15 Days Tanzania Family Safari

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Why take the kids?

Provided that the itinerary includes plenty of non-vehicle based activities to complement the game-viewing, children will love everything about a Tanzania family safari. It is tremendously exciting and you will never see your children as quiet as when the ranger tells them that they need to be silent so as to approach a pride of lion. They will become quickly adept at identifying all the different species and particularly at catching glimpses of the magical big-five (lion, leopard, rhino, buffalo, elephant). Adult vision quickly seems second rate compared to the eagle eyes of your children!

Day 1: Moshi

Arrive at the airport where you will be met by a Our staff and transferred to your hotel in Moshi.

Day 2: Arusha

After breakfast we will heard to Arusha, A full day of activities in Arusha National Park. This small park seldom appears on safari itineraries for Tanzania, which is a surprise as it is one of our favorites. At the centre of the park is the beautiful Ngurdoto Crater, flanked by steep cliffs and home to an abundance of buffalo that roam the marshy ground found within. Further into the park the Momella lakes are also scenic, with an abundant bird population as well as large populations of hippo and buffalo.

You will start the day with a short game drive, followed by a guided walking safari across the plains in the shadow of Mount Meru. Giraffe wander past just a few metres away and herds of buffalo graze on the grasses.

From here continue to the Momella Lakes where you take a gentle canoe ride across the peaceful waters of the lake, stopping to learn about the birds that you see along the way and perhaps catching a glimpse of a lumbering hippo.

Day 3: Tarangire

This morning drive to Tarangire where you will spend the night in a delightful tented camp with views towards Lake Manyara. The camp has possibly our favorite pool in Tanzania, on a deck overlooking the plains, with wildlife such as zebra, wildebeest and giraffe coming almost right up to the edge.

Have a relaxing afternoon before heading out for a sunset walk across the plains in search of wildlife. Antelope, zebra, giraffe and ostrich can all be found here and you can finish up by the campfire as the sun sets.

Day 4: Tarangire National Park

A full day of game drives in Tarangire National Park. The park is cut through by the Tarangire River which proves a magnet for all manner of wildlife during the long dry season when the surrounding area becomes completely parched. During the wet season the wildlife is more scattered but you are still almost guaranteed sightings of Tarangire’s extensive elephant population. Large herds roam the riverbed whilst zebra, buffalo, gazelle and wildebeest try to avoid the predatory advances of lion and leopard. There is also a remarkable profusion of bird life as the Tarangire swamps are home to 550 bird varieties including many rare species.

Day 5: Mto Wa Mbu

After breakfast drive to the small village of Mto Wa Mbu, at the base of the Rift Valley Escarpment. Take a bike ride through the banana plantations, rice paddies and small villages that surround the town. (Families with younger children can take a tuk tuk ride instead). You will also stop at the main produce market in Mto Wa Mbu and a local school. Creative children may enjoy a visit to an artists’ co-operative where you can try your hand at doing a traditional African painting on your own canvas.

Join a local family for a traditional Tanzanian lunch before driving on to Karatu for the night.

Day 6: Meet the Bushmen

An exciting day today as you head to Lake Eyasi, home to a number of different tribal groups. Most popular for the children will be a visit to a Hadzabe (bushman) family. Learn how to make fire by rubbing a stick vigorously into a hardwood block until wisps of smoke appear which are then used to light dried grass. Practice firing a bow and arrow at a grass target, causing much hilarity with the local boys who will then demonstrate their (vastly superior) shooting skills! You may even be invited to join the bushmen on a hunt in the bush in the search for small wild animals – usually rabbits, squirrels or birds.

Day 7: Ngorongoro Crater

You have a full day to visit the Ngorongoro Crater, an ancient volcanic crater that is home to an extraordinary concentration of wildlife including a very dense population of lion and spotted hyena. By now children will be very accomplished ‘wildlife spotters’ and you are almost guaranteed to see all of the ‘big five’ (lion, rhino, leopard, elephant and buffalo).

The views are superb, from the first glimpse of the crater at ‘Heroes’ Point’, through the thick rain forest that covers its sides, down to the rich grassy plains that form its centre.

Spend the night in a hotel close to the crater rim.

Day 8: Mount Makarot – Serengeti

An exciting morning today as you climb an extinct volcano. Located in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, at 3,132m Mount Makarot soars above the surrounding landscape offering superb views not only of Ol Deani Volcano but also the Olduvai Plains. Accompanied by a park ranger you will follow a seldom-used route to the peak, passing at times through waist high grass and almost other-worldly forest. You may well see various antelope species en route and possibly buffalo.

Later continue by road to the Serengeti, with the option to stop en route at Olduvai Gorge. You will spend the night in a remote tented camp, with a campfire at night and a blanket of stars overhead.

Days 9 – 10: Serengeti

Two full days to explore the Serengeti with both morning and afternoon game drives.

The Serengeti National Park is the jewel in the crown of Tanzania’s game parks and offers arguably the best game viewing in Africa. The setting is perfect – a sea of endless plains that stretches to the horizon, dotted with the occasional acacia tree and termite mound. This savannah is home to huge herds of buffalo that every year make the mass migration north, through crocodile infested rivers, in a frenzied mixture of mating and galloping that is driven by instinct.

Prides of lion rule here, their hungry gaze sweeping the savannah for a chance to attack the thousands of eland, impala and gazelle. Solitary leopard stake out their place in the high branches of the acacia tree and herds of elephants roam at will. This is the Africa that you have always dreamed about.

Day 11: Serengeti – Zanzibar

A morning game drive before transferring to the Seronera airstrip for a flight to Zanzibar. On arrival you will be met by a guide for the transfer to your hotel, in a gorgeous location on a lovely white sand beach. The rest of the day is free for you to relax.

Days 12-14:  Zanzibar Beach

Three full days to enjoy Zanzibar. Although it may be hard to tear the children away from the beach or the pool, there are some wonderful excursions here. Perhaps spend a morning exploring the wonderful labyrinthine streets of Stone Town. Most of the city was built in the 19th century when Zanzibar was a thriving trading community, a vital stop on the Spice Route where traders would stock up on cardamom, cinnamon, pepper and more. It is beautifully well preserved and you can spend hours wandering the narrow streets, stopping in small cafes to sample the local cuisine, following your nose into little alleyways flanked with crumbling colonial buildings, wrought iron balconies and thick wooden doors decorated with brass studs.

Another great activity is a snorkeling excursion on Mnemba Island, home to some of the best snorkeling in East Africa. The visibility is superb and the coral provides a home to darting moray eels, brightly colored star fish, stingrays and turtles.

Day 15: Airport

Transfer to the airport for your flight home.

E-mail us at any time to discuss your trip and get the accurate quotation.