Family Safari Tour

After breakfast you will depart for a remote area in the shadow of Mt. Kilimanjaro called Sinya, a private wildlife reserve. Flood plains, hills, acacia woodland and a memorable landscape of Mt. Meru and Longido Peaks give life to one of the most beautiful, pristine, wild areas of Northern Tanzania.

This is the arid land of Sinya, one of the few areas in Africa where huge bull elephants, some more than 50 years old are regularly seen. These bulls, some of them living permanently in the zone, together with herds of mothers and calves, migrate from the adjacent Amboseli National Park in Kenya to Sinya in search of water and food.   

After a leisurely breakfast you will depart for Arusha National Park. Set between the slopes of Mt. Meru and Mt. Kilimanjaro this small park is one of Tanzania’s hidden gems and one of the few places where you will have a chance to see the rare Black & White Colobus monkeys.

The parks contains a series of shimmering alkaline lakes, which attract flamingo’s and a variety of birds, along with elephant, buffalo, zebra, gazelle, wart hog, hippo and an amazing number of giraffe. The rare black rhino is also found here. One of the highlights of today’s visit is a short walk to a viewing area overlooking the miniature Ngurdoto Crater, which is completely reserved for the animals.

Enjoy a picnic lunch and a short walk on the Mt. Meru side, before heading back to Arusha arriving at the Mt. Meru Game Lodge in the afternoon. Relax for the rest of the day.
Overnight – Mt. Meru Game Lodge (all meals & activities)

This morning you will drive down the escarpment to Tarangire National Park, Tanzania’s third largest wildlife reserve. As you enter the park you will see the ancient Baobab trees that dot the grasslands. Elephant, leopard, lion and many plains game can be found here as well as eland, Maasai giraffe, Grant’s and Thompsons’ gazelle, hartebeest, impala and the usual collections of baboons, warthog and ostrich. The Tarangire River meanders through the park, enticing over 6,000 elephants to the are during the dry season and a variety of colorful birds.

Your accommodations for the next two nights will be at Maramboi Camp. This is a small luxury camp set on a 2,000 acre private wildlife concession in the migratory corridor between the south end of Lake Manyara and Tarangire – just 20 minutes drive from the entry gate. The 20 large walk-in tents are set on wooden platforms and there is a dining boma and a swimming pool. Each tent has full ensuite facilities and 24hr lighting. Activities include wildlife viewing in the park, walking with Maasai guides and visiting nearby Datoga or Maasai bomas.

After lunch you will enjoy an afternoon game drive in Tarangire, followed by drinks around the fire before dinner. The next day depart on a long game drive with a box lunch, returning to the camp in the afternoon with time to take a swim and relax, or visit a local boma.
Overnight – Maramboi Camp (all meals & activities)

After an early breakfast you have a short drive across the Great Rift Valley to Lake Manyara National Park. Although only 205 sq. miles in size this enchanting park is noted for its beauty and incredibly lush acacia forest of giant fig and mahogany trees, which are home to troops of baboons and blue monkeys. The park is also home to large numbers of buffalo, giraffe, elephant, hippo, impala and the Hippo Pool, where large numbers usually gather.

After spending several hours in the park you’ll continue to up into the Ngorongoro Highlands, driving through small villages and passing small farms and the town of Karatu on your way to the Ngorongoro Farm House. The Ngorongoro Farm house is a luxury lodge facing the Oldeani Volcano, set on a 500 acre coffee farm located only 3 miles from the Ngorongoro Conservation Area gate.

Three separate and intimate camps contain a total of 40 huge bungalows. The huge main building, covered with an elegant thatched roof, contains the reception, bar, dining area, library and lounge with a fireplace. There is also a large swimming pool with superb views of Oldeani Volcano and a craft shop, along with an organic vegetable and flower garden.

After lunch and some time to freshen up you will visit the local primary school in the small town of Karatu. Then return to the lodge with time to cool off in the pool.
Overnight – Ngorongoro Farm House (all meals & activities)

This morning after a wonderful farm house breakfast you will leave the farm and drive a short distance to the “eighth wonder of the world”, the Ngorongoro Crater. The first glimpse takes your breath away. The floor of this collapsed volcano spreads for 102 sq. miles and the walls are 2,000 ft. high, a truly awesome sight.

The crater floor is a virtual “Noah’s Ark”, inhabited by almost every species of wildlife indigenous to East Africa. It contains a river, several swamps, a soda lake – complete with flamingoes, a forest and open plains.

Descend down into the floor of the crater for a full day of wildlife viewing, stopping for a picnic lunch. Return to the Ngorongoro Farm House in the afternoon.
Overnight – Ngorongoro Farm House (all meals & activities)

DAYS 9/10/11 – SERENGETI NATIONAL PARK

This morning after breakfast and a final glimpse of the crater, you’re off to the infamous Serengeti National Park, the symbol of Africa’s wildlife. The word Serengeti comes from the Maasai language meaning “endless plains”. The 6,900 sq. mile (18,000 sq. km) park is inhabited by more than 2 large million animals including more than a million wildebeest, hundreds of thousands of plains zebras, and Thomson’s gazelles.

This morning after breakfast and a final glimpse of the crater, you’re off to the famous Serengeti National Park, the symbol of Africa’s wildlife. The word Serengeti comes from the Maasai language meaning “endless plains”. The 6,900 sq. mile (18,000 sq. km) park is inhabited by more than 2 large million animals including more than a million wildebeest, hundreds of thousands of plains zebras, and Thomson’s gazelles.

Large predators including lions, cheetahs, and hyenas are drawn to the area by this abundance of prey which migrate throughout the park. Many smaller animals – rock hyrax, bat eared foxes, mongoose, honey badger, jackals, monkeys, baboon and African hare inhabit the area along with nearly 500 species of birds. Off road you’ll find the “Kopjes”, massive boulder islands of granite standing in a sea of grass, provide shelter to a great variety of plants and animals, from the elusive leopard to the tiny dik dik.

Along the way to the Serengeti you will stop at the famous “Oldupai Gorge”, where Dr. Louis and Mary Leakey made their discovery of early man.

Afterwards you will continue into the park, spotting wildlife on the way to your lodge. Depending on the season and the movement of the migration you will stay at one of four safari lodges:

Ndutu Safari Lodge (mid November – March). During this time the migration is settled in the southern Serengeti in an area that includes the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, the wooded Ndutu Lakes, and the vast plains and kopje’s where you can venture off-track. It is also calving season. Ndutu Safari Lodge is near the shore of Lake Ndutu and is surrounded by Acacia forest. The thirty four cottages, which are built of local materials, have a private verandahs facing Lake Ndutu. The main building houses the dinning room and there is a large open air lounge area and fire pit.

Mbalageti Serengeti Lodge (April – June). Once the heavy rains of April arrive the migration moves westward slowly, feeding on the fresh grasses before heading north in June. This luxury lodge is situated in the southwest area in the Mwamyeni hills. It offers a breathtaking panoramic view of the Serengeti plains and the Mbalageti River. The 24 chalets are made of local rock, wood and canvas. Each has a private veranda and full ensuite facilities. There is also a restaurant, bar, lounge and gift shop in the main building and the swimming is set on the edge of the hill – with a 360 degree view of Serengeti.

Kati Kati Camp ( June – September) Kati Kati Camp is made up of 3 classic bush camps with just 15 guest tents, along with a huge dinning tent, and separate kitchen area. The tents are the large walking Hemming way ones, with regular beds (twin and king) along with flush toilets and 24 hour lighting. Showers are taken on request, as the water is heated beforehand and placed in a large bag with a handle. Kati Kati is set in the central area of the Serengeti, with hills and Acacia forest and Kopjes but you can also drive to the plains areas, an west to the Grumeti River from here.

Lobo Wildlife LodgeThis lodge is located in the Northeastern part of the park, just 15 miles from the bordering Maasai Mara Reserve in Kenya. Here you will see the migration has it heads back into the Serengeti after spending several months in Kenya’s Maasai Mara. The lodge is set inside an enormous volcanic rocky outcrop. A waterhole below attracts a variety of animals during the day and is light up at night so you can see the nocturnal animals. Each of the 75 guestrooms have views of the Serengeti, along with swimming pool is situated on the very edge of the rock.

During your stay in the Serengeti, you can decide with your guide how you would like to spend your days. You may want depart on an early morning game drive when the wildlife is just waking up to greet the day. After returning to camp for breakfast you can depart on a late morning game drive returning to camp for lunch or you may want to depart with a picnic lunch so that you can spend the whole day wildlife viewing. After a days activities you return to camp or lodge before dark.
Overnight – Serengeti Camp/Lodge (all meals & activities)

You can relax for the rest of the day or explore Arusha town. After a light dinner your guide will drive you to the airport for your departing flight. .Dayroom – Olasiti Lodge(B, L, D)