Chem Chem, the Serengeti & the Manta on Pemba — the Auberge (ex-Legendary) circuit
This itinerary covers the best of the Legendary Expeditions circuit, now Auberge Safaris. These are genuine five-star lodges with an authentic, unhurried vibe. From Arusha's Legendary Lodge to the elephants of Chem Chem, the migration plains of the Serengeti, and the Mwiba wilderness, this is the best Tanzania has to offer. End your trip on remote Pemba Island and a night in the Manta Resort's famous Underwater Room. An Auberge long-stay offer applies.
1 night
The gateway to Tanzania's northern safari circuit. Most journeys begin and end at Kilimanjaro International, an hour from the town of Arusha, where a meet-and-greet and a connecting light-aircraft flight carry you on to the Serengeti, Grumeti or the Ngorongoro highlands. A comfortable lodge among the coffee estates makes an easy first or last night to shake off the long-haul flights before the bush.
3 nights
Lake Manyara and the Burunge corridor at the foot of the Rift Valley escarpment — a mosaic of groundwater forest, alkaline lakeshore, acacia woodland and open floodplain between Tarangire and the Ngorongoro highlands. It's known for tree-climbing lions, big elephant herds and flamingo on the soda lake, and makes a gentle, green first stop on the northern circuit before the open Serengeti. Chem Chem's private Burunge concession adds walking, night drives and uncrowded game in a wildlife-management area on the park's doorstep.
3 nights
The Lamai Triangle in the far north of the Serengeti, where the Mara River bends through acacia and open plain against the Kenyan border. This is Great Migration country at its most dramatic — from roughly July to October the wildebeest herds mass here for the heart-stopping Mara River crossings — yet it stays wild and uncrowded, with resident plains game and big cats the rest of the year. Camps run from Singita's off-grid Mara River to Nomad's classic Lamai and Kogatende tented camps.
3 nights
The southern Serengeti and its ecosystem fringes — the short-grass plains around Ndutu and Kusini and the private Mwiba Wildlife Reserve, spilling toward the Ngorongoro highlands. From roughly December to March the Great Migration carpets these plains to calve, drawing concentrated predator action; the private Mwiba land adds walking, night drives and off-park freedoms. Open, uncrowded and dramatic in the green season, it's reached by light aircraft to the Kusini or Ndutu airstrips.
3 nights
Pemba Island, the lush, hilly northern island of the Zanzibar archipelago — greener, quieter and far less developed than Zanzibar itself, ringed by steep reef drop-offs and some of the Indian Ocean's best diving. Clove plantations and mangrove inlets cover the interior; the walls and coral draw divers and snorkellers to vivid reef life and big pelagics. It's a serene bush-to-beach finish — most famously home to The Manta Resort's underwater room moored off the coast — reached by light aircraft to Pemba (PMA).
1 night
Pemba Island, the lush, hilly northern island of the Zanzibar archipelago — greener, quieter and far less developed than Zanzibar itself, ringed by steep reef drop-offs and some of the Indian Ocean's best diving. Clove plantations and mangrove inlets cover the interior; the walls and coral draw divers and snorkellers to vivid reef life and big pelagics. It's a serene bush-to-beach finish — most famously home to The Manta Resort's underwater room moored off the coast — reached by light aircraft to Pemba (PMA).
Departure airport
Zanzibar — the legendary spice island off the Tanzanian coast and the main island of the archipelago (properly, Unguja). Its heart is Stone Town, a UNESCO World Heritage warren of coral-rag alleys, carved doors, Swahili-Omani palaces and spice-market bustle layered with a thousand years of Indian Ocean trade. Beyond it the coast opens into some of the finest beaches in Africa: powder-white sand and shifting turquoise shallows, dhows under lateen sail, and a reef made for diving and snorkelling — the north (Nungwi, Kendwa) kept swimmable at all tides, the quieter east and northeast (Matemwe, Michamvi) ranged by tidal flats and traditional seaweed farms. Spice-farm tours, the red colobus of Jozani Forest, and fresh-off-the-dhow seafood round out a classic bush-to-beach finish to a northern Tanzania safari. Reached by a short flight to Zanzibar (ZNZ).
Visa — required. US passport holders need a visa, available on arrival or as an e-visa in advance. Volunteer work isn’t permitted on a tourist visa, and you should carry a round-trip ticket and be ready to show proof of sufficient funds for your stay.
Mandatory travel insurance. Tanzania now requires every visitor to buy the government’s local travel insurance to enter — it was Zanzibar-only, but now applies nationwide. This is in addition to your own travel insurance; purchase it online before you go.
Passport. Valid for at least 6 months beyond your arrival date, with 1 blank page per entry stamp.
Vaccinations. A yellow-fever certificate is required if you’re arriving from a country where yellow fever is a risk. This applies to travel from Kenya if you have your passport stamped.
Currency. Up to US$10,000 may be brought in or taken out.
Good to know. Single-use plastic bags are banned nationwide — pack toiletries in a small, clear reusable zip-lock. Dress is conservative in public, especially on Zanzibar; keep beachwear to the resorts. And it’s illegal to photograph military sites, government buildings, bridges, airports, or police.
U.S. Embassy, Dar es Salaam: tz.usembassy.gov
Guidance for US passport holders — if you travel on another passport, please confirm the requirements for your nationality.
Every departure runs a similar route with all-in pricing. Prices vary by season.
Inclusions: Safari lodge and camp rates are inclusive of all meals, drinks, and most activities — including game drives — but exclude top-shelf drinks and premium activities like helicopter excursions. City and beach stays follow each property's own board basis, shown on the lodge.
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