A Tanzania safari combined with a Zanzibar beach stay is genuinely one of the more expensive trips you can plan in East Africa — but the range between a lean version and a lavish one is enormous, and most of that swing comes down to one choice: how you do the safari.
Safari cost, per person per day
| Style | Per day | What's different |
|---|---|---|
| Budget / group | $180 – 300 | Shared vehicle, basic camps or lodges, fixed itinerary |
| Mid-range / private | $350 – 700 | Private 4x4 and guide, comfortable en-suite lodges, flexible route |
| Luxury | $700 – 2,500+ | Premium tented camps, private guiding, top-tier parks like Serengeti and Ngorongoro |
Zanzibar beach stay, per night
| Style | Per night |
|---|---|
| Budget guesthouse | $30 – 70 |
| Mid-range hotel/resort | $100 – 250 |
| Luxury beach resort | $300+ |
Everything else to budget for
- International flights: roughly $600–1,500 depending on origin and season
- Domestic flight, mainland to Zanzibar: usually $100–200 one-way
- Tourist visa: around $50–100
- Tips for guides and lodge staff: commonly budgeted at $20–30 per person per day on safari
- Vaccinations and malaria precautions: variable, worth budgeting $100–500 depending on what you already have
A rough total
For a week-long safari plus a week in Zanzibar, most travelers land somewhere between $3,000–5,000 per person on a lean, mid-range plan, and well into five figures for a fully luxury version with premium camps on both legs. Group safaris and shoulder-season beach rates (March–May, or November) are the two biggest levers for bringing that number down without cutting the trip short.
These figures move with the season and the operator, so treat them as planning ranges rather than a quote — worth confirming against current rates before you book.