant, and to end our trip sitting by a beach for several days. He managed to do all that and more.

The result was a 33-day trip in South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Mozambique that included all of the above, plus two days of whale watching, two days in the heart of South Africa's wine country, with multiple winery visits and tastings led by a very knowledgeable guide, three safaris (11 safari days in total), and six days relaxing by the Indian Ocean at an amazing, intimate, foodie paradise complete with free daily massages.

He also arranged all transfers ‒ car and large and small planes ‒ and had someone help us find a good deal on our transatlantic flights. Every vendor he selected was excellent and there was not a single glitch the whole trip, despite the numerous transfers.

What impressed me the most was his knowledge of all the properties and the thought he put into the ones he suggested, including the order of our stays. For example, he gave us plenty of time to relax and explore the Cape Town, Hermanus (whales), and Stellenbosch (wine) areas before going on our safaris. He then had our first safari stay be a tented camp. It was very comfortable and we enjoyed it immensely, seeing four of the Big Five there. Then, he stepped us up to somewhat fancier accommodations for our second safari, also an amazing experience, where we saw the last of the Big Five and the quite rare wild dogs (or painted wolves as they are sometimes known). Our last safari stay was one he had to talk me into because it seemed like the accommodations were fancier than what we were looking for or needed. However, he assured me that the experience would also be a step up, and wow, was he right. While the accommodations were great, what made the experience perfect was the knowledge of our guide, his tracking ability, and the unique location of the reserve, which even in drought conditions had a river running through it that attracted lots of animals we hadn't seen elsewhere. Our safaris were all on private land adjoining unfenced game reserves, so the animals could travel freely back and forth. We weren't faced with a slew of other vehicles vying to see the animals and we were able to go off-road to better track the animals we were following.

The back-and-forth dialogue with our agent in the planning process was something I truly appreciated. While some people might want to just set a budget and get a final itinerary (which I'm sure our agent can do), I wanted a more interactive process where he would give us different options and we would discuss the pros and cons, and then come to a decision. No question was too stupid and he never tried to rush us. I would book with him again in a heartbeat and have already recommended him to several friends.

On top of all I've already mentioned, he was fantastic when we had to delay our trip for a year because I learned shortly before we were going to go that I had to undergo chemotherapy. He was great in helping me make my claim on my travel insurance and in working with the properties so I was out very little money at all. And amazingly, when I was finally cleared to go, he was able to rebook almost exactly the same itinerary we had originally planned. There were also some other nice surprise extras he arranged, but I won't spoil them for you by saying what they were. I will say, however, that I can't imagine a more perfect trip or a more perfect travel agent to work with!

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South Africa, Botswana & Zimbabwe Luxury Travel Review: Cape Town, Kruger National Park, Okavango Delta, Wildlife, 2-Week Trip
Neil did an awesome job curating our 2-week trip. He helped us to minimize the travel time from Cape Town to our camp in Botswana (and onward to Zimbabwe and then back into Kruger Park area in SA).  Saw all the big animals in both Botswana and SA ... guides at "and Beyond" in Okavango Delta and in the game reserve in Sabi Sand respectfully were outstanding!

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Luxury South Africa Tour Review: Cape Town, Safari, Wildlife, Local Cuisine, 2-Week Trip
Neil put together a great itinerary at some extra special safari lodges and boutique hotels including getting us there along with terrific tours through local guides.

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Luxury Africa Safari Honeymoon Travel Review: Tanzania, Zanzibar, Game Drives, Beachfront Dinner & Memories
Talk about the trip of a lifetime. Our trip was magical, memorable, and worry-free. Our travel designer from the travel company helped us plan our two-week honeymoon and it was better than we could have ever imagined. He spent so much time and effort in creating the perfect and unique trip for us. He listened to our preferences, priorities, and concerns, and tailored the trip to what we were looking for. Even with COVID changing our initial plans, he was right there with a great backup option and was always available for a phone call to discuss and adjust our plans. When we wanted to change around a couple of aspects of the itinerary (for example, a different hotel for part of the trip) he had multiple backup options.Going to Africa a few days after getting married, during a global pandemic, was a challenge. However, the designer and the staff in Tanzania made the trip seamless and relaxing. Once we got to Tanzania, we felt like we were always being looked out for and always well taken care of. Our safari driver was exceptional. He was so fun to travel with and always found the best spots for us to view wildlife on our game drives. He was fun, kind, knowledgeable, and he went above and beyond to make us feel comfortable and protected. After a week of safari, we got to end our trip in Zanzibar. Although the weather was spotty, the resort had so much to offer. Our villa was beautiful with a private pool, the food was wonderful, and the pool/beach were incredible. Our honeymoon package included a massage and a private beachfront dinner. The staff was always available to help and went out of their way to be hospitable.Some family members decided to surprise us with additional experiences throughout our honeymoon as a wedding gift. We only learned after how helpful our travel designer was with putting the surprises together and helping them pick out memorable, special, and romantic experiences.We look back on our trip so fondly and highly recommend the travel team. We so appreciate that he made sure to follow up with us after our trip and couldn't wait to hear about it and help us relive our favorite moments.

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South Africa, Zimbabwe, Luxury Travel Review: Cape Town, Kruger National Park, Victoria Falls, Safari, 8 Nights

Our trip to Africa, organized by Zicasso’s travel company, included four days in Cape Town, four days in the Kruger National Park, and four days at Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe. There were six of us: four adults and two children aged seven and 11.

In Cape Town, we stayed in Camps Bay and were impressed with our hotel. We had a three-bedroom apartment that was very comfortable with kids. Arriving was seamless and our full-day Cape Tour was excellent. We have nothing but the highest regard for our driver. She was an excellent tour guide and very friendly. Cape Town is a beautiful city and we really enjoyed our stay there.

Our transfer to the Kruger National Park was seamless. We cannot say enough positive things about our experience at the lodge. The accommodation was very comfortable, the food was excellent and plentiful, and the staff were exceptionally friendly. Our guide and our tracker were very informative, much fun to be around, and terrific with the young children, who had an amazing experience. We got to see so much wildlife and all the Big Five.

From there, we had another seamless transfer to Victoria Falls. Again, our accommodation was superb and our experience with a tour to the falls, the river cruise on the Zambezi, and the elephant encounter were terrific, topped off by a wonderful dinner and show.

Overall, we would give a rating of 10 out of 10, with special thanks to our travel agent for putting up with so many of our questions and arranging such a wonderful itinerary.

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Customizable Itinerary

This is a sample itinerary to inspire a personalized trip designed with your travel specialist.

28,000+ Verified Traveler Reviews