Beyond the Crowds: A 14 Day “Calving & Coast” Perfect Honeymoon in Tanzania

Depending on your flight time, today you are transferred to your hotel in Arusha, a perfect launch point for your onward adventure. Arusha Coffee Lodge is my pick, and it is nestled within coffee plantations, and offers a really beautiful garden to have lunch or dinner in.

I especially recommend Arusha Coffee Lodge because they support Shanga, a social enterprise within the Lodge, that employs Tanzanians with disabilities to create beautiful, high-quality glassware, jewelry, and textiles from recycled materials. Tours of each workshop are both free, and fascinating. The gift shop is where you can purchase affordable, ethically-made, and high-quality gifts for everyone back home.

The next day, you transfer into Tarangire National Park. After checking in at the luxurious Lemala Mpingo Ridge, and a delicious lunch at the lodge, head out for your introductory afternoon game drive. Tarangire is known for two giants: its elephant herds and the highest concentration of baobab trees anywhere!

A full day dedicated to exploring Tarangire National Park. Today you will search for tree-climbing lions, and will observe how the herds of buffalo and elephants wade along the enormous green & grassy swamp of the park. Seeing a baby elephant use its trunk as a scuba is a sight you will never forget!

Today, you leave Tarangire National Park and make your way to the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. If you missed the tree-climbing lions in Tarangire, I highly recommend you drive through Manyara National Park on your way to the crater. It was here that biologists first noticed this very curious lion behavior! The park also boasts over 400 species of birds, some unique to that area.

By staying at the brand-new (mid 2025 opening) Lemala Osonjoi, you are only minutes away from the exclusive Lemala Gate to enter the Crater. You are truly missing the morning crowds and are practically guaranteed to be one of the first to capture the early morning light and activity. Lemala Osonjoi is also one of the only lodges allowed to have a fully catered lunch in the crater, a welcome amenity to make your visit even more bespoke.

After spending the day traversing the caldera, known for its incredibly high concentration of wildlife, I highly recommend returning to your lodge via Melia’s Ngorongoro Lodge. This lodge is in what seems an impossible location, perched on the crater rim, and boasting the area’s most dramatic outside terrace. Stop here for a drink and for jaw-dropping views (and photos!).

Before you leave Lemala Osonjoi, I highly recommend stopping at a very authentic Masai Village (or Boma). This Boma is next to Osonjoi, and you will likely be the only tourists there, making the visit all the more meaningful as you know your small contribution to the Boma goes directly to the extended family. After your visit, you will have a scenic transfer down the crater highlands to the Serengeti. One very recommended mid-journey stop is the Olduvai Gorge—here is where Mary & Louis Leakey found 2 million-year-old early human fossils!

After a restful night in Lemala’s Ndutu Camp, you wake to a scene plucked from “Out of Africa”. Vast expanses in every direction, you are perfectly positioned in a mobile camp that is in the ancestral calving grounds of the wildebeest and zebra herds. Over the next three days, your safari driver, a master at spotting wildlife forged from years of study and experience, will ensure your wildlife bucket lists are fulfilled!

Top tip: I absolutely loved an early morning balloon ride for a different vantage point followed by “breakfast in the bush”, hosted by Miracle Experiences.

Enjoy a final, short morning game drive as you transfer to the nearest bush airstrip (e.g.: Seronera) for your scheduled light-aircraft flight back to Arusha and onward to your gorgeous beach villa in Zanzibar. Check in at the stunning Zanzibar White Sand Luxury Villa on the eastern side of the island for calmer water and less wind. Prepare to indulge in the definition of barefoot luxury for three nights! If you can resist leaving your stunning villa, take a cooking class utilizing the world-renowned Zanzibar spices, or take a private Dhow cruise at sunset with your loved one, reflecting on this magical start to your new life together.

As you prepare for your departure, I highly recommend spending your last two nights in Stone Town. Hotels abound here, but I keep on going back to the simplicity and heart found in one of its first hotels, the Emerson Spice. The Emerson Spice hotel is located in the heart of Stone Town, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and is a loving restoration of a 19th century merchant’s house. The hotel’s design is a melting pot, blending Swahili, Arab, and Indian touches, reflecting its history as a major trading hub.

Top tip: Don’t miss dinner at the Tea House Restaurant, Emerson’s renowned rooftop restaurant.