Zanzibar's famous 'The Rock' restaurant - a stunning place to take photos, although maybe not the cheapest place to eat on the archipelago!

One reader writes in to ask us:

You and your son are in for an incredible treat, reader! OK, let’s dive right in with the advice for terrific Tanzania:

Getting a cheap flight

If you’re one of our US members, you’ve sadly just missed out! A few weeks ago we found a cheeky $500-600 fare from Washington DC to Dar es Salaam for our Premium-exclusive members.

But don’t despair. We see flights to Tanzania semi-regularly from all of our regions - last month we found £382 returns from London Heathrow and Gatwick, for example - so if you keep a close eye on your inbox, we’re likely to provide the goods for you!

While direct flights aren't really an option anywhere from the UK, you can actually grab a flight from Amsterdam Schiphol direct to Mount Kilimanjaro Airport via KLM - so if it's convenient and you don't mind the extra time and effort, you could probably save a few extra quid by hopping on a cheap ferry to Amsterdam and then going from there.

If the plan is to fly to Dar es Salaam and then hop over to Zanzibar from there, we'd just be mindful that neither the 45-minute flight nor the 2-hour ferry ride to the archipelago are universally beloved by travellers - but the ferry will cost £30 per ticket while Skyscanner's cheapest local flight fares are about the same, so there's not really much saving to be had from taking the boat!

Ngorongoro Crater was actually named by the Maasai after the sound of cow-bells, quite beautifully.

Getting in a safari on a budget

Tanzania is generally a cheap place to travel (Budget Your Trip estimates that the average traveller will spend £18 per night on meals and £70 on accommodation) - however, there’s one notable exception.

Yes, the country’s safaris are infamously costly, and they’re likely to eat heavily into your budget thanks to a combination of expensive national park entry fees (the Serengeti and Nyerere National Parks will charge £60 per adult entry alone during the peak season plus a number of add-on costs - although handily your 15-year-old should just slip into the lower price bracket for children!), high fuel prices, vehicle and guide hire, and accommodation costs.

There are a few ways to ensure you get to see the out-of-this-world natural beauty of Tanzania’s national parks (and why would you want to miss out?) while still cutting back on costs, however:

• Consider when you travel. The high season of May to October will be expensive, particularly during the Great Wildebeest Migration. The low season (March to May) is cheaper for a very good reason, with the heavy masika rains falling throughout these three months. But in January to February, Tanzania experiences a second, shorter dry season which may be…very slightly cheaper, although the entrance fees themselves will remain steady.
• If you’re willing to rough it, you could spend the night in one of the Serengeti’s six public campsites rather than at a fancy lodge, and simply pay the camping fee at the entrance. Don’t expect five-star accommodation - the toilets in particular see a lot of complaints online - but you’ll certainly get an authentic safari experience for less (and likely hear a few wild animals in the night!). Pimbi Camp appears to be the best rated campsite out of the six.
• In theory, you could also cut back on guide costs by simply renting your own 4x4 for the day and drive yourself around the parks (you’ll still need to pay the vehicle fee). However, we’d strongly advise against this, for a few hopefully obvious reasons! You’ll save a little money, but you’ll be losing out on expertise, driving skill, and unless you speak Swahili and have a working two-way radio, you’ll likely struggle to figure out where the animals actually are.

For budget safaris, we’ve seen a number of travellers recommending Safari Multiways, based out of Arusha, for a combination of reasonable rates and quality experience, so that might be a great place to start.

And on a related note - if you and your son are big hikers, we'd definitely note that a Kilimanjaro climb is likely out of the scope of a budget holiday (and beware of unscrupulous operators who claim they can get you up the mountain for cheap)!

Rest and restaurants in Zanzibar

For good budget accommodation in Zanzibar, we’ve seen a lot of buzz and positive traveller feedback around New Teddy’s On The Beach, a hostel that’s based (as you’d imagine) on the Jambiani beach out on the eastern coast, about a 30-minute drive from Jozani Forest and its famous red Colobus monkeys.

New Teddy’s has private rooms with their own en-suites available - a double will set you back about £50 per night - plus a range of beach activities, and the usual local guides on hand to organise scuba diving, tours of Stone Town’s famous bazaars and ornate doorways, or visits to Zanzibar’s spice farms. Guests rave about the relaxing, laid-back vibes (and ample hammocks) - sounds ideal.

If you’d rather stay in the bustling heart of Zanzibar City itself, Shoki Shoki House is another well-rated and cheap hotel located in Stone Town - just remember that if you're visiting during Ramadan, some of the restaurants and markets in the city may be closed! (Also, one of the city's famous sights, the 'House of Wonders' and Palace Museum, has been sadly closed since 2020 due to a partial collapse.)

When it comes to getting around - both in Zanzibar or on the mainland - the true budget option is the dala-dala. These open-backed mini-buses can be chaotic and crowded, but they can cost less than a pound per journey (just watch out for con-artists). If you're not feeling quite as adventurous, you can speak to your hotel about private mini-buses or car hire.

We hope that helps to get you started, reader - very happy travels to you both and send us a postcard!

PS: Got any great tips or recommendations from your own adventures in Tanzania and Zanzibar? Let us know so we can pass them on to our intrepid fliers!

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Our Pick of the Clicks

All the important (or silly, or strange) travel news from across the web this week.

Bring your own penguin suit: Travel company Red Savannah is advertising a plush-sounding and ultra-exclusive Antarctic marriage ceremony - perfect for the couple that's really keen on a seriously white wedding and has £215,000 to spare for a party of up to 12 people.

Bermuda Tria-gony: Commiserations to the passengers on a Miami to London flight who were diverted due to a technical fault and had to spend 20 hours in Bermuda.

And yes, drinking a rum swizzle on the beach does sounds more fun than Gatwick - but unfortunately, the fliers weren’t actually allowed to leave the airport.

Seems a bit harsh, really: Wizz Air has been dubbed ‘the worst UK airline for delays’ after a summer of travel chaos.

Look beyond the headlines and those poor folks at Wizz probably don’t deserve to be singled out, though - the data shows that their flights were on average 14 minutes late, compared to 13 minutes for TUI and 12 minutes for BA and Virgin.

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Struggling to decide where you want to go on your next trip?

Genora from our fantastic Flight Finders team has devised the perfect solution - you can simply pick your ideal destination based on your personality type, as per office icebreaker favourite the Myers-Briggs test. (Personality-test sceptics, hold your horses - it's just a bit of fun, we promise.)

Check out the entire article here, or read our taster below:

INTJ - Architects

Architects are on a constant quest for knowledge - even holidays can't get in the way of learning.

As an Architect, you prefer to spend time planning your holidays rather than taking spontaneous trips. And true to your Analyst's roots - you enjoy ditching tourist traps for more thought-provoking activities. You'll take calming experiences over thrilling ones, but you're probably not too keen on resorts.

Holiday Ideas: A solo trip to a historical destination offers you all the freedom to explore and learn on your own terms. Consider joining an adult study program at your destination of choice.

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Check out these aaaaaaaah-inspiring tips for the greatest skydiving spots around the world.

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Enjoyed the read? Check out the JFC website to see the rest and find your next perfectly personalised trip.

Thanks for reading!