Incredible Family Memories
The Perfect Tanzania Family Safari
Overview
- Limited to 14 Travelers
Imagine your family walking through the Eastern Serengeti, learning to read tracks in the dust before giraffes appear across the grasslands. A few days later, you’re watching lions on a kopje, wildebeest stretching across the plains, and your kids peppering their guide with questions. Short bush flights skip long overland transfers and keep more of your vacation focused on wildlife and adventure. Varied days keep every generation engaged, balancing big wildlife encounters with active exploration, cultural experiences, and time to recharge. A dedicated Rafiki, Swahili for “friend,” draws younger travelers deeper into the fun, while thoughtful pacing gives everyone the freedom to experience Tanzania at their own speed.
Gallery
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Trip Highlights
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Explore the Serengeti, the World’s Best Classroom
Follow animal tracks with an expert local tracker, hear Maasai stories, and watch predator, prey, habitat, and migration come together in one immense living ecosystem.
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Come Face-to-Face with Tanzania’s Wildlife
Find lions on granite kopjes, cheetahs scanning the grasslands, giraffes above the acacias, great herds in the Serengeti, and black and white rhinos in Ngorongoro Crater.
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Fly More, Drive Less
Short bush flights skip hours of overland travel, keeping more of your family’s vacation focused on wildlife and adventure, with Tanzania unfolding below your window.
Itinerary
Itinerary 1 itinerary
Day 1: Arusha, Tanzania
Meet your Tanzanian guide at Kilimanjaro International Airport and transfer to your accommodations in Arusha.
Settle in for the evening before flying into the Eastern Serengeti the next morning.
Your family’s East African adventure opens with a warm welcome as soon as your flight lands. A Thomson Safaris representative greets you before transferring into town to settle into The Arusha Hotel. After your long flight, the whole family can stretch out and explore the property's serene, tropical grounds. Kids will love splashing around in the outdoor pool while keeping an eye on the treetops to spot playful blue monkeys swinging through the branches.
Days 2 to 3: Eastern Serengeti Nature Refuge
Fly into a private 10,000-acre refuge, where giraffes, antelope, warthogs, and other wildlife roam the grasslands just beyond camp.
Head out on foot with your guide and an expert local tracker, learning to identify animal tracks and read the signs wildlife leaves behind.
Spend time with a Maasai family and children of similar ages, sharing stories, playing soccer, and experiencing daily life together.
Board a small bush plane and take off over the savanna, landing at a private 10,000-acre nature refuge where animals range freely right through camp. Right at the heart of camp lies a vibrant watering hole where elephants, zebras, and other wildlife gather to drink, splash, and play throughout the day. Being in a private conservation zone means your family isn't restricted to traditional vehicle drives; step out into the open grasslands with skilled trackers who transform the trail into an interactive outdoor classroom. Kids and adults alike will love learning to decipher footprint patterns, identify animal droppings, and spot grazing giraffes and zebras moving across the landscape.
Cultural connection comes alive during an immersive visit with a local Maasai family. Travelers of all ages get to share stories, learn about traditional pastoral customs, and jump into a friendly game of soccer with local children—creating shared moments of joy that bridge cultures. In the evenings, retreat to your cozy canvas tents as night calls echo across the quiet refuge.
Days 4 to 7: Serengeti National Park
Enter the Serengeti, where open grasslands, granite kopjes, and scattered acacias create habitat for an astonishing concentration of wildlife.
Search for lions, cheetahs, elephants, giraffes, wildebeest, zebra, and other wildlife, with each drive revealing new behavior, relationships, and questions to explore.
Watch for the Great Migration as you explore this immense ecosystem, while your guide helps the whole family understand what the animals are doing and why.
As your journey reaches the legendary Serengeti, the landscape stretches wide and wild, turning every wildlife drive into an adventure the whole family can share. With your dedicated Rafiki by your side, kids become wildlife detectives—learning to read animal tracks in the dust, spot movement in the grass, and discover what each sound and footprint can reveal. One moment, you might be watching playful baboons tumble through the trees; the next, a lion’s tail disappears into the brush. For an unforgettable change of perspective, take to the skies on an optional hot-air balloon flight, where you can watch the Serengeti unfold below—spotting elephants, giraffes, hippos, crocodiles, and other wildlife from above.
Best of all, your days move at your family’s pace. Stop to watch lion cubs wrestle, linger near a herd of elephants, or follow the thundering movement of wildebeest and zebra during the Great Migration. There’s no schedule pulling you away from the action—just time to enjoy the moments that capture everyone’s attention. Back at your cozy seasonal Nyumba camp, gather around the fire to trade favorite sightings from the day before settling in beneath a sky filled with stars.
Days 8 to 9: Ngorongoro Crater & Highlands
Fly to the Ngorongoro Highlands, skipping hours of overland travel while the family takes in northern Tanzania from the window of a small bush plane.
Descend into the 10-mile-wide Ngorongoro Crater to search for lions, elephants, hippos, buffalo, and white and rare black rhinos.
Spend two nights at Gibb’s Farm, changing the pace with mountain biking, hands-on farm activities, gardens, farm-to-table meals, and time at the pool.
Soar over northern Tanzania’s dramatic rift valley on a quick, scenic flight. Your next adventure takes you into the Ngorongoro Crater, where wildlife is everywhere you look. Descend into the crater early in the morning for a full day of wildlife viewing, with the chance to spot all of Africa’s Big Five in a single day. Watch lions patrol the grasslands, elephants make their way through the forest, and hippos wallow in the water, while zebras, wildebeest, flamingos, and other wildlife fill the landscape around you. With so much happening in every direction, it’s the kind of day that keeps young explorers glued to the window.
After your crater adventure, head into the cool, green highlands for two nights at Gibb’s Farm, where there’s plenty for curious kids to discover. Explore ten acres of terraced gardens, help milk the cows, and set off on mountain bikes along the farm trails. When it’s time to slow down, take a dip in the pool or relax with views across the surrounding countryside. Fresh farm-to-table meals, made with ingredients grown right on the farm, are the perfect way to refuel after a day of exploring.
Day 10: Arusha, Tanzania
Return to Arusha for a farewell lunch at Arusha Coffee Lodge.
Relax in a day room before transferring to Kilimanjaro International Airport for your flight home.
Savor a final peaceful morning at the farm, enjoying a warm breakfast together before making a quick drive back to Arusha. Upon landing, gather for a delicious, celebratory farewell lunch set among the manicured coffee trees at the picturesque Arusha Coffee Lodge, reliving all the unforgettable family highlights from your safari.
Afterward, head to a comfortable day room to pack, refresh, and relax during the quiet afternoon hours. Take time to look through photos and celebrate your journey together before your transfer driver meets you for the ride to Kilimanjaro International Airport for your homeward flight.
Add-Ons
Add-On
Fly over the Serengeti
Enjoy a bird’s eye view, a hearty breakfast and a glass of champagne during a morning hot air balloon tour. Your entire trip will be unforgettable, but this will bring it to new heights.
Call for current pricing. Advanced reservations required.
Accommodations
Dates, Prices & Info
As of July 1, 2016, Tanzania imposed a new Value Added Tax (VAT) on tourism activities. VAT starts at $300 and varies by trip. Single accommodations start at $800 and vary by trip. All prices are subject to change without notice.
Group Size
We specialize in small group travel (about 14 people or fewer), but the exact size varies from trip to trip. One thing’s for sure: you’ll have plenty of elbow room, 360-degree sightlines, and a guaranteed window seat.
What's Included
Your safari land package includes all accommodations, meals, purified water (with meals and on wildlife drives), airport transfers aligned with Delta/KLM flights, park fees, and the services of guides and drivers.
Not Included
International airfare is not included.
Additional costs may include tips for your guides, drivers and staff, bar beverages, laundry service, phone calls, passport and visa fees, souvenirs, and travel insurance.
Your pre-departure packet includes visa application instructions and information on travel insurance and tipping.
Important Information
A 20% deposit is required to reserve your space. This deposit is non-refundable and non-transferable. Full payment is due 90 days prior to the first land day of the trip.
Notification of cancellation must be made in writing to Thomson Safaris. At the time we receive the cancellation, all moneys will be refunded less the following cancellation charges:
91 days or more before departure: cancellation fees equal the amount of your deposit
90 to 61 days before departure: 50% of the package price is non-refundable
60 to 46 days before departure: 65% of the package price is non-refundable
45 days or less before departure: 100% of the package price is non-refundable
No partial refunds will be given for unused meals, hotel rooms, airport transfers, etc., for any reason whatsoever. Thomson Safaris reserves the right to increase the tour price in the event of cost increases due to changes in airfares, currency fluctuations, park fee increases, fuel surcharges, taxes, etc. Accommodations are subject to change.
Travel Insurance
Thomson strongly encourages you to purchase travel insurance within two weeks of making your deposit to protect your investment, as we are not able to make changes to our cancellation policy for any reason. Travel Guard comes highly recommended by our guests.
Getting There & Getting Home
Delta/KLM have by far the quickest, easiest routing: an overnight flight from North America brings you to Amsterdam for a brief layover before arriving at Kilimanjaro International Airport. Our scheduled trips and airport transfers are designed with the KLM arrival schedule in mind, so check with your safari consultants or trip managers before making arrangements with a different airline.
You’ll find your guide at the airport holding a Thomson Safaris placard with your name on it.
Extend Your Trip
Traveler Reviews
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Our safari was breathtaking and emotional, especially seeing my children’s eyes as they took in the scenery, people and wildlife. There are no words to capture the feelings of our experience!
Jennifer Z.
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Thank you again for all of your help in making this trip fantastic. We are very sorry to have it end and to leave Tanzania. The scenes were just spectacular, the people were so memorable, the camps and the staff at each of the camps were great. Mohdy, Mustapha, Sadiq, Hussein (and literally everyone else!) could not have been nicer. Bob said they were all like “life-long friends we just hadn’t met yet,” and that is a perfect description. We cannot wait to return and see all of our friends again! At the end, they all came together in a unity circle, symbolizing that they’re all united together.
Amy G.
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Our guide Kumbi was absolutely terrific! A consummate professional. His knowledge was deep and varied and he answered hundreds of our questions! He was a great communicator. I loved that he was as delighted to see a rhino as were. I would go on another safari with him in a heartbeat. He is a real gentleman. Our rafiki Raphael really made the trip more enjoyable for all of us, but especially the kids. Under his quiet and humble demeanor is a man who appreciates kids and their energy, questions and desire for fun. Everyday he led games, crafts and conversation and he built a caring relationship with each child. He really helped soothe my son when he was sick and is an incredibly kind person. He was instrumental in making the trip a success. I highly recommend him for family safaris.
Kathleen B.