Beach Holidays: The Best Coasts and Islands to Pair with a Safari
A safari and a beach holiday complement each other in a way few other trip combinations do — days of early starts and game drives followed by a stretch of doing nothing at all on white sand. Almost every destination we cover connects to a beach region by short domestic or regional flight, which is why so many of our itineraries are built as two-part trips rather than a single-destination safari.
The Kenyan and Tanzanian Coast
Diani Beach and Zanzibar are the two most established bush-to-beach pairings on this list — Diani connecting to the Masai Mara, and Zanzibar to the Serengeti and Ngorongoro Crater, both by short flight. See our Kenya Coast and Zanzibar pages for the detail.
The Indian Ocean Islands
Seychelles, Mauritius and Madagascar sit further out in the Indian Ocean and work best as either a standalone island-hopping trip or a longer post-safari extension. See our Seychelles, Mauritius and Madagascar pages.
Mozambique
Mozambique's Bazaruto Archipelago and Ibo Island offer some of the least developed, most remote beach experiences on this list, and pair naturally with a South African Kruger or Sabi Sands safari. See our Mozambique page.
On the Water
Beyond simply lying on the sand, most of these coasts offer dhow sailing, deep sea fishing, scuba diving and snorkelling among healthy reef systems. See our dhow cruises guide, deep sea fishing guide and best snorkelling destinations guide.
Combining Bush and Beach
See our bush-to-beach planning guide for how we sequence safari and beach time, and how much of each to budget for a first trip.
Ready to plan your beach holiday? Contact our team for a tailor-made itinerary, standalone or combined with a safari.