Safari and beach: Zanzibar, the Kenyan coast or Madagascar?

Ending a safari with a few days by the sea is the most requested combination, and it makes sense: after days of dawn wake-ups and dirt tracks, the body asks for a break. The choice of beach, however, is not independent of the safari: above all, it depends on the connections.

Zanzibar, after Tanzania

It is the natural pairing with the parks of northern Tanzania: an internal flight of about an hour and you are on the island. Beyond the beaches it offers Stone Town and Swahili culture. The choice of coast is decisive because of the tides, as we explain in Zanzibar, north or east?. Remember the compulsory insurance for entering the archipelago.

The Kenyan coast, after the Masai Mara

Those on safari in Kenya have the sea within reach of an internal flight: Diani, south of Mombasa, with long beaches and a coral reef, and Watamu, further north, with its marine park. It is a coast less written about than Zanzibar, with a different atmosphere and an equally strong link to Swahili history.

Madagascar, as a trip in its own right

Nosy Be and the northern islands offer a splendid sea, but pairing them with a safari in East Africa means adding flights and days. Madagascar is at its best as a journey of its own, with its unique nature and the sea as the finale, not as an appendix to another country.

How many days

At least three nights: with fewer, between transfers and rest, the beach shrinks to a single day. Four or five is the right measure for those travelling with children. And it is best to put the beach at the end, not the beginning: the dawn starts of a safari are easier to manage with the energy of the start of a trip.