Ngorongoro & Tarangire — 5-Day Family Safari Adventure

Your guide welcomes the whole family at Kilimanjaro International Airport and drives you to your family-friendly lodge near Arusha, about an hour away.

Children receive their Junior Ranger kit — binoculars and a wildlife journal for recording every animal they spot — and your guide gives a short, fun safari briefing: which animals to look for, how to stay safe in the vehicle and how the pop-up roof works.

The rest of the day is free to swim, rest and enjoy dinner together.

Overnight: family lodge in Arusha (Full Board)

After breakfast, drive about two hours to Lake Manyara National Park, one of the best parks for children because wildlife appears quickly and distances are short.

In the green groundwater forest near the gate, look for large troops of olive baboons and shy blue monkeys. Further on, the floodplain opens up with giraffes, zebras, wildebeest and buffalo, and a hippo pool where you can watch these huge animals snort and splash. Depending on water levels, flamingos and pelicans gather on the lake, and the park's lions are sometimes seen resting in trees.

After a picnic lunch, continue to your lodge in time for a swim before dinner.

Overnight: family lodge in the Karatu area (Full Board)

Spend the day in Tarangire National Park, home to some of the largest elephant herds in Tanzania. Children love watching the families of elephants — from tiny calves to huge matriarchs — come down to drink and splash in the Tarangire River.

The park's ancient baobab trees, some many hundreds of years old, are an attraction in themselves, and the birdlife is colourful and varied. Your guide also looks out for lions, giraffes, zebras and warthogs.

In the afternoon, join a short guided nature walk with an armed ranger, learning to read tracks and droppings and discovering the smaller creatures of the bush.

Overnight: family lodge in the Karatu area (Full Board)

Today is the highlight of the safari. Drive up to the rim of the Ngorongoro Crater and descend 600 metres to the crater floor, where an extraordinary number of animals live in one enclosed volcanic bowl.

Search for lions, elephants, buffalo, hippos, zebras, wildebeest, hyenas and the rare black rhino, and tick them off in the Junior Ranger journals. Lunch is a family picnic at one of the crater's picnic sites.

After climbing back out in the afternoon, relax at the lodge. On clear nights, your guide points out the stars and constellations of the African sky — the Southern Cross and the band of the Milky Way.

Overnight: family lodge in the Karatu area (Full Board)

After breakfast, visit a Maasai boma near the Ngorongoro highlands. Families welcome you into their homestead, show you how they build their houses and care for their cattle, and invite children to join in songs, dances and beadwork.

Then drive back through the Rift Valley to Arusha for lunch before your transfer to Kilimanjaro International Airport, or to your hotel if you are extending your stay.

End of safari.