6-Day Tanzania Family Safari: Tanzania Wildlife Encounters

The Tanzania family safari will start with a welcoming reception at Kilimanjaro International Airport (JRO), which is located 50 km from Arusha. After that, there is a 2-hour scenic drive (130 km) to Tarangire National Park in a private 4x4 safari vehicle which offers comfort for the whole family. Activities include Tarangire national park Is famous for its enormous herds of elephants (which number as high as 300 from June to October), breathtaking baobab trees, and the Tarangire River. Afternoon game drives include spotting some of the most famous wildlife in Africa, including: giraffes that stretch for leaves, zebras, grazing wildebeest, and lions, along with some elusive leopards. The Park is home to over 550 species of birds, including the yellow collared lovebird and lilac breasted roller. After the activity, your expert guide will prepare a lunch on the go at one of the picnic sites with a view of the savanna. They will then drive through the dusty trails of the park, explaining animal behavior and answering kids' questions before checking into the family-friendly tented camp with ensuite tents overlooking the river. There, you will be served a hearty dinner under the stars and sleep with the soothing sounds of the African bush.

Activities: Afternoon game drive
Animals to See: Elephants, giraffes, zebras, wildebeests, lions, leopards (rare), yellow-collared lovebirds, lilac-breasted rollers
Accommodation: Family-friendly tented camp
Meals: Lunch, Dinner

After a lavish breakfast served at the tented camp, enjoy a morning game drive in Tarangire National Park to see the early birds, including elephants bathing, giraffes browsing acacia trees, zebras and impalas loitering the grassland, lions in stalking mode, or ostriches struttign across the plains. Afterwards, a short 1.5-hour drive (approx. 70 km) takes you to the Lake Manyara National Park, a compact gem of 330 km² located at the base of the Great Rift Valley. The activities here include an afternoon’s game drive through the sprawling forests and open savanna, where one can spot the tree climbing lions (a rare behavior unique to this park) along with buffalos grazing by the lake, hippos lounging in the waterholes, and baboons chattering in troops, the highest density of baboons in Africa. During the wetter months, flamingos can be seen painting the shores of Lake Manyara pink. In addition, over 400 other bird species such as pelicans, and storks can be spotted using the lake as a nesting site. Your guide will stop at a scenic family photo viewing point and take you for a picnic lunch by the lake before heading over to a lodge with family suites or interconnections rooms which offers exquisite views of the Rift Valley escarpment, dinner, and relaxing overnight stays.

Activities: Morning game drive (Tarangire), afternoon game drive (Lake Manyara)
Animals to See: Elephants, giraffes, zebras, impalas, lions, buffalo, hippos, baboons, flamingos, pelicans, storks
Accommodation: Family-friendly lodge
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

We will have breakfast at the lodge before setting off to the Manyara Lake and driving for roughly 4 to 5 hours (which is roughly 205 km) to the Serengeti National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site which boasts an area of 14763 km^2. Our drives will take us through the Ngorongoro Conservation Area which is famous for its endless plains. After having our lunch picnic at Naabi Hill Gate, we will to afternoon game drive at the central the Seronera region and enjoy watching the lions on the kopjes (rocky outcrops), while cheetahs can be seen sprinting across the savanna. Hippos and crocs will be waiting for us in the Seronera river. There is a chance, if lucky, to watch the migration where hundreds and thousands of wildebeests and zebras getting hunted down by their predators when they cross the plains. During all this, your skilled guide will provide you with details on the cycles of Great Migration, calming the children with fun facts about the rich Ecosystem of the Serengeti. Later, the family will check in at a spacious room lodge and enjoy a hot dinner under the resigning stars of the savanna. To the wish of many, you can share the story of the wildlife encounters of the day around a campfire.
Activities: Afternoon game drive (Serengeti)
Animals to See: Lions, cheetahs, hyenas, hippos, crocodiles, wildebeests (seasonal), zebras
Accommodation: Family-friendly lodge
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

The day starts with an early rise at the Serengeti lodge where there is an array of activities planned, including an optional dawn hot air balloon safari (requires advance booking) and the subsequent “bush” breakfast, which provides panoramic views. Those not on the balloon safari may opt for a sunrise game drive where they may witness some of nature’s most awe-inspiring sites: lions on the hunt, leopards languidly draped over acacia branches, cheetahs stalking at their furtive best, and hyenas busily scavenging around. Everything culminates in a full-day game drive deeper into Seronera Valley and Grumeti River where lodgers can see hippos taking refreshing dips, crocodiles soaking up the sun, trumpeting elephants, giraffes gliding gracefully across the horizon, and several grazing antelopes (topi being the most dominant species). Post lunch excursion, a picnic lunch is served at a shaded site which may very well be near a waterhole bustling with wildlife. The vast savanna is still up for exploration before settling in for the rest of the evening. Back at the lodge, dinner is served with kids inside enjoying the plethora of amenities the lodge has to offer, such as the pool or engaging with nature talks, while adults wind-down with splendid views of the endless plains.

Activities: Optional hot air balloon safari, full-day game drive
Animals to See: Wildebeests (seasonal), zebras, gazelles, ostriches, lions, leopards, cheetahs, hyenas, hippos, crocodiles, elephants, giraffes, topi
Accommodation: Family-friendly lodge
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Following breakfast at the Serengeti lodge, set out on a morning game drive to catch last views of lions, cheetahs, leopards (elusive), elephants, giraffes, seasonal wildebeests, and hyenas. Thereafter, we proceed for a three-hour drive (about 145 km) to the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, stopping for a picnic lunch at the Olduvai Gorge viewpoint. Spending some time here will help us understand why the site is dubbed the “Cradle of Mankind”. Activities include spending the afternoon doing a game drive that lasts 4-5 hours, descending 600 meters into the 260 km² Ngorongoro Crater. This natural enclosure is home to around 30 black rhinos, lions, dense prides of hyenas, grazing buffalo, flamingos (seasonal) and lots of zebras and wildebeests. Elephants can be seen crossing and leopards found in the forests, though rarely. With your guide highlighting the crater’s ecosystem, family pictures will be taken at the caldera’s stunning backdrop. The guide then drives the guests up to a lodge on the crater rim where there are en-suite family rooms. Guests will enjoy dinner with a view of the volcanos as they savor gourmet meals.

Activities: Morning game drive (Serengeti), afternoon game drive (Ngorongoro Crater)
Animals to See: Lions, cheetahs, leopards (rare), elephants, giraffes, wildebeests (seasonal), hyenas, black rhinos, buffalo, zebras, flamingos
Accommodation: Family-friendly lodge
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

After breakfast, which will be served at the crater-rim lodge, optional activities include a guided walk around the crater for observing the highland flora and fauna (these are pre-arranged activities), birdwatching for augur buzzards, and spotting small mammals like bushbuck. The kids can also do a cultural visit to a Maasai Boma where they meet Maasai warriors, goats, and sheep, and learn about traditional dances and boma life which gives them an understanding of Tanzania's rich heritage. Education aside, the whole family gets to marvel at wildlife; there will be no game drives for today however, focus will be on these experiential immersions instead. They then embark on a long four-hour drive approximately 190 kilometers back to Arusha, where they stop for lunch either at a local restaurant or a picnic point overlooking Tanzania’s picturesque rolling landscapes. The whole family arrives around 4-5 PM, meaning they get to enjoy a seamless transfer to their hotel or Kilimanjaro International Airport. These final legs of the journey mark the remembrance the family has of the safari wonders and cultural tangents.

Activities: Optional crater rim nature walk or Maasai village visit
Animals to See: Birds (e.g., augur buzzards), small mammals (e.g., bushbuck) (walk), goats, sheep (village)—no game drive animals today
Accommodation: None (Departure Day)
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch