Around Africa Travel
Tanzania Classic Family Safari Adventure – Northern Route
The Price
- From $4875.00 per person 2017
- From $3875.00 per person for children 6-16 (at trip time) when sharing a room with one full paying adult
- From $5125.00 per person 2018
- From $4125.00 per person for children 6-16 (at trip time) when sharing a room with one full paying adult
A Holiday surcharge may be added for trips over a holiday period (Christmas & New Year)
Additional Fees
Single supplement: $850.00 per person
Number of Days and Group Size—9 days and groups of 4-12
Level of Activity—Not strenuous, suitable for active people in good health
Lodging
Safari camps and lodges
Have you ever watched nature TV shows with your children that are set in East African savannahs with their classic flat-topped Acacia trees showing herds of migrating animals, prides of stalking lions, mama elephants nursing their babies, exotic giraffes munching Acacia leaves and thought just how wonderful it would be to share these scenes live with your children? Now, through African Adventure Trips we can make this dream come true for you and your family. Experience an unforgettable nine day trip visiting Tanzania’s four outstanding wildlife parks: Tarangire, Lake Manyara, Ngorongoro Crater and the Serengeti; each of which offers its own special delights. You will be staying in comfortable lodges (some with swimming pools) and safari camps and be served excellent meals with kid-friendly choices. You will also visit a traditional Maasai village where you and your family can interact with children in the local primary school and share your cultures. This is an once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to experience classic Africa and see its many fascinating animals in their natural habitat instead of a zoo.
Important—On day 1 you should arrive at the meeting point in Arusha, Tanzania. This may require that you leave your hometown well in advance for your overnight flight to arrive by that evening.
Safari Itinerary:
Day 1—After your arrival at Kilimanjaro airport that evening, you will be met and taken by group transfer from the airport to Arusha. You will check into your room at a lovely lodge where you can take a much-needed rest. No meal is provided.
Day 2—In the morning you will be served breakfast at the lodge and meet your traveling companions as well as your expert, bi-lingual guides. On the way to Tarangire Park you will stop at the Meserani Snake Park where you will see some of Africa’s most interesting snakes including the Egyptian Cobra, Puff Adder and Green Mamba. Tarangire Park is a lovely, less-visited park and is famous for its unusual baobab and palm groves, large elephant herds, and its unusual tree-climbing lions. After checking into your lodge where you will be staying the next two evenings you will head out for a late afternoon game drive. That evening you will be able to relax watching the stars and contemplate your first day in the African bush. All meals included.
Day 3—Today you will enjoy a full day of wildlife viewing. In the dry season this park has the second largest concentration of wildlife in Tanzania so you will no doubt see elephants, baboons, gazelle, wildebeest, zebra and impala. A picnic lunch will be provided and you will return to the lodge for dinner. All of your meals are provided.
Day 4—After breakfast, you will head west to Lake Manyara arriving at an impressive tent camp in time for lunch. The camp is located on the edge of the Great Rift Valley with panoramic views of Mt. Losimingori, the Rift floor an Lake Manyara itself. You will visit Manyara Park located at the base of the Great Rift in the late afternoon to take advantage of the wildlife’s most active period at dusk. Since this is a rather tropical park there is an abundance of birdlife with over 350 species spotted including the Kori bustard which is the heaviest of flying birds. You will also see such animals as zebra, giraffe and antelope. All of your meals are included.
Day 5—After breakfast you can start your day with a hike or cycling in the surrounding countryside. You may also visit the local village of Mto Wa Mbu which has an extensive craft market where you can barter and support the local artisans. After lunch you will be driven to an eco-friendly lodge located in an organic coffee farm on the outskirts of the Ngorongoro Crater where you will be staying the next two nights. From here there are several optional excursions which would be enjoyed by parents and children alike. Your guide will tell you the cost of each and which excursions are available. These normally include attending a coffee roasting demonstration; taking a guided walk to a waterfall and the “elephant caves;” or even getting a chance to milk a cow. You may also choose to simply relax or stroll in the lush surroundings and enjoy the farm style meals in which nearly everything is organically grown on the farm. All of your meals are included.
Day 6—Today’s excursion into the “footprint of God,” which is the Maasai’s name for the Ngorongoro Crater, is considered by many to be the highlight of their trip. Your first glimpse from the crater’s rim of this amazing, three hundred square miles wildlife sanctuary spread out 2,000 feet below you is nothing short of breathtaking. This is the permanent home of over 20,000 mammals that include hippos, elephant, giraffe, cheetah, leopard, prides of lions and also the rare black rhino. There is also a soda lake in the center of the crater’s 10-mile wide grassland plain that attracts huge numbers of flamingo and other water birds. This magical setting has also experienced human history for the Maasai have watered their cattle here for millennia. When returning from the crater in the afternoon a stop is made at the Maasai village of Elkopussi where you will visit a primary school. Here your kids can meet their Tanzanian peers and exchange information about their cultures. All of your meals are included.
Day 7—It may be difficult to surpass the experience of the Ngorongoro Crater but these next two days may at least match it for you are heading to Tanzania’s most famous park, the Serengeti. On the way there you will stop at Olduvai Gorge, often called “the cradle of mankind,” for it is one of the most important prehistoric sights in the world because important discoveries about human evolution have been made here.
When you reach the Serengeti you may understand why the Maasai call it Siringitu, meaning “the place where the land moves on forever” which alludes to the constant movement of the vast population of animals that live in its huge savannahs. This is one of the largest wildlife sanctuaries in the world and its expansive grasslands are punctuated with rock outcroppings called kopjes which support their own wildlife communities. Here your senses will be bombarded by the sights and sounds so unique to Africa and offering ample opportunities for photographs. Your lodging is provided in an intimate and remote tented camp with pool and verandahs and views that go on forever. All of your meals are provided.
Day 8—Today offers a much-needed full day to experience and appreciate the wonders of the Serengeti. If you are here at the right season, you may witness the largest migration of mammals on our planet. Whatever the season you are bound to see a variety of animals from antelope to zebra with cheetah, eland, giraffe, hartebeest, hyena, leopard, lion, topi, warthog and wildebeest in between. You will then return to your camp to spend your final night under the mesmerizing African skies while hearing the haunting sounds of this ancient land. All of your meals are included.
Day 9—After breakfast you are transferred to an airstrip for your flight back to Arusha arriving at your lodge in time for lunch. You will be provided with a day room and you are free to spend the afternoon as you wish. After dinner we will provide an evening transfer to Kilimanjaro airport for your flight home. Your breakfast and lunch are provided this day but not dinner.
If you like we offer an optional tour to Rafiki village (an Orphans Foundation Fund project) as part of our Giving Back program. If you would like to participate in this option please advise your guide at the beginning of your trip. This option does not provide a day room since you will depart from the Arusha airfield and travel directly to the village. From the village you will be transferred to Kilimanjaro airport for your flight home.
Note About Itinerary—Although every effort is made to adhere to the itinerary as listed, for numerous reasons beyond our control, the schedule is subject to change.
For Single Travelers—If you wish to travel alone and have single accommodations, you must pay the full single supplement noted in the “Additional Fees” section. You can avoid this if you agree to share accommodations with a roommate who will be assigned to you if available. If, however, no roommate is available, you will be asked to pay a reduced single supplement which is half the full amount. Be aware that there are a limited amount of single accommodations available.
Included in Price—All lodging and meals as noted in daily itinerary; knowledgeable bi-lingual guides driving private safari vehicles with guaranteed window seats; transfers to and from airport when traveling with the group.
Not Included in Price—Your round-trip international airfare; alcoholic beverages; departure tax; travel insurance; personal items; optional tips for drivers/guides (highly recommended if satisfied).
The Weather—You will be traveling during the dry seasons of East Africa when temperatures are in the 70s-80s during the day and 50s-60s at night. If you are traveling December through February, daytime temperatures are typically 10 degrees higher. Since Ngorongoro Crater is over 7,000 feet high you can expect cooler mornings and evenings regardless of the season.
Are You Qualified?—This is not a strenuous safari trip but it is in remote locations with rough terrain so we request that your child be at least 6 years old. If you are an active person with good health and an adventurous spirit you are certainly qualified to participate in the experience of your lifetime.
Some General Information- All trips are subject to a minimum number of participants. Once you register we will provide you with a package of pre-travel information which includes all relevant trip information and recommendations. Additionally we HIGHLY RECOMMEND you purchase Travel Insurance.