Kidtastic Tanzania Safari

Includes a guided hike on the slopes of Mount Meru amongst the wildlife. This hike is at moderate altitude and is suitable for people who are leisurely fit - it is also a good hike for acclimatization prior to a Kilimanjaro climb. Meru's lower slopes are covered in dense highland forest, where colobus monkeys play and buffalo graze concealed beneath the thick foliage. The extinct volcano's extensive base gives way to a perfectly formed crater, and another internal crater whose walls are sharp, sheer cliffs. An ash cone forms a subsidiary peak, and the Momela Lakes and Ngurdoto Crater are visible from Meru's slopes. Along the lower slopes, paths to rivers and waterfalls make a relaxing day hike. This tour includes your private vehicle, guide and lunch today.

Transfer between your Arusha hotel and the Arusha domestic airport with private vehicle and english speaking driver.

Take your flight from Arusha (ARK) to Serengeti today with multiple stops along the way. The flight duration is approximately 2 hrs.

An expert guide will meet you at the airstrip, and take you on a game viewing drive, before bringing you to your camp.

This morning’s African adventure begins with an exploratory game drive through Tanzania’s oldest and most recognized National Parks, the Serengeti.  This dynamic location offers the most expansive game viewing in Tanzania, and considered by many as the best for game viewing location in all of Africa.  From predators to prey, great herds of grazing herbivores to tactically cunning packs carnivores, life on the plains of the Serengeti can best be defined as a complete “circle of life.”  A photographic dream will unfold before your eyes as giraffes and elephants feast on tasty shrubbery, whilst impalas, gazelles and buffalos dance carefully through the plains as to not become the latest meal for on-looking lions, cheetahs and hyenas.

Spend today searching out Impala, one of Africa's most beautiful and graceful animals. Previously thought to be part of the gazelle tribe, Impalas have been found to be so different that they are now classified as their own sub-family status. When frightened or startled the whole impala herd starts randomly leaping to confuse their predator. They can jump distances more than 10 meters (33 ft) and 3 meters (9 ft) high. Leopards, cheetah, lions and wild dogs prey on impala. Impala can reach running speeds of approximately 50 to 55 mph (80 to 90 km/h) to escape its predators. See if you can track these incredible animals!

The Serengeti ecosystem is one of the oldest on earth. The essential features of climate, vegetation and fauna have barely changed in the past million years. Some patterns of life, death, adaptation and migration are as old as the hills themselves. Head out into this magnificent park to track animals and take in the breathtaking beauty of this unchanging landscape.

On today’s afternoon game drive the choice is up to you: search for the Big 5 or expand your horizons to discover something different. The Serengeti not only has a rich mix of animals – it also has an incredible array of bird life with almost 450 different species.

This African journey continues as you board a privately driven vehicle, accompanied by a local tracker-guide for your visit to the overwhelming large Ngorongoro Conversation Area.  You’ll depart the Serengeti National Park grounds at a somewhat slower pace as to get in some more game-viewing.  An optional stop at the Olduvlai Gorge is highly recommended, where at the Serengeti Welcome Centre you’ll have an opportunity to marvel at a panoramic view of the surrounding area from the lookout point.  A stop for a picturesque picnic is also scheduled during this journey.  Upon your arrival into the conservation area, you’ll head towards your overnight accommodation whilst taking in the overwhelming size of the Ngorongoro crater.  The approximate travel time may vary between 5 to 6 hours depending on weather conditions and accounting for the amount of stops you’ve made along the way.  During the heavy rainy season, longer travel times should be expected.

The massive Olduvai Gorge or Oldupai Gorge is often referred to as “The Cradle of Mankind.”  Beginning in the eastern Serengeti plains, the gorge is roughly some 48 kilometers long.  As a result of millions of year of natural erosion, this gorge boasts a steep-sided ravine which cuts and stretches its way through the Great Rift Valley along eastern Africa.  The gorge is named after a commonly used plant by the Masai people with the scientific name of Sansevieria-Ehrenbergii, or Oldupai for short.

Time permitting, there are many optional activities. Depending on which lodge you're staying at, activities include: nature walks, cultural village visits, hike to Endoro waterfalls, bike tours, coffee plantation tours and more. Some of these can be prebooked through your destination specialist while others can be booked directly with the lodge upon arrival.

Depart early morning around 6:30 am to be at the village by 9:00 am before the sun is too strong. Meet the local Hadza or Dorobo tribespeople, and depart on foot to track small game. Your guide will accompany to translate into English. Bow and arrow are used in the hunt, and you can try your hand at archery practice. After a short hunt try some bush meat and see a traditional dance. A picnic lunch is provided, or eat a local lunch prepared by the women (extra $10 paid to local villagers). After lunch, visit another tribe called the Datoga or Barbaig. See the work of a local blacksmith where spears, rings, earrings and local silver is forged and worked. Tour will return to camp in late afternoon.

Enjoy a box lunch while you travel (included in tour price).

Explore one of the most recognized wildlife conservation areas in Tanzania today. Depart your camp or lodge in a privately driven vehicle, along with a local expert guide, for approximately 20 to 30 minutes towards the Ngorongoro Crater.  To explore the extremes of the crater you’ll have to travel along one of three possible routes.  The first route travels from the top of the rim to the crater floor, the second route travels from the crater floor to the top of the crater rim, and the third routing travels both ways.  The Ngorongoro Crater is the world’s largest inactive, intact, and unfilled volcanic caldera.  This geological masterpiece was formed as a result of an extremely large volcanic explosion which caused the volcano to collapse in on itself, thus creating a crater.  The crater is roughly 20 kilometers wide and some 2000 feet deep, making the trip from crater floor to rim around 45 minutes by 4x4.  The extremely fertile crater floor is the reason why there is such a highly concentrated amount of wildlife here.  Over 20000 mammals call the crater home, including some of the only remaining black rhinos in the world.  The crater floor also boasts one of the highest carnivore densities in the world including large prides of lions, packs of hyenas and solitary predators like cheetahs and jackals.  A keen eye, and expertly recommended search patterns from your guide may help you spot some of the less common species like leopards, servals, and bat-eared foxes.

You are provided with a personalized, experienced tracker-guide and private transportation today whilst exploring around the Ngorongoro National Park grounds.

From Ngorongoro, your guide will drive you to Arusha. This drive will take approximately 2.5 hours.

Stop for lunch at the Arusha Hotel in this tourism capital of Tanzania. Shop the local souvenir market.

Includes opportunity to visit local handicrafts market to stock up on souvenirs.

Airport transfer between your Arusha hotel and Kilimanjaro International airport with private vehicle and english speaking driver.