4 days ยท Family
4-day family safari
Four days, three parks and short drives, built around the youngest person in the vehicle.
The shortest trip we recommend, and the one most families choose. Tarangire for the elephants, Lake Manyara for the monkeys and flamingos, and the Ngorongoro Crater for everything at once, with driving days kept deliberately short.
- Elephant herds and baobabs in Tarangire
- Monkeys, flamingos and forest at Lake Manyara
- A full morning on the Ngorongoro Crater floor
- Short drives, and family rooms wherever the lodge offers them
- A guide who turns spotting into a competition
Day by day
The itinerary
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Day 1
Arusha to Tarangire National Park
Your guide collects the family after breakfast for the two-hour drive to Tarangire. The park is famous for its ancient baobabs and its elephant herds, and the first game drive usually delivers giraffe, zebra, wildebeest and the warthogs that children always pick out first. Picnic lunch inside the park, more game viewing, then a family-friendly lodge for dinner.
Overnight Tarangire area lodge
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Day 2
Tarangire to Lake Manyara
A short drive to Lake Manyara, a compact park that suits younger travellers because everything is close together. Groundwater forest full of baboons and blue monkeys, open grassland with elephant and buffalo, and flamingos along the lakeshore. Watch the acacias for the tree-climbing lions. Afternoon at the lodge.
Overnight Lake Manyara or Karatu lodge
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Day 3
Lake Manyara to the Ngorongoro Crater
Climb into the highlands and descend into the crater, where the wildlife starts before you reach the floor. Lion, elephant, rhino, zebra, hippo and big grazing herds in one enclosed bowl, which makes it the easiest place for children to actually find animals themselves. Picnic lunch on the floor, then up to the rim.
Overnight Ngorongoro rim lodge
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Day 4
Ngorongoro to Arusha
Breakfast with the highland view, then the drive back to Arusha at an unhurried pace. There is time for an optional stop at a village or craft market on the way, which gives the children something to do with their hands and something to take home. Drop-off at your hotel or the airport.
Overnight Trip ends in Arusha
Yours, not ours
Make it yours
This is the version we start from. Here is what usually changes. Tell us which one and we will work it through with you.
- How many days Add a night in the Serengeti, or drop one and go straight for the crater.
- The camps Simple and comfortable, mid-range lodges, or canvas with a view and a bath.
- Add-ons A balloon at first light, a walking safari, an afternoon in a village.
- Pace for children Later starts, shorter drives, and a pool at the end of the day.
- Zanzibar extension Three or four nights on the coast once the last game drive is done.
Included
- Airport and lodge transfers
- Private 4x4 safari vehicle with pop-up roof
- Professional English-speaking woman guide
- All park entrance and conservation fees
- Full-board accommodation on safari
- Picnic lunches on game-drive days
- Bottled drinking water in the vehicle
- Government taxes and levies
Not included
- International and domestic flights
- Visa fees
- Travel and medical insurance
- Alcoholic drinks and personal expenses
- Tips for your guide and camp staff
- Optional activities such as balloon safaris
Parks on this trip
Worth adding
Optional, priced separately, and easy to slot in when we build your itinerary.
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Mto wa Mbu village tour
Banana beer, rice paddies and a great many tribes in one small town.
Questions about this kind of trip
Is there a minimum age?
We recommend six and up. Younger children can travel on private trips at lodges that allow it. Balloon flights and walking safaris have their own age limits.
Do children pay full price?
Park fees for children are lower and most lodges discount children sharing with parents. We show the exact child price on every itinerary.
What if a child gets ill on safari?
Your guide is first-aid trained and the vehicle carries a kit. Arusha and Karatu have good clinics, and the lodges we use can reach a doctor. Tell us about allergies and medication when you inquire, so nothing is a surprise at 6am in the Serengeti.
Are the long drives really that long?
The Serengeti is a long way from Arusha, and on a family trip we would rather fly one leg than spend eight hours in a vehicle with a six year old. Tell us the ages and we will show you both versions with the cost of each.
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