Tanzania Family Safari

A unique family adventure awaits you in Tanzania’s fantastic national parks. On safari in the Serengeti, Ngorongoro Crater, Lake Manyara, and Arusha, spot spectacular wildlife including lions, rhinos, zebras, giraffes, and elephants. Enjoy traditional singing and dancing at a Maasai village, meet with a local wildlife researcher in Serengeti National Park, and embark on an optional night game drive to spot nocturnal animals like leopards and bush babies. Examine fossils of some of the earliest humans at Olduvai Gorge, and participate in hands-on activities specially designed for kids.

Days 1 & 2 — U.S./Arusha, Tanzania

Depart on an overnight flight to the Kilimanjaro airport via Amsterdam, and arrive in the late evening the next day.
Serena Mountain Village

Day 3 — Arusha/Lake Manyara

Drive to Lake Manyara National Park, and set out on our first wildlife safari. Spot the elephants, hippos, giraffes, and tree-climbing lions that make their home on the edge of this Rift Valley lake.
Lake Manyara Serena Safari Lodge (B,L,D)

Day 4 — Arusha/Lake Manyara

On morning and afternoon game drives, watch wildlife interact on the shores of Lake Manyara. Dine at the lodge before an optional night game drive to spot nocturnal animals such as leopards, hyenas, and bush babies.
Lake Manyara Serena Safari Lodge (B,L,D)

Day 5 — Lake Manyara/Ngorongoro Crater

Travel to the Ngorongoro Highlands where a nearby Maasai community welcomes us into their village on a special visit. Far from the tourist circuit, enjoy a rare opportunity to view traditional singing and dancing, visit a school, witness an initiation ritual, and learn about this fascinating culture from the village chief. After lunch, descend 2,000 feet to the base of the Ngorongoro Crater, where volcanic slopes shelter almost 30,000 animals. View elephants, rhinos, buffalo, cheetahs, lions, hyenas, hippos, and wildebeests. Later this afternoon we settle in at our lodge perched high on the rim of the magnificent crater.
Ngorongoro Sopa Lodge (B,L,D)

Day 6 — Ngorongoro Crater

Head out on another game drive into Ngorongoro Crater this morning. In the afternoon, relax or go for a swim in the pool at our lodge, taking in expansive views of the crater.
Ngorongoro Sopa Lodge (B,L,D)

Day 7 — Ngorongoro Crater/Olduvai Gorge/Serengeti National Park

Travel to Olduvai Gorge where, on a National Geographic-sponsored expedition in 1960, Louis and Mary Leakey discovered the remains of Homo habilis, one of the earliest humans. Explore the site through a fun, hands-on activity and learn about the fossils found here. Continue onwards to our lodge in the central Serengeti, looking for lions, cheetahs, and leopards along the way.
Serengeti Sopa Lodge (B,L,D)

Day 8 — Serengeti National Park

Embark on an early morning game drive to watch wildlife interact with each other at one of the most active times of the day in the Serengeti. Be on the lookout for magnificent birds, zebras, hippos, packs of hyenas, and pairs of jackals. Learn more about animal behavior during a talk by a wildlife researcher over lunch, and then head out on an afternoon safari.
Serengeti Sopa Lodge (B,L,D)

Day 9 — Serengeti National Park / Arusha

After a final morning game drive, fly back to Arusha. Celebrate your Tanzanian safari adventure at a festive farewell dinner this evening.
Serena Mountain Village (B,L,D)

Days 10 & 11 — Arusha / U.S.

Set off on a canoe safari in Arusha National Park this morning, keeping an eye out for buffalo, giraffes, hippos, and waterbucks. Enjoy the afternoon at leisure before taking an evening flight home, arriving the next day.
Serena Mountain Village (B,L)