A beginning with room to arrive
Two soft days in Arusha let everyone settle in before the wilderness calls, with city colour or quiet garden time entirely yours.
Private ready-to-book journey
10-Day Tanzania Family Safari
Arusha · Arusha National Park · Tarangire · Mto wa Mbu · Ngorongoro · Serengeti
A ten-day family story from Arusha's garden calm through Mount Meru's foothills, Tarangire, Mto wa Mbu, the Crater and Serengeti plains.
10 days
9 nights
Overview
A family story, told at Tanzania's natural pace.
The finest family safaris do not race from one sighting to the next. They make room for a child to linger with an elephant family, for a quiet coffee beneath Mount Meru, and for dinner conversations where everyone has a different favourite moment to tell.
This journey begins gently in Arusha, then deepens through Arusha National Park, Tarangire's baobabs, the local warmth of Mto wa Mbu, the Ngorongoro Crater and the open Serengeti. Your private guide holds the rhythm; your family is free to live inside the story.
06
Distinct chapters, beautifully linked
09
Nights from Arusha to the plains
01
Private guide, vehicle and flight
Highlights
The moments that make the journey feel like yours.
This is a framework for wonderful family time, not a timetable to race through. We will tune the tempo around your children, your interests and the moments the bush asks you to stay with.
Tanzania, in layers
Arusha National Park, Tarangire, Mto wa Mbu, Ngorongoro and Serengeti unfold at an easy pace, each chapter preparing the next.
Stays that continue the day
Arusha's garden calm, Tarangire's baobabs, Karatu's green hills and the Serengeti plains keep every evening close to the place you came to feel.
A wild story shared together
Elephant families, the Big Five, open Serengeti skies and shared road-trip stories become memories with room to grow long after home.
Day by day
A route with room
to become a story.
Follow the journey below. The map will keep pace with each chapter, while the small details stay deliberately open to the rhythm of the wild.
Day 01
Arusha
Arrive softly in Arusha
Your Excellent Guides host is waiting at Kilimanjaro International Airport, ready to bring you through the soft light beneath Mount Meru to Arusha. The first evening is deliberately unhurried: check in, exhale and let the anticipation gather around the table. Tanzania's safari capital is close to the great northern parks, yet its coffee gardens, restaurants and market life keep the opening chapter wonderfully grounded.
Day 02
Arusha National Park
Arusha National Park, beneath Mount Meru
After breakfast, travel a short distance into Arusha National Park, where forest, open glades and the Momella Lakes sit beneath Mount Meru. Look for giraffe, buffalo, colobus monkeys and flamingos, with the day paced around the family rather than the clock. Return to Arusha in time to rest before the safari turns south.
Day 03
Tarangire National Park
Into Tarangire's baobab country
After breakfast, the road leads to Tarangire, a world of open plains, weathered baobabs and the river that gathers life around it. Elephants are the signature here, sometimes entire families moving beneath trees so ancient they seem to outlast the horizon. Your first game drive follows the day rather than a fixed script, with lions, leopard, cheetah and the park's remarkable birdlife all part of the possibility.
Day 04
Tarangire National Park
Tarangire, then a Maasai welcome
A second day lets Tarangire become familiar. Follow fresh tracks, watch the river's edges and let your guide read the small signals of the bush. Alongside the game drives, meet local Maasai hosts in a respectful cultural visit that opens a quieter understanding of the lands beyond the park boundary. It is a day for questions, shared laughter and the kind of encounters a family remembers differently, but together.
Day 05
Mto wa Mbu · Karatu
Mto wa Mbu, made for discovery
Leave Tarangire after breakfast for Mto wa Mbu, a village of green farms, market colour and generous local welcome. Walk with a host through small lanes, meet makers, taste the produce of the Rift Valley and let the family experience Tanzania beyond the game drive. By late afternoon, continue to Karatu's cool highlands.
Day 06
Ngorongoro Crater · Karatu
Ngorongoro, a world within walls
Descend into the ancient caldera while the morning is fresh. Grassland, lake, forest and a remarkable concentration of wildlife sit within one immense natural amphitheatre, with excellent chances to see the Big Five, including the rare black rhinoceros. After a picnic on the Crater floor, return to Karatu with time to let the day settle before the Serengeti opens tomorrow.
Day 07
Karatu · Central Serengeti
The Serengeti opens ahead
After breakfast, travel west toward the Serengeti, allowing the road to become part of the game drive as the highlands loosen into open country. By afternoon, the Seronera Valley is unfolding around you: acacia shade, resident wildlife and the chance of lion, cheetah, leopard, elephant or giraffe. Settle in with time for the light to soften across the plains.
Day 08
Central Serengeti
The Serengeti, without an agenda
Set out with the first light and no reason to hurry. Stay with a lion pride, wait for giraffes to cross the grassland or follow the migration when the herds are near. The private vehicle and guide let every member of the family follow the moments that feel most alive.
Day 09
Central Serengeti
One more day to follow the wild
The final full day is yours to shape with the guide: return to a favourite corner of the plains, follow elephant families through open country or rest at camp during the warmest hours. The value of staying longer is simple: no meaningful moment has to end because the itinerary is already moving on.
Day 10
Central Serengeti · Arusha · Departure
Serengeti to Arusha, then home
After breakfast and a final look across the plains, fly from Seronera to Arusha. Your host meets the family for a farewell lunch before the private airport transfer. The journey ends smoothly, but the details tend to keep returning: a child's first lion, the Crater's wide green floor and the soft light of the Serengeti at dusk.
Where you'll stay
Hand selected for an
unmatched experience.
Each stay is chosen to make the journey feel as considered after the game drive as it does out on the plains.
01 / 04
Luxury Arusha retreat
Gran Melia Arusha
Dinner and overnight in a polished Arusha retreat, where generous rooms and attentive service make a graceful first landing after the journey.
Tarangire tented camp
Karibu Camps - Elephant Spring
A welcoming tented camp in elephant country, where an unhurried dinner and the sounds of Tarangire carry the day into night.
Karatu highland lodge
Ngorongoro Coffee Lodge
A peaceful highland lodge after the colour and warmth of Mto wa Mbu, with time to rest before the Crater day.
Serengeti lodge
Serengeti Explorer
A new expression of safari lodge living, where space, freedom and the great outdoors meet the comfort of a carefully considered stay.
What's included
The ease is built in.
The journey is designed so the practical details quietly support the experience. Before travel, we will confirm every element against your exact dates and preferred level of accommodation.
- Full-board safari accommodation with breakfast, lunch and dinner, plus the Arusha stays as outlined
- All game drives in a custom-built 4x4 Safari Land Cruiser with a viewing roof
- All national park entrance fees, current government taxes and levies
- The scheduled domestic flight from Seronera to Arusha
- Flying Doctors emergency evacuation cover
- A professional English-speaking driver-guide throughout the safari
- Bottled safe drinking water in the safari vehicle
- 24-hour journey support from the Excellent Guides office in Arusha
Not included
- International flights, Tanzania entry visa and travel or health insurance
- Balloon safaris, additional excursions, all-terrain vehicle or bike-riding adventures
- Hotel services outside the full-board package, including spa treatments, laundry, bar services and hotel excursions
- Tips for guides, hotel staff and porters
- Meals, drinks and excursions not specifically described in this itinerary
Testimonials
In their own words
“Your #1 safari company”My 10-day safari with Excellent Guides was by far the most exciting experience. We saw all of the Big Five, from Arusha to the Serengeti. Our guide Hassan was the best: patient and full of knowledge. I highly recommend this company.
“Priceless experience!”Organising the trip, the lodge and the trek up Kilimanjaro with Excellent Guides was a unique experience. On summit night, my guide's positive motivation and good mood carried me to the top. A mega experience. Thank you!
“Excellent indeed!”Our honeymoon safari and relaxing days in Zanzibar were so much more than we expected. Rajabu is such an experienced, warm-hearted guide. We saw all the Big Five. A memory forever engraved in our minds.
“It seems like a dream”Our guide Jerry was the main reason our safari was so successful. So knowledgeable, with such a love for nature and the animals. How close we came to the wildlife was unbelievable. Everything I dreamed it would be, and more.
“We literally saw everything”The guides were like walking encyclopedias, and they knew where to find the animals, including a cheetah stalking its prey and taking off on an epic run. I truly can't say enough about this company.
“The dream safari”Two wonderful weeks through northern Tanzania. Their professionalism and experience, the smiles always on their faces and their attention to every detail made our honeymoon unique and unforgettable.
“Professionals, great service”Everything was wonderful: the organisation, the hotels and the safari itself. Professionals all the way, excellent service. We recommend them with all our heart.
“Once in a lifetime”Our guide Cosmas was amazing. Knowledgeable about the animals, the geography and the history of the region. The customer service was out of this world. They really spoil you.
“Wow! Unforgettable”We planned the trip for six months with Dearson, who answered every question promptly and personalised the itinerary to our wishes. The hospitality at every camp was outstanding.
“What an experience”Apollo and Ross were fantastic: fun, energetic, knowledgeable and informative. They found the Big Five and took such wonderful care of us throughout our first safari.
“A trip to Eden”We loved travelling through the reserves, watching the wildlife and visiting the tribes. John was kind, deeply knowledgeable and could notice even the most hidden animals.
“Photo Safari”Our guide took us to wonderful places and made the photographic safari exceptional. He was skilled, fun and friendly, and I returned home with beautiful memories and images.
“Smoothly run and professional”Communication was excellent, the ownership was involved and our hotels and lodges were fantastic. From airport pickup to drop-off, everything ran smoothly.
“Amazing week”Our guide was attentive, punctual and remarkable at spotting animals from miles away. He became our eyes, our source of knowledge and our friend throughout the journey.
“Miraculous!”My mum and I had the most incredible time. Travelling through Tarangire and Ngorongoro felt like travelling with a friend who cared deeply about making our experience perfect.
“Four action-packed days”Excellent Guides listened carefully, made every day count and placed us in safe, knowledgeable hands. Their network and respect for the wilderness made the safari extraordinary.
“Excellent!”Communication, preparation, lodges and guiding were all excellent. We especially valued travelling with a Tanzanian-owned company whose guide went the extra mile.
“The perfect honeymoon”We could sit back and enjoy every moment. The lodges were excellent, the vehicle was well maintained and our guide's knowledge and thoughtful approach made the journey faultless.
Make it your own
Ready to begin the family story?
Share the dates you are considering and who is travelling. We will refine the rhythm, stays and experiences into a journey that feels considered from the first airport welcome to the final goodbye.
