7-Day Package · Dar es Salaam & Zanzibar
Dar es Salaam & Zanzibar Cultural & Beach Adventure
Culture Meets Coast
Seven Days of Real Zanzibar — History, People, Nature & Sea
This itinerary goes beyond the beach. Starting in Dar es Salaam, you'll cross by ferry to Zanzibar and spend the next five days going deep — into Stone Town's ancient alleyways, into the scented heart of a spice plantation, into the canopy of Jozani Forest, into the daily life of a coastal fishing village, and out onto the Indian Ocean in search of dolphins. It's the kind of trip you'll talk about for years.
Package Highlights
Seven days structured to give you the full picture of Zanzibar and coastal Tanzania — from the energy of Dar es Salaam to the tranquility of a beach resort, with culture, wildlife and the ocean woven through every day in between.
Day-by-Day Itinerary
Day 1
📍 Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
Arrival in Dar es Salaam — Leisure & Pre-Trip Briefing
Your journey begins at Julius Nyerere International Airport in Dar es Salaam, where our representative meets you for a warm welcome and transfers you to your hotel. The rest of the day is yours — use it to rest after your flight, take a walk along the harbour front, or simply acclimatise to the rhythm of one of East Africa's most vibrant port cities. In the evening, we bring everyone together for a pre-trip briefing covering the full itinerary, what to expect, travel documentation, and any questions you may have.
- Arrival at Julius Nyerere International Airport (DAR)
- Private transfer to your hotel in Dar es Salaam
- Check-in and leisure time — explore the city or rest
- Evening pre-trip briefing with your Exotic Destinations guide
- Dinner and overnight stay in Dar es Salaam
Day 2
📍 Dar es Salaam → Zanzibar
Ferry to Zanzibar — First Steps into Stone Town
After breakfast, transfer to the port for your ferry crossing to Zanzibar Island. The journey across the Indian Ocean takes roughly two hours and already feels like an arrival in another world. At the Zanzibar port, you're met and transferred to your accommodation in or around Stone Town. The afternoon is free — take your first independent wander through the old town's streets, pick up a fresh juice at a market stall, or simply sit by the waterfront and watch the dhows drift past. Dinner this evening lets you settle in before the deeper explorations begin tomorrow.
- Breakfast at the hotel in Dar es Salaam
- Transfer to the ferry terminal and crossing to Zanzibar
- Meet-and-greet at Zanzibar port and transfer to Stone Town area
- Check-in and free afternoon to explore Stone Town independently
- Flexible lunch in Stone Town at own arrangement
- Dinner and overnight in Zanzibar
Stone Town's iconic streets, Zanzibar's turquoise coastline and the timeless sight of dhows on the harbour
Day 3
📍 Stone Town, Zanzibar
Stone Town Cultural Discovery
Today your professional English-speaking guide leads you through the full depth of Stone Town — a place where Swahili, Arab, Persian, Indian and European histories converge in a single square mile. Begin with the House of Wonders, Zanzibar's largest and most recognisable building, before visiting the Palace Museum (Beit al-Sahel) and the imposing Arab Fort. In the afternoon, lose yourselves in the narrow backstreets — admiring elaborately carved wooden doors that tell stories of the families who once lived behind them, browsing spice and textile stalls at Darajani Market, and pausing at the Anglican Cathedral built on the site of the old slave market.
- Full guided walking tour of Stone Town with a professional local guide
- House of Wonders, Palace Museum (Beit al-Sahel) and Arab Fort
- Anglican Cathedral and the site of the former slave market
- Afternoon exploration — carved doors, Darajani Market and narrow backstreets
- Lunch at your preferred restaurant at own expense
- Dinner and overnight in Zanzibar
Jozani Forest — Home of the Red Colobus Monkey
The Zanzibar Red Colobus is found nowhere else on Earth. Jozani-Chwaka Bay National Park protects the last significant population of these striking primates, and a walk through the forest canopy to observe them at close range is one of the most memorable wildlife experiences the island has to offer. The adjacent mangrove boardwalk adds another layer — a quiet, otherworldly trail through one of the coast's most important ecosystems.
Day 4
📍 Spice Farms · Jozani Forest · Beach
Spice Tour, Jozani Forest & Transfer to the Beach
A packed and rewarding day that moves from the inland heart of the island to its beautiful coastline. The morning starts at one of Zanzibar's historic spice farms, where a local host walks you through groves of cloves, cinnamon, black pepper, nutmeg and lemongrass. You'll taste freshly picked tropical fruits and leave with a much deeper understanding of why this island was once the most fought-over place in the Indian Ocean. A spice-infused lunch is served with your host. Afterwards, drive south to Jozani-Chwaka Bay National Park for your encounter with the Red Colobus Monkeys and an optional walk along the mangrove boardwalk. By late afternoon, transfer to your beach resort — your home for the final three nights.
- Breakfast and check-out from Stone Town accommodation
- Guided spice and fruit plantation tour with cultural insights
- Spice-infused lunch hosted by a local family
- Visit to Jozani Forest — Red Colobus Monkeys and mangrove boardwalk (optional)
- Transfer to beachside accommodation for dinner and overnight
Jozani's forest interior and Zanzibar's quiet east coast beaches — two very different sides of the same island
Day 5
📍 Jambiani Village, East Coast
Jambiani Cultural Village Experience
Jambiani sits on Zanzibar's sheltered east coast — a long, quiet stretch of beach backed by a traditional fishing village where life moves at its own unhurried pace. This morning's scenic drive through coastal fishing communities sets the tone before your guided village immersion begins. You'll visit a local herbalist who explains the traditional plants used in everyday Swahili medicine, walk with the women tending their seaweed farms at low tide (seaweed farming is one of the east coast's most important cottage industries), and explore small organic plantations growing vegetables and herbs. It's an honest, respectful look at how people here live — not a performance, but a genuine exchange.
- Scenic coastal drive through fishing villages to Jambiani
- Guided cultural village tour with a local community host
- Visit a traditional herbalist — medicinal plants and their uses
- Walk the seaweed farms tended by the women of the village
- Tour organic coastal plantations growing vegetables and herbs
- Lunch during the tour at own arrangement
- Transfer to beach resort for dinner and overnight
Day 6
📍 Kizimkazi, Southwest Coast
Dolphin Safari in Kizimkazi & Afternoon Leisure
An early breakfast and an early start — dolphin safaris work best in the calm of the morning before the sea breeze picks up. Board a traditional wooden dhow at Kizimkazi on Zanzibar's southwestern tip and head out into waters that are home to resident pods of both bottlenose and humpback dolphins. They're often spotted in large groups, and swimming alongside them is possible depending on conditions on the day. Return by mid-morning for lunch back at the resort, then the afternoon is completely free. Optional activities are available if you'd prefer to stay active, and as the sun descends there's the option of a sundowner experience on the beach.
- Early breakfast followed by transfer to Kizimkazi
- Morning dolphin safari by traditional dhow — bottlenose & humpback dolphins
- Swimming with dolphins optional, subject to conditions
- Return for lunch at the resort
- Afternoon at leisure — beach, pool or optional activities
- Optional sunset sundowner experience (additional cost)
- Dinner and overnight in Zanzibar
Day 7
📍 Zanzibar → Dar es Salaam
Departure — Ferry Back to Dar es Salaam
A final breakfast at the resort, then pack up and transfer to the Zanzibar ferry terminal for the crossing back to Dar es Salaam. Our services end on arrival at the port in Dar es Salaam, where you can arrange your onward travel — whether that's an international flight home, or the start of your next adventure. Seven days, two cities, one remarkable island — and memories that will last considerably longer.
- Breakfast at the resort
- Transfer to Zanzibar ferry terminal
- Ferry crossing back to Dar es Salaam
- End of Exotic Destinations KE services on arrival at Dar es Salaam port
What's Included & Excluded
✅ Package Includes
- Airport transfers on arrival and departure
- Accommodation throughout as per itinerary
- Meals as specified per day
- Ferry transfers between Dar es Salaam and Zanzibar (both ways)
- All ground transportation in comfortable vehicles
- Professional English-speaking guide throughout
- Guided Stone Town walking tour (Day 3)
- Spice plantation tour with spice-infused lunch (Day 4)
- Jozani Forest entrance fees and guided walk
- Jambiani cultural village tour (Day 5)
- Morning dolphin safari in Kizimkazi (Day 6)
- Bottled drinking water during all activities
❌ Not Included
- International flights to/from Tanzania
- Tanzania visa fees
- Travel insurance (mandatory — not optional)
- Meals not specified in the itinerary
- Lunch on Days 2, 3 and 5 (own arrangement)
- Optional sunset sundowner experience (Day 6)
- Personal expenses — laundry, phone calls, souvenirs
- Tips and gratuities for guides and drivers
- Any items not listed under inclusions
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