Tanzania Honeymoon Guide 2026: Safari & Zanzibar

My girlfriend’s dream, something she’d often bring up back when we were dating...

GF: "If I ever get married, I want to travel across the length of Africa for our honeymoon."

Me: "Wait... what?!"

And so, I found myself opening up the Ministry of Foreign Affairs website...

Ministry of Foreign Affairs - Safe Travel Abroadwww.0404.go.kr

Whenever you're planning a trip to lesser-known destinations or cities off the beaten path, this is a must-check resource.

Sure enough, the map is incredibly colorful (and not in a relaxing way!).

Usually, Level 1 means you're generally safe as long as you're careful at night.

But from Level 2 onwards, you have to stay highly alert,

knowing that anything could happen at any time.

Since crossing the entire continent north-to-south or east-to-west involves too many high-risk countries,

the destination we ultimately chose

is none other than...

Tanzania!!

Here's a quick introduction:

Tanzania

Capital: Dodoma

Languages: Swahili, English

Currency: Tanzanian Shilling (TZS)

Area: 94.73 million ha (30th)

GDP: $75.7 billion USD

Climate: Hot and humid along the Indian Ocean coast, but highly variable and generally cooler in other regions.

Religion: Islam 35%, Christianity 30%, Indigenous beliefs 35%

And for Koreans,

it's a country famously known for Cho Yong-pil's classic song, "The Leopard of Kilimanjaro."

(Does that make me old? Haha.)

ENA 'Earth Marble World Tour'

It's also the country visited by famous travel creators Pani Bottle and Kwak Tube on ENA's 'Earth Marble World Tour'.

It is actually considered one of the safer countries in Africa.

In particular, the island of 'Zanzibar' off the east coast of Tanzania

is already widely famous as a dream honeymoon getaway for Europeans.

Namuwiki 'Serengeti National Park', 'Zanzibar'

Our reasons for heading to Tanzania boil down to two main things:

1. Serengeti National Park Safari Tour

2. Relaxing on Zanzibar Island

As someone who has never even been to a basic zoo safari,

the thought of seeing wild animals in their natural habitat

across the vast, endless plains of the UNESCO-listed Serengeti

already has me incredibly anxious and excited.

And since the highlight of any honeymoon is some solid relaxation,

we plan to unwind, even if briefly, by the gorgeous Indian Ocean.

특히 맑은 물빛이 인상적이며

Zanzibar has amazing activities like dolphin tours and snorkeling.

However, the itinerary requires a lot of traveling, which might be a bit exhausting.

Arrive at Kilimanjaro Airport → 5-Day / 4-Night Serengeti Safari Tour

Fly out of Arusha Airport on a light aircraft to Zanzibar Island

3-Day / 2-Night relaxation and tours in Zanzibar

Fly from Zanzibar Airport to Istanbul

I'll share more details about the Tanzania tours and sightseeing in my next post!

Next up: Booking Flights

1. Choosing a Layover

Typically, there are three main options: Doha (Qatar), Dubai (UAE), or Nairobi (Kenya).

First, we crossed Dubai off the list because flights were the most expensive for our dates.

Doha and Nairobi were quite similar in terms of both price and flight times.

Since we were already going to Africa for our honeymoon, we felt Kenya might feel too similar to Tanzania.

Plus, having missed out on a Middle East trip during COVID, we still had a lingering desire to see the region, so we went with Doha, Qatar.

(We plan to visit the Doha restaurants recommended by the Korean food YouTuber 'Yookseekman'!)

2. Qatar Airways

They don't belong to SkyTeam (with Korean Air) or Star Alliance (with Asiana Airlines).

However, we were still able to credit our miles to Asiana Airlines.

The "Big Three" Middle Eastern airlines

are Emirates, Etihad, and Qatar Airways.

Some reviews of Etihad and Qatar Airways can be a bit mixed.

In particular, many note that Qatar Airways' economy seats can feel a bit cramped and close together.

In-flight Meals

While Korean options are available on the Incheon-to-Doha leg,

there are none on the Doha-to-Kilimanjaro segment.

Still, they've clearly been stepping up their game since the World Cup.

3. Comparing Flight Deals

Naver Flightsm-flight.naver.com

As always, when it comes to flights,

I cross-compare Skyscanner and Naver Flights.

Once I nail down my travel times and the booking agency,

unless it's a budget LCC, I always head directly to the airline's official site

to do one final price check.

Unfortunately, for this trip, both Skyscanner and Naver Flights

redirected straight to the official Qatar Airways site, so I didn't save much.

However, Skyscanner was definitely the better choice for booking the light aircraft flight from Arusha to Zanzibar!

And that wraps up Part 1! I'll be right back with Part 2.

*Disclaimer: This post is based on my own fully self-funded experience, though I may earn a small commission through creator affiliate links.

​

​Finally, we have arrived at the Africa chapter of our African honeymoon!

When people heard we were planning a honeymoon to Africa,

the questions we got the most from those around us were:

"What made you think of going to a place like that?"

"Isn't it going to be super exhausting?"

"You must come back alive!"

Yes, we received a lot of concerned looks!

But honestly,

it felt surprisingly safe in so many ways.

It's just a destination that isn't as widely known because of the distance,

but I can confidently say it's an absolute bucket-list spot you have to visit at least once in your life.

1. Arriving at Kilimanjaro International Airport

kilimanjaro international airport

An incredibly clear day at Kilimanjaro Airport!

Perhaps because May is the rainy season, it wasn't nearly as hot as we had expected.

Since we hadn't applied for an e-visa beforehand, we had to fill out the arrival forms by hand.

We saw some other travelers struggling to fill theirs out simply because they didn't have a pen on them.

Pro tip: Definitely bring your own pen!

Once you line up with your completed application form,

they'll crosscheck it with your passport and instruct you to move to the next line.

At the next station, they'll verify details like how many days you'll be staying,

hand you a visa receipt, and point you to yet another line next to them.

Finally, you reach the last desk, hand over your fee of $50 USD per person,

and—*stamp!*—your passport is stamped.

Wait, is immigration already done?!

It was surprisingly quick and painless!

From reading reviews online, I expected them to check yellow fever certificates,

and since "pole pole" (slowly, slowly) is the local way of life,

I thought it would take ages. But thanks to their highly efficient division of labor,

we cleared immigration before our bags even arrived on the carousel!

Once you grab your bags and head out, you'll spot a currency exchange booth.

Since most tours are paid in USD,

unless you plan to stock up on groceries before your safari or buy souvenirs at local supermarkets in Arusha,

you don't really need to exchange cash here.

Stepping outside, you'll find a sea of guides holding name signs waiting for tourists.

(Totally got a tiny taste of being a celebrity haha)

Since my name is a total tongue-twister even for fellow Koreans,

I usually have to be the one to spot the guide first when booking international tours.

(My name is actually so long it got cut off on my flight ticket...)

After a bit of searching, we finally found our guide, James!

For someone with such a sturdy, reassuring build,

he has the most soulful, sparkling eyes haha.

When we mentioned we needed to buy local SIM cards,

he casually guided us toward the SIM card kiosk.

Pole pole style~

But when we arrived, the kiosk was completely empty with only waiting tourists sitting around.

After chatting with some neighboring vendors, James told us the staff wasn't around and suggested we grab our SIMs once we reached Arusha.

The fact that he came up with an alternative on the spot

made our trust in him shoot straight through the roof!

We asked if we could squeeze in a quick trip to Chemka Hot Springs before heading to Arusha,

but he looked a bit apologetic, explaining that we were pressed for time.

"Time..." he muttered softly,

rubbing his bald head with a grin haha.

If you have some breathing room before your safari officially kicks off, definitely ask to visit Chemka Hot Springs!

The water there looks so magical in photos, and I was so bummed we couldn't go T_T

Looking back, I realized I made our itinerary a bit too tight.

It's definitely one of my few regrets from the trip!

Arusha

arusha

Arusha is the starting point for most tours.

It is about a 1-hour drive from Kilimanjaro Airport,

It's a major city, complete with its own airport.

The stunning scenery unfolding as we cruised down the paved concrete road.

We passed by small, charming villages nestled along the way.

Whenever we drove through them, we'd slow right down,

with both cars and pedestrians carefully looking out for one another.

As we entered the town of Arusha, tuk-tuks started buzzing about

and the traffic got wonderfully chaotic.

I felt this during my trip to Mongolia too, but the exhaust fumes here make back home look like a walk in the park.

The air quality was so intense my throat actually started to tickle.

After navigating through some serious traffic, we finally made it to the supermarket!

This is where we bought our SIM cards from a mobile carrier representative arranged by our tour agency.

We got two SIM cards with 1GB of daily data for 11 days.

Honestly, I completely forgot how much they cost lol 😂

We also met up with Paul, our tour manager, paid the remaining balance,

and got a quick crash course on Tanzanian culture, basic Swahili, and tipping etiquette.

Then, we stocked up on essentials at the supermarket—snacks, drinks, wet wipes, you name it.

We tried a bunch of different snacks, but Oreos won by a landslide. You can never go wrong with a global classic!

If you see a coffee brand called "Africafe", make sure to buy it!!

The canned version is only about $1 here.

But once you get to the tourist spots, the price skyrockets to $5 or $8!!

It's a powdered instant coffee that dissolves easily even in cold water.

We missed our chance to buy it at this supermarket,

and as the price kept climbing down the road, we ended up not getting it at all.

If we had just bought it here, we wouldn't have spent so much on coffee in Zanzibar... 🥲

Tarangire National Park

Tarangire NP

Our very first stop on the itinerary: Tarangire National Park!

Is it Tarangire or Tarangiri? It can be a bit confusing,

but we'll stick to Tarangire for this post.

Tarangire National Park is famous for hosting massive herds of elephants.

But because it's so close to Arusha, some people say it's highly underrated.

Having our very first picnic lunchbox in Tarangire National Park!

From here on out, this is the kind of lunch we'll be having every single day on safari.

Depending on how much people paid for their tours, some had hot meals or slightly fancier options,

but most travelers were eating a lunchbox very similar to ours.

So, what was in the box?

The bread was a bit dry, vegetables were almost nonexistent,

and the pancake had a subtle sweetness but with a super strong kick of spices—maybe cinnamon?

The saving grace was definitely the chicken.

It tasted just like those rotisserie chickens you get from food trucks back home!

Haha 🍗

With our quick lunch wrapped up, it was finally time for the real adventure to begin!

Smaller than the ones in Madagascar, but still absolutely massive—behold the majestic Baobab tree!

Our guide told us those round things hanging from the ends of the branches are actually bird nests!

True to its reputation as an elephant haven,

we ran into a gorgeous elephant family right away!

Since it was the very first animal we encountered on the safari, I was so tense and excited.

But the elephants were completely unfazed, paying us zero attention even as we got super close.

We could pop the roof of our jeep open, which made the whole experience incredibly immersive!

And oh my goodness, the baby elephant walking in the back... absolutely adorable! 😭❤️

A pride of lionesses active in the middle of the day.

Apparently, when it comes to lions, it's the females who lead the family around.

So, if you spot a pride of lions, you're likely to see only lionesses with no males in sight.

I was really hoping to spot a male lion, so I was a little bummed...

...but seeing about five of them lounging up in a tree like this?

I just thought, "Where else in the world would I ever witness something like this if not in Africa?"

I was absolutely speechless and filled with awe.

A pride of tree-climbing lionesses.

They were so close, I actually worried for a split second that they might leap at us!

Aside from them, we also crossed paths with giraffes, ostriches, impalas, and more.

I really wanted to see an ostrich running,

but unfortunately, I didn't get to see that during the entire safari.

Lake Manyara Serena Lodge

Lake Manyara Serena Lodge

Agoda Official Site | Free Cancellation & Special Deals | Over 2 Million Properties3ha.in

Heading back to our lodge after a thrilling 4-hour game drive.

Just a few days before our arrival, Tanzania experienced record-breaking heavy rainfall.

Even though about a week had passed, the roadsides were still heavily flooded due to poor drainage.

We heard that so many people had their homes flooded, and there were quite a few casualties.

It was truly heartbreaking to see, especially knowing that the lack of infrastructure here made the impact of the flood so much worse.

And finally, we arrived at our very first lodge!

Most of the properties we stayed at during our tour belonged to Serena Hotels,

and they featured these incredibly unique, traditional roundhouse-style designs.

Each structure housed about 3 to 4 guest rooms.

Even with heavy luggage, the friendly porters took care of carrying everything for us, which was a lifesaver.

It's customary to give a tip of about $1 to the porters.

The swimming pool and the poolside bar.

On the first day, we were too exhausted to even think about swimming,

and since it got cloudy quickly after sunset, we couldn't take many photos.

Fortunately, the weather cleared up beautifully the next morning, so I managed to snap some great shots.

The stunning view directly below is the Ngorongoro Crater.

I never imagined I'd be treated to such a breathtaking view here in Africa.

Watching the ground turn a deep crimson as the sun rises is a truly spectacular sight.

And of course, we can't talk about travel without mentioning the food!

Since lunch was a bit lacking, I briefly worried about losing weight in Africa...

But dinner was buffet-style with plenty of fresh vegetables,

and three types of meat: chicken, beef, and fish,

so I never got tired of it.

Honestly, I feel like I cleared at least two plates every single day 😭

The chicken soup they serve right when you sit down was also amazing, but I'm so bummed I forgot to snap a picture of it!

Since I was in Africa, I had to try the local Kilimanjaro Beer,

but it was a bit too carbonated for my taste.

While the meals are included, drinks and bottled water are extra.

The water wasn't too expensive,

but as soon as I sat down, they asked, "Would you like some water?" and when I said yes, they charged me for it—

which felt like a tiny betrayal!

Since water, Coke, and Sprite are free back in the safari vehicle,

here's a little pro-tip: grab a bottle before heading to your lodge!

And that wraps up Day 1 of our safari tour!

With so many photos and so much info to share, I was initially overwhelmed

and it took me a while to get this post together.

I promise Day 2 is coming much faster!

For safari tour bookings, check out the link below:

Honeymoon Part 2

African Honeymoon Review (2) | Doha, Qatarm.blog.naver.com

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