Tarangire · Ngorongoro · Serengeti · 7 days

the familySafari

Three parks at a pace that works for children: shorter drive days, afternoons by the pool, family rooms at every stop and a guide who is good with young travellers. Elephants in Tarangire, lions in the Serengeti and a morning on the crater floor.

7days
6nights
3parks
Privatefamily 4×4

01 · Overview

The route, and why it suits children

Children do well on safari when the drives are short, the breaks are real and there is a pool at the end of the day. This route is built around that, without leaving out the Serengeti or the crater.

You start with a short drive to Tarangire, the closest of the big parks, and its elephants. From there the route climbs to Karatu in the highlands, where a farm lodge with a pool is your base on the way out and on the way back. In between are two nights at Seronera in the central Serengeti, reached by a drive broken with a picnic and plenty of animals. The trip ends with a morning on the Ngorongoro Crater floor and the drive back to Arusha.

Starts

Arusha or Kilimanjaro airport

We meet you at Kilimanjaro International (JRO) or your Arusha hotel.

Ends

Arusha or JRO, day 7

Back by mid-afternoon, in time for most evening flights home.

Style

Private, family rooms

Your own 4×4 with a pop-up roof and your own guide. Lodges and camps with family rooms and a pool.

Pace

Short drives, long breaks

The longest drives are about five hours, broken with stops and game viewing. Most afternoons end at the pool.

Arrival · Dinner

Karibu to Arusha

Your guide meets you in arrivals at Kilimanjaro International and drives you the hour to a garden lodge on the edge of Arusha. There is a pool for anyone with energy left after the flight, and a family room for everyone else.

Before dinner your guide meets the children and shows them the vehicle and the pop-up roof. Then comes a first talk about the animals they might find over the week.

Meals: Dinner
Highlight: Meeting your guide
Sleep: Garden lodge with pool, Arusha named when you book

Short drive · game drive · B L D

Elephants on the first morning

Two hours on tarmac to the Tarangire gate, and the first game drive starts as soon as you are through. Elephants are the easy first find here, especially in the dry months when herds come down to the river among the baobabs.

Lunch and the hottest part of the day are at the lodge, with time in the pool. In the late afternoon you go out again for a shorter drive along the river.

Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Highlight: Elephant herds at the river
Sleep: Tented lodge with pool, Tarangire named when you book

Game drive · short drive · B L D

Up into the highlands

A morning drive in Tarangire while it is still cool. Then it is two hours north through the market town of Mto wa Mbu and up the Rift Valley escarpment to Karatu.

You arrive at the farm lodge in time for lunch and a free afternoon. There is the pool and the gardens, or an evening with a Maasai family nearby if the children are curious.

Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Highlight: A free afternoon
Sleep: Farm lodge with pool, Karatu named when you book

Road day · game drive · B L D

Over the crater rim to the Serengeti

One of the two longer drives of the week, and a varied one. You climb through the forest to the crater viewpoint, cross the highlands past Maasai herders and drop onto the open plains of the southern Serengeti.

Lunch is a picnic at Naabi Hill gate, where there is room to stretch and a short trail up the hill. The afternoon is a game drive to Seronera, and you reach camp with time to swim before dinner.

Meals: Breakfast, picnic lunch, dinner
Highlight: First view of the plains
Sleep: Tented camp with pool, central Serengeti named when you book

Game drives · B L D

Lions, leopards and a long lunch

Out early, when the cats are most active, along the Seronera River and around the granite kopjes where lion prides rest. Your guide keeps the drive to what the children can enjoy, and stops whenever anyone needs to.

Lunch and a rest are back at camp, and the late afternoon is a second drive. If the children would rather stay at the pool, one of you can go out while the other stays behind.

Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Highlight: Lion cubs on the kopjes
Add-on: Balloon flight, from age 7

Game drive · road day · B L D

Back across the plains

A last short drive around Seronera, then south across the plains, where cheetah favour the open grass and gazelle graze by the road. You leave the park at Naabi Hill with a picnic lunch.

By mid-afternoon you are back at the farm lodge in Karatu, warmer and lower than the crater rim. There is time for the pool and an early night before the crater.

Meals: Breakfast, picnic lunch, dinner
Highlight: Cheetah on the open plains
Sleep: Farm lodge with pool, Karatu named when you book

Crater descent · departure · B L

The crater floor, then home

Thirty minutes to the gate and down to the crater floor, 600 metres below the rim, at first light. It is a small, closed world where lion, buffalo, zebra, hippo and flamingos are all close together, which suits children well.

After a picnic by the hippo pool you climb out and drive back to Arusha, arriving by mid-afternoon. We take you to your hotel or on to Kilimanjaro International for an evening flight.

Meals: Breakfast, picnic lunch
Highlight: Hippos and flamingos
Ends: Arusha hotel or JRO

When to go

Where are the herds?

Two million wildebeest and zebra walk a year-long loop through the Serengeti, following the rain. Choose a season to see where they will be, and what that means for your week.

CalvingDec – Mar

Good

calving season

December to March

The herds gather on the short-grass plains around Ndutu in the south, and around half a million calves are born in a few weeks. The predators are never far away.

On this tripThe herds are on the southern plains, and days 4 and 6 cross them; we can spend part of day 5 there instead.

Green seasonApr – May

Green season

the long rains

April and May

Afternoon rain, emerald plains and very few vehicles. The herds start drifting north-west through the centre of the park.

On this tripQuiet parks and lower lodge rates, with green plains and afternoon rain. Pool time may be short, but the parks are empty.

The great trekJun – Jul

Best for this trip

the great trek

June and July

Columns of wildebeest move through the central Serengeti and the Western corridor on their way north. The dry season begins.

On this tripThe herds are usually in the centre and west, so day 5 at Seronera is often spent with them. Cool, dry and easy.

River crossingsAug – Oct

Good

the far north

August to October

The herds are on the Mara River in the far north, crossing back and forth. The rest of the country is dry, golden and full of game.

On this tripThe herds are far to the north, but Seronera’s lions stay put and Tarangire’s elephants are at their best on day 2.

Short rainsNov

Green season

the return

November

The short rains bring the plains back to life, and the herds stream south again through the east of the park.

On this tripThe herds often pass back through the centre. A few showers, green plains and fewer vehicles in every park.

Best for this trip
Good
Green season, fewer vehicles

Herd positions follow the rains and shift a little from year to year. We tell you where they are likely to be before you book.

What it costs

Fill the vehicle, pay less each

Game drives, park and crater fees, family rooms with a pool at every stop, your private guide and vehicle, and full board on safari, priced per person. The more of you share the vehicle, the less each of you pays.

Mid-range fromUS$1,790per person sharing

Important information

All prices are per person and exclude international flights. Final rates depend on your travel dates, seasonal park fees and availability; we confirm them in writing with your quote.

Mid-range

Luxury

Mid-range

Family rooms, a pool at every stop

Mid-range prices, Family Safari

Single supplement to confirm

Group size	1 person	2 persons	3 persons	4 persons	5 persons	6 personsbest value
Per person, 2026	to confirm	to confirm	to confirm	to confirm	to confirm	to confirm
Rooms	1 single	1 double	1 double, 1 single	2 doubles	2 doubles, 1 single	3 doubles

Luxury

Premium lodges and camps with pools

Luxury prices, Family Safari

Single supplement to confirm

Group size	1 person	2 persons	3 persons	4 persons	5 persons	6 personsbest value
Per person, 2026	to confirm	to confirm	to confirm	to confirm	to confirm	to confirm
Rooms	1 single	1 double	1 double, 1 single	2 doubles	2 doubles, 1 single	3 doubles

Your selection · click a group size2 guests · Mid-range1 double

Children from 6

This trip is for children from 6. Ask us for child rates and family rooms for your dates; they depend on each lodge’s own policy. Some activities set their own ages: balloon flights from about 7 and walking safaris from 12.

in the price

Private 4×4 with pop-up roof, your family only
Professional English-speaking guide, all 7 days
Six nights in family rooms, full board on safari
Park, conservation and crater service fees
Bottled water and snacks in the vehicle
Kilimanjaro airport transfers

not in the price

International flights and visas
Travel and medical insurance
Tips for your guide and lodge staff
Drinks at the lodges
Optional activities

Make it yours

Add to the week

Tick anything you like the sound of. It goes straight into your enquiry, and we will price it with the trip.

Day 3 · KaratuAn evening in a Maasai bomaCattle, beadwork and a shared meal. All ages.Add

Day 5 · SerengetiBalloon flight at sunriseAn hour over the plains. From about age 7.Add

Day 2 · TarangireBush lunchA table under a tree, with giraffes for company.Add

After day 7Zanzibar beach daysA short flight from Arusha to the coast.Add

Send my enquiry →

Before you go

The practical part

Flights

Other costs

Why Simba Pride

Flights

Other costs

Why Simba Pride

Questions

What is the minimum age?

Six, for this trip. Some lodges and activities set their own ages: balloon flights from about seven, walking safaris from twelve. We choose family-friendly lodges and camps.

How long are the drives?

Days 4 and 6 are the longest, about five hours each with game viewing and a picnic on the way. The other days have two hours or less on the road between game drives.

Will the children get bored?

Rarely. Your guide keeps the drives varied, stops when anyone needs a break, and brings the children into the spotting. Afternoons at the pool help too.

Is it safe for children?

Yes, with the normal rules: stay in the vehicle on game drives and with an adult in camp after dark. Camps are staffed and escorted at night.

Can we add a beach at the end?

Yes. Zanzibar is a short flight from Arusha, and a few days on the beach are a good way to end a family safari.

ready when you are

Seven days, one guide, the whole family

Tell us when you would like to travel and the ages of the children. We reply with a day-by-day plan, family rooms that fit, and an exact price.

Admit

guests

SPS · 07

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