Tanzania Family Safari: Baobabs, Plains & the Crater

This morning the family sets off for Tarangire National Park, arriving in time for lunch before an afternoon game drive, everyone's first taste of the African bush. Tarangire is a magical introduction to safari, a rolling landscape of golden grassland studded with giant, ancient baobab trees that look, the children will laugh, like trees planted upside down. You set out in search of the park's famous elephant herds, some of the largest in Tanzania, and young explorers are thrilled to watch great families of elephants, from towering matriarchs to tiny calves, feed and bathe and dig for water. You also spot giraffe, zebra, lion and colourful birds, with your patient guide turning the drive into an exciting treasure hunt. As the golden light softens over the baobabs, the family returns to camp. Rest well together in beautiful Tarangire.

Today the family enjoys a full, relaxed day exploring Tarangire, with game drives timed around the children so everyone stays fresh and happy. In the cool of the morning you head out to find the elephants again, along with lions dozing in the shade, giraffes browsing the acacias, and the tall, elegant fringe-eared oryx, your guide sharing fun facts and helping the children spot and identify animals and birds. You might enjoy a picnic breakfast or lunch in a beautiful spot in the bush, a real adventure for young explorers, and return to camp during the heat of the day for a swim, a rest or some downtime by the pool. In the late afternoon you head out again for a final drive as the light turns golden and the animals become active. This evening, children love the sounds of the bush at night. Rest well together in Tarangire.

Today the family journeys to the legendary Serengeti, climbing the Rift Valley escarpment and crossing the highlands with sweeping views, before descending onto the endless plains, a landscape so vast it amazes children and adults alike. The Serengeti is a huge ocean of golden grassland dotted with acacias and dramatic granite kopjes, home to some of the finest wildlife viewing on earth. You arrive to begin game viewing as you make your way to your family-friendly camp, the plains alive with zebra, wildebeest, giraffe and gazelle, and the lions, cheetahs and leopards that hunt them. The whole family becomes a team of trackers, scanning the grass and cheering each new sighting, while your patient guide keeps everyone engaged. As the sun sets over the immense plains, the sense of space is magical. Rest well together in the heart of the Serengeti.

Today is a full, exciting day on the Serengeti plains, with the pace and timings tailored to the family. In the cool early morning, when predators are active, you set out to seek lion prides resting after the night's hunt, cheetahs scanning the plains from a mound, and leopards in the riverine trees, the children thrilled by every sighting. In season the plains fill with the vast herds of the Great Migration, an unforgettable spectacle of thousands of animals on the move. You also spot elephants, giraffes, hippos and countless plains game, perhaps enjoying a picnic in a beautiful bush setting. You return to camp during the heat of the day for a rest, a swim or some downtime, then head out again for a golden-hour drive. This evening, the family enjoys dinner under a canopy of brilliant stars. Rest well together beneath the vast Serengeti sky.

This morning the family enjoys a final Serengeti game drive before journeying east towards the Ngorongoro highlands, perhaps stopping at Olduvai Gorge, the famous Cradle of Mankind, where some of the earliest human remains were found, with a small museum that fascinates older children. You climb into the cool, green highlands of the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, where Maasai graze their cattle alongside the wildlife, and arrive at your lodge perched on the crater rim, with breathtaking views down into the vast caldera far below, a sight that amazes the whole family. In the afternoon you might visit a Maasai village (boma), where children meet Maasai families, see their homes, watch (and often join) the famous jumping dance, and see colourful beadwork, bringing culture vividly alive. As the cool highland evening falls, the anticipation of tomorrow's crater descent builds. Rest well together on the rim of the Ngorongoro Crater.

Today is a real-life adventure into a lost world, as the family descends into the Ngorongoro Crater, the world's largest intact volcanic caldera. After breakfast you wind down the steep road onto the crater floor, entering a vast natural amphitheatre teeming with one of the densest concentrations of wildlife in Africa, and the children set to work ticking animals off their checklist. You may see all of the Big Five in a single day, with a good chance of the rare black rhino, alongside great lion prides, elephants with enormous tusks, buffalo, hippos wallowing in the pools, flamingos on the soda lake and countless plains game, all beneath the towering rim. You enjoy a picnic lunch on the crater floor amid the wildlife, a thrilling experience for young explorers. As the day ends, you climb back to the rim, everyone buzzing with excitement. Rest well together above the crater.

This morning the family descends from the highlands to Lake Manyara National Park, set at the foot of the dramatic Rift Valley escarpment, a compact park packed with variety that children love. You enter through cool, tangled groundwater forest alive with troops of baboons and playful monkeys, always a hit with children, then emerge onto the floodplain where the lake shallows may be fringed with great flocks of pink flamingos. You keep watch for Manyara's famous tree-climbing lions, draped along the acacia branches, a real thrill to spot, along with elephants moving through the forest, giraffe, hippos and an extraordinary wealth of birdlife. Your guide keeps the children engaged, spotting and identifying animals and birds together. As the day ends, you settle into your family-friendly lodge for the last night of your safari. Rest well together beside beautiful Lake Manyara.

This morning the family enjoys a final game drive in Lake Manyara, one last chance to spot tree-climbing lions, flamingos, monkeys, elephants and birds, before beginning the scenic drive back towards Arusha, perhaps stopping for last souvenirs. You continue to Kilimanjaro International Airport for your onward departure (a light-aircraft flight can be arranged to save time). The family leaves having shared the greatest of adventures, watching elephants among the baobabs of Tarangire, spotting lions and cheetahs on the Serengeti plains, descending into the Ngorongoro Crater for the Big Five, meeting the proud Maasai and finding tree-climbing lions at Lake Manyara. The memories stay vivid long after you land, the elephant calves, the lions in the grass, the vast crater, and the children's wide-eyed wonder. A safari sparks a lifelong love of wildlife, and the family departs already dreaming of a return to beautiful Tanzania.