Cornelius Amann
October 06, 2026
5/5
Tanzania safari for three generations: Tarangire, Ngorongoro and the Serengeti
7 days from Arusha for grandparents, parents and children 6 and up: Tarangire, two nights in Karatu for Ngorongoro Crater, and flights in and out of the Serengeti, so no transfer day has more than 2.5 hours on the road; the crater day is about 6 hours in the vehicle, with stops.
7 days · Round trip from Arusha · up to 12 guests
Dry-season grassland below a volcanic peak in Tanzania Photo: Mussi Katz from Israel, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Tanzania_landscape_(22210288394).jpg)
The facts
At a glance
- Length
- 7 days, 6 nights
- Start and end
- Round trip from Arusha
- Group size
- 7 to 12 guests
- Activity level
Easy
Very little walking: a flat 40-minute walk through the Mto wa Mbu fields, which can be done in the vehicle, and a slow coffee farm visit. The effort is sitting in a 4x4 on rough, dusty roads, with the longest day in the crater (about 6 hours in the vehicle, toilet stops at picnic sites) and getting in and out of a high vehicle and a small plane. No transfer day has more than 2.5 hours on the road; the crater day is the exception at about 6 hours in the vehicle, with stops. Any game drive can be sat out at the lodge. Karatu is at about 1,500 m and the crater rim about 2,200 m: cool, not high enough to trouble most people.
- Meals included
- 6 breakfasts, 6 lunches, 5 dinners
- Room of your own
- + CAD 1,315 (estimated price)
- Season
- December to February and June to October
Highlights
Why this trip
- Elephants drinking at the Tarangire River under the baobabs, and a rest through the hot hours
- A flat walk through banana groves and rice fields in Mto wa Mbu, and lunch in the village
- Ngorongoro Crater as the descent road opens, back at the lodge by mid-afternoon
- Children picking coffee cherries at a farm near Karatu, and a cup for the adults
- A small plane over the crater highlands into the Serengeti, instead of five hours of gravel
- A Serengeti morning on two clocks: the dawn drive for early risers, a later drive for the rest
- Early dinners and a free part of every day
What makes this trip different
Free time is part of the plan
Free time and choices are marked on the days they fall.
Solo without the penalty
A room of your own is + CAD 1,315 (estimated price).
Day by day
Itinerary
Tap any stop on the map to open that dayClick any stop on the map to open that day
Arrive in Arusha
Kilimanjaro International Airport to Arusha
- Early welcome dinner, about 6:30 pm
- Stay in Arusha
- Drive about 1 h
Fly into Kilimanjaro International Airport (JRO), between Moshi and Arusha. We meet each family after arrivals and drive about an hour west, roughly 50 km on tarmac, to a garden hotel in Arusha at the foot of Mount Meru.
Afternoon
On a clear afternoon Kilimanjaro shows above the clouds from the airport road, a good first thing for the children to spot. Any arrival time works: if you land early, the afternoon is for the pool, a nap after the long flight, or a short walk in the garden. At about half past five your See Sight Tours guide gives a short briefing for all three generations: why game drives start early, how the two 4x4s are arranged so each family rides together, which seats suit stiff backs, what to wear against tsetse flies, and how bush toilet stops work.
Evening
The welcome dinner follows at about half past six, early enough for young children and tired travellers. If your flight lands late, your guide catches you up at breakfast.
Included
- Pick-up at Kilimanjaro International Airport (JRO)
- Welcome briefing for the whole family
- Welcome dinner
Free time: Free until the 5:30 pm briefing
Activity: Any arrival time works on day 1.
Tarangire's elephants and baobabs
Arusha to Tarangire National Park
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner
- Stay in Tarangire
- Drive about 2 h
Morning
After a relaxed breakfast we leave at about half past eight in two 4x4 Land Cruisers and drive about two hours south-west on tarmac, some 120 km, through Maasai grazing country, with a stop for coffee and a toilet halfway.
Afternoon
We reach our lodge, in or beside Tarangire National Park, in time for lunch. The hottest hours are for a rest and the lodge pool, which we ask for, which suits grandparents and children alike, and the animals shelter from the heat too. At about four we drive out along the Tarangire River. In the dry months it is the main water for miles around, so elephant herds come down to drink, and the great baobabs above the banks carry scars where elephants have stripped the bark. Zebra, giraffe and wildebeest graze the grass beside the river, and lions rest in the shade.
Evening
The drive is about two and a half hours, with the roof up for standing, and we are back before dark for dinner at about seven.
Included
- Lunch at the lodge
- Late-afternoon game drive along the Tarangire River
Easier option: Skip the late drive and stay at the lodge pool.
Free time: Midday free at the lodge
Activity: Dress in khaki, beige or green, not dark blue or black, against tsetse flies.
Tarangire to Mto wa Mbu and Karatu
Tarangire to Mto wa Mbu, then up to Karatu
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner
- Stay in Karatu
- Drive about 2.5 h
Morning
This is the one packing morning of the first half, kept gentle. Early risers can join an optional dawn drive at about half past six, back for breakfast; everyone else sleeps in. At about nine we drive slowly out of the park with the bags aboard, then about an hour and a half north on tarmac, some 90 km, to Mto wa Mbu, a farming town at the foot of the Rift Valley wall whose name means river of mosquitoes in Swahili. A local guide leads a short, flat walk of about 40 minutes through the banana groves and irrigated rice fields; grandparents who prefer can follow the same lanes in the vehicle and meet us at a painters' workshop.
Afternoon
Lunch is in the village, with a fee paid to the community. Then a 40-minute climb up the escarpment to Karatu, a cooler highland town among farms at about 1,500 metres.
Evening
We check in by mid-afternoon, and the rest of the day is for the lodge pool, where we have asked for one, and an early dinner.
Included
- Game drive out of Tarangire National Park
- Mto wa Mbu banana and rice field walk with a local guide
- Lunch in Mto wa Mbu
Easier option: Ride the village lanes in the vehicle instead of walking.
More active option: The optional dawn drive in Tarangire before breakfast.
Free time: From mid-afternoon at the Karatu lodge
Activity: About 2.5 hours on the road in three legs, none longer than about 1.5 hours.
Ngorongoro Crater at opening
Karatu to the Ngorongoro Crater floor and back
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner
- Stay in Karatu
- Drive about 2 h
Morning
We leave Karatu at about a quarter past six with breakfast packed and blankets in the vehicles, climb through the forest of the Ngorongoro Conservation Area and stop at the rim, where the caldera lies some 600 metres below. We drive down as the descent road opens, early in the morning at a time we confirm with your dates, among the first vehicles of the day, while mist still lies on the floor. Ngorongoro is a collapsed volcano with about 260 square kilometres of grassland, swamp and a soda lake inside its walls. Lions, hyenas, buffalo, zebra, wildebeest and hippos live here all year, and it is the best chance on this trip of a black rhino, though they are few and usually distant. There is no walking: you watch from your seat or stand under the roof.
Afternoon
Breakfast and lunch are picnics at sites with toilets, one beside a hippo pool. We climb out in the early afternoon, within the time each vehicle is allowed on the floor, as it gets busy, and are back at the lodge by about three, with the rest of the day free.
Included
- Ngorongoro Crater rim viewpoint
- Ngorongoro Crater game drive from the opening of the descent road
- Picnic breakfast and lunch on the crater floor
Easier option: Stay at the lodge pool all afternoon.
More active option: A guided walk in the farmland around the lodge in the late afternoon.
Free time: Afternoon free at the Karatu lodge
Activity: The earliest start of the trip, about 6:15 am. The rim is cold at dawn: warm layers for everyone. About 6 hours in the vehicle, with toilet stops at the picnic sites: the one day over the 2.5-hour transfer cap, because it is a game drive.
A coffee farm, then fly to the Serengeti
Karatu to the Lake Manyara airstrip, flight to Seronera in the central Serengeti
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner
- Stay in Serengeti
- Drive about 45 min
A slow start after yesterday.
Morning
After breakfast we walk a coffee farm near the lodge with a local guide: the children pick ripe red cherries, everyone sees the beans hulled and roasted over a fire, and the adults taste a cup. Older children and parents can follow the farm tracks by bike instead.
Afternoon
After an early lunch we drive about 45 minutes, some 25 km, to the Lake Manyara airstrip on the escarpment and board a scheduled light aircraft to Seronera, about an hour over the crater highlands and the short-grass plains. Flying replaces the five-hour gravel drive into the Serengeti that most northern circuit trips take, which is the hardest day for grandparents and young children alike. Our 4x4s and driver-guides leave Karatu at dawn with the main luggage and meet the plane, so your bag on the flight can be small.
Evening
From the airstrip a short game drive among the kopjes of the Seronera valley brings us to camp for an early dinner.
Included
- Coffee farm visit near Karatu with a local guide
- Scheduled light-aircraft flight from the Lake Manyara airstrip to Seronera
- Game drive from Seronera airstrip to camp
Easier option: Stay at the lodge pool until the transfer to the airstrip.
More active option: Ride the coffee farm tracks by bike.
Free time: Late morning free at the Karatu lodge
Activity: The flight time is set by the airline and confirmed at booking. The main luggage travels by road in our vehicles.
A full day in the Serengeti
Dawn and late-afternoon game drives around Seronera
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner
- Stay in Serengeti
Today the two vehicles run on different clocks, which is the advantage of having two.
Morning
One leaves camp at first light, at about 6:15 to 6:30 all year this close to the equator, with hot chocolate and coffee in flasks, for the hours when lions and cheetahs hunt and the light is low. The other leaves after a full breakfast at about half past eight, for grandparents and children who need their sleep.
Afternoon
Both explore the Seronera valley, where lions rest on the granite kopjes and leopards lie up in the sausage trees along the river, and both are back at camp for lunch. The hot middle hours are for a rest, a book or the pool where the camp has one.
Evening
At about four everyone drives out together until sundown, then dinner is early. If you have booked the optional balloon flight (the operator usually sets a minimum age of 7), you lift off at dawn instead and rejoin us after a champagne breakfast in the bush.
Included
- Dawn game drive or a later morning drive, your choice
- Lunch at camp
- Late-afternoon game drive to sunset
Optional experiences
- Hot-air balloon flight at dawn. Booked in advance; the operator usually sets a minimum age of 7, so a 6-year-old may not fly. Confirmed at booking.
Easier option: Take the later morning drive and skip the afternoon one.
More active option: Join the dawn drive and the afternoon drive.
Free time: Midday free at camp
Activity: We ask for a camp with a pool, but not every Serengeti camp has one; we tell you which yours has when we confirm your dates.
Fly home from the Serengeti
Seronera airstrip, flight to Arusha, then Kilimanjaro International Airport
- Breakfast and lunch
- Drive about 1 h
Morning
A last game drive after breakfast, with the bags already in the vehicles, ends at the Seronera airstrip, where we board a scheduled light aircraft back to Arusha airport. The flight takes about an hour to an hour and a half, depending on stops at other airstrips, and from the window the plains, the crater highlands and the Rift Valley lakes pass below; children often remember it as well as the animals. Flying saves the six to seven hours of road that most northern circuit trips spend getting back from the Serengeti. The 4x4s drive back without us.
Afternoon
In Arusha we have lunch together and a chance to rest, then drive about an hour, some 50 km, to Kilimanjaro International Airport. If you are staying on in Arusha, we drop you at your hotel instead. Flight times are set by the airline, so book an international flight leaving JRO after about 6:30 pm, and pack the cabin bag for the plane within the small-plane limit.
Included
- Morning game drive to the Seronera airstrip
- Scheduled light-aircraft flight from the Serengeti to Arusha airport
- Lunch in Arusha
- Drop-off at Kilimanjaro International Airport (JRO) or your Arusha hotel
Activity: Book a flight leaving JRO after about 6:30 pm. Small-plane bag limit, usually about 15 kg per person in a soft bag; extra luggage goes back by road.
- Arusha1 night
- Tarangire1 night
- Karatu2 nights
- Serengeti2 nights
- Arushaend
- Overnight stop
- Day trip
- By boat or train
Wildlife and weather: June to October is the dry season and fits northern summer holidays: cool mornings, thin grass and animals gathered near water, when Tarangire's elephant herds are at their largest. The great Serengeti herds move through the central and western Serengeti around June and July and are mostly in the far north from August, which this trip does not reach; resident lions, cheetahs and elephants stay all year. December to February brings green hills, warm days and calving on the southern plains, and covers the Christmas and New Year holidays; afternoon showers are possible. We do not run from March to May or in November, the rains, when tracks are hard going.
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Before you book
Right for you?
Good for you if you want
- Grandparents, parents and children 6 and up on a first safari together
- Grandparents who can sit in a vehicle for a few hours but not face five-hour gravel days
- Families who want pools, early dinners and a free part of every day
- Families who want a window seat for every child and their own vehicle
Not for you if you want
- Children under 6: the minimum age is 6
- Anyone who cannot climb into a high 4x4 or a small plane with a hand from the crew
- Families set on the Mara River crossings: they happen in the far north, which this trip does not reach
- A camping safari: every night is in a lodge or permanent tented camp
- Families who want Olduvai Gorge or a Maasai village visit: see our Tanzania family safari
Minimum age: 6
Most guests are Three generations: grandparents, parents and children aged 6 to 16
Book flights after we confirm your seat.
6 nights
Where you'll stay
Your hotels are named in your trip confirmation.
- Arusha1 night
- Tarangire1 night
- Karatu2 nights
- Serengeti2 nights
One price
What's in the price
Included
Accommodation
- 6 nights: 1 in Arusha, 1 at a lodge in or beside Tarangire National Park, 2 at a lodge in Karatu, 2 at a tented camp near Seronera in the central Serengeti
- Proper beds and private bathrooms throughout, no camping; at least a 3-star-plus standard, named when we confirm your dates
- Family or connecting rooms where the lodge has them; a swimming pool at the Arusha, Tarangire and Karatu lodges, and in the Serengeti where the camp has one
Transport
- Pick-up at Kilimanjaro International Airport (JRO) on day 1 and drop-off there or at your Arusha hotel on day 7
- Two 4x4 Land Cruisers with a pop-up roof and a licensed Tanzanian driver-guide, at most 6 guests each, each family kept together
- Booster seats for children on request
- Scheduled light-aircraft flight from the Lake Manyara airstrip to Seronera on day 5
- Scheduled light-aircraft flight from Seronera to Arusha on day 7
- Main luggage carried by road between Karatu, the Serengeti and Arusha
- Drinking water in the vehicles
Your guide
- A See Sight Tours guide with the group for the whole trip
- Licensed Tanzanian driver-guides in every 4x4
- Local guides in Mto wa Mbu and at the coffee farm
Activities
- Tarangire National Park: a late-afternoon drive along the river, an optional dawn drive and a drive out
- Mto wa Mbu banana and rice field walk
- Ngorongoro Crater rim viewpoint and game drive from the opening of the descent road
- Coffee farm visit near Karatu
- Serengeti: a drive from the airstrip to camp, a full day of morning and late-afternoon drives, and a drive to the airstrip
- All park and conservation fees, including the Ngorongoro crater fee, and community fees
- A tipping pool for driver-guides, lodge and camp staff and local guides
Meals
- Breakfast daily (6), including a picnic breakfast in Ngorongoro Crater
- 6 lunches, days 2 to 7, with a village lunch in Mto wa Mbu and a picnic on the crater floor
- 6 dinners: an early welcome dinner in Arusha and dinner every night on safari
Not included
- International flights to and from Kilimanjaro
- Tanzanian visas
- Travel insurance, which should cover medical evacuation
- Hot-air balloon flight
- Lunch on day 1
- Drinks other than water in the vehicles
- A tip for your See Sight Tours guide, which is optional
- Vaccinations and malaria tablets
- Excess baggage on the small-plane flights
- Laundry, souvenirs and personal expenses
Extras
- Room of your own
- CAD 1,315 (estimated price)
When you can go
Dates and prices
Pick your start date when you request to book. We check that date and confirm it in your quote.
Prefer to travel without a group or guide? Ask us about arranging hotels, transport and city tours for you to travel independently.
Before you book
Booking terms
Nothing is charged now. Full terms and the cancellation schedule come with your quote, before you accept.
Business addresses
See Sight Tours Trips (USA): 3172 N Rainbow Blvd, Las Vegas, NV 89108, United StatesSee Sight Tours Trips (Canada): 5305 50 Avenue, #1091, Red Deer, AB T4N 4B6, Canada+1-888-961-6584Guest reviews
What guests say
Reviews from guests on our day tours.
Jane
October 06, 2026
5/5
Susan
October 06, 2026
5/5
Tom L
October 05, 2026
5/5
MandL83
October 05, 2026
5/5
Darren O
October 05, 2026
5/5
Good to know
Questions
Prices in these answers apply from Jan 1, 2027. Black Friday offer: 9% off the small-group price for requests received by Dec 1, 2026. From CAD 6,685 per person. Dec 2 to Dec 31: from CAD 7,050. From Jan 1, 2027: from CAD 7,345.
What does the price include?
From CAD 7,345 per person sharing, taxes included (private from CAD 13,225): six nights' stays, 6 breakfasts, 6 lunches, 6 dinners, two 4x4s with driver-guides, both small-plane flights, every park fee including Ngorongoro Crater, the Mto wa Mbu walk and lunch, the coffee farm, airport transfers, a crew tipping pool and your See Sight Tours guide. Send your preferred dates as an enquiry. We check availability and provide the final quote, itinerary and booking terms before you accept. No payment is taken when you send the request.
What ages is this safari for?
Three generations together: grandparents, parents and children aged 6 and up. The youngest must be 6 on the day we start. Each day has a free stretch, early dinners and an easy option. No transfer day has more than two and a half hours on the road; the crater day is about six hours in the vehicle, with stops.
How much walking and sitting is there for grandparents?
Very little walking: a flat 40-minute village walk, which can be done in the vehicle, and a slow coffee farm visit. The effort is sitting on bumpy tracks, up to about six hours on the crater day with toilet stops. Grandparents can take the front seat, start the Serengeti morning later, or skip any drive at the lodge.
How big is the group, and who leads it?
The small group is 7 to 12 guests, children included, in two 4x4 Land Cruisers with at most six each, so everyone has a window. A See Sight Tours guide travels with you all seven days, with a licensed Tanzanian driver-guide in each vehicle. We name your guide when we confirm your departure.
Can we have family or connecting rooms?
We ask for them at every lodge and camp and tell you the room plan before you pay anything. We expect family rooms in Arusha, Tarangire and Karatu; in the Serengeti some camps have family tents and others connecting tents side by side. Grandparents can ask for a room near the main building.
Is there a child price, and what does a grandparent alone pay?
Tanzanian park fees are lower for children, so we expect a lower child price and confirm it with your dates. A grandparent travelling alone who wants a room of their own pays from CAD 1,315 more, shown before you book. A grandparent sharing with a grandchild pays twin share for both.
What if we need to cancel, or a small-plane flight is delayed?
The cancellation terms come with your confirmation, before any payment, and we recommend insurance covering cancellation for every traveller. We fly in and out of the Serengeti to save two five-hour gravel days. If a flight is delayed, your guide waits with you and the airline moves you to the next one; if none flies, we drive you instead. We confirm the backup plan with your dates.
When is the best time for a family safari in Tanzania?
June to October, the dry season, fits northern summer holidays and brings animals close to water. Mid-December to February covers the Christmas break, with green hills and calving on the southern plains. We skip March to May and November, the rains, when the tracks are hard going for every age.
Do we need visas and vaccinations?
Most visitors, including Canadian adults and children, need a Tanzanian visa, and each child needs their own. Apply for the e-visa online before you fly; the single-entry fee is about USD 50 per person for Canadians. You may need a yellow fever certificate if you arrive from or through a risk country. Everyone should see a travel clinic about malaria tablets.
What if a grandparent has medical needs or cannot manage the small plane?
Tell us when you request to book and we plan around it. A grandparent who cannot face the small plane can travel to and from the Serengeti in our vehicle, about five hours each way with stops. Bring all regular medicine, and take travel insurance that covers pre-existing conditions and medical evacuation, because lodges and camps are far from hospitals.
How is this different from your other Tanzania safaris?
This trip is paced for three generations: seven days, flights in and out of the Serengeti, short drives, early dinners and split morning drives. The Tanzania family safari is eight days for parents and children with a long road day via Olduvai Gorge, and the Tanzania northern circuit safari is for adults travelling by road.
Can we travel privately or on our own dates?
Yes. Besides the small group, the trip comes as a private trip for your family only, on a date you choose, with your own guide, vehicles and driver-guides. Travelling independently on your own dates is not a style we sell, but ask from the dates section and we can quote the same lodges and flights for you.
See Sight Tours has been providing travel services across North America since 2006. Operating in 20 cities across Canada and the USA, the company specializes in small group tours that offer personalized, high-quality experiences for travelers.
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