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Serengeti Family Safari

			DAYS: 10 GRADE: I-II, Lodges and tents, some rough roads define PRICE: From $3995 per person (Includes Local Air) HIGHLIGHTS: Ngorongoro Crater Serengeti National Park Tarangire National Park Beading and walking with Maasai Hunting with Bushmen Animal tracking Village visits. ACCOMMODATIONS: Hotels/Lodges Wilderness Camp Deluxe Camp MEALS: As noted  [B-Breakfast, L-Lunch,   D-Dinner] Prices, Departure Dates and Included Services Send to a Friend Print this Itinerary

Experience the magnificent wildlife in Tanzania's richest game parks and interact with heart warming tribal cultures on this African safari designed for families with teenagers. Discover the incredible wildlife in the Ngorongoro Crater, Serengeti, and Tarangire National Parks, and the poignant way of life practiced by hunter-gatherer tribes and the pastoral Maasai. A stalking lion, lumbering herds of elephants, masses of precisely marked zebras, a stealthy leopard lying in a tree, vast vistas, a caldera overflowing with wildlife, bow and arrow hunting with nomadic Bushmen, walking with Maasai warriors, and beading with Maasai women await you. Engaging, enriching, and awe inspiring, this family safari will touch parents and teens alike. Consider extending your Tanzania family vacation so that you may bask in the warm Indian Ocean and savor the rich culture of the exotic Zanzibar Island.

DAY 1 :  ARRIVE ARUSHA
Your Tanzania adventure begins as your plane touches down at the Kilimanjaro International Airport, an hour outside the city of Arusha. You will be met by your friendly guide and transferred to a welcoming guesthouse, where you will enjoy a good night's sleep. Overnight at Olasiti Lodge. 

	A jumping contest with a Maasai warrior.

DAY 2 :  TARANGIRE NATIONAL PARK AND MAASAI WARRIORS
Drive approximately two hours south to Tarangire National Park, Tanzania's third largest national park. As the only permanent water source in the region, the Tarangire River draws numerous animals to the park in the July to November dry season including up to 6,000 elephants. The concession area adjoining the park is home to pastoral Maasai communities who strive to coexist with migrating herds of wild animals. We walk with proud, red clad Maasai warriors in the savannah learning about their tribe's traditional values, rituals, and daily life. A late afternoon game drive gives you a chance to see the great diversity of wildlife including giraffe, buffalo, eland, zebra, and predators such as lion, leopard, and cheetah who pass beneath the majestic baobab trees which dot the landscape. Our comfortable permanent tented camp with ensuite baths and hot showers looks out to the stunning Rift Valley Escarpment. Overnight at Maramboi Camp or similar. [BLD]

DAY 3 :  TARANGIRE AND MAASAI BEADING
A morning game drive gives us the chance to begin to feel the rhythms of the bush as we watch elephant families shuffling through the brush. Learn to tell the difference between impala and Grant's gazelle, and watch for jackals scavenging the remains of a kill. Our expert guide knows the park well and is always on the lookout for signs of animal activity. Fortified with a delicious camp lunch we visit a Maasai boma to witness their way of life. The Maasai are known for their elaborate beaded necklaces and we have the chance to try our hand beading under the tutelage of Maasai women from a local beading co-op. Overnight at Maramboi Camp or similar. [BLD]

DAY 4 :  MTO WA MBU VILLAGE
Our morning game drive allows us to further our understanding of animal behavior as we notice a leopard camouflaged in a tree or the twitching of a zebra's ears, ever alert to the stalking of a predator. With our cameras and binoculars ready we explore the hidden corners of the park. Departing Tarangire we visit the market village of Mto Wa Mbu located near the shores of Lake Manyara and featuring a colorful mix of different Tanzanian cultures. Walk with a local guide past village homes, through farms growing various fruits and vegetables, and learn about rice milling and zero grazing techniques. Driving toward Lake Eyasi we arrive in the late afternoon at our small permanent tented camp lying amidst a palm and acacia forest on the shores of Lake Eyasi. Overnight at Kisima Ngeda. [BLD]

Hunting and learning to make fire with the Bushmen.

DAY 5 :  EXPERIENCE THE LIFE OF THE BUSHMEN
Arise early to spend the morning experiencing the daily life of the WaHadzabe, a tribe of hunter-gatherers. Small in stature and speaking in an ancient click dialect, the Bushmen survive by their ability to blend into their surroundings and subsist off the land. Choose to join the men and hunt with a bow and arrow, learn to start a fire, or join the women gathering roots, tubers, and wild fruit to prepare food for the night. Exploring a way of life vastly different than your own is an unforgettable experience! Leaving the nomadic life of the Bushmen we travel to the outer slopes of the Ngorongoro Crater. We will stop to visit a local school (when in session) and talk with teachers and students. Relax with a refreshing swim in the lodge pool before feasting on delicious homemade cuisine featuring fresh vegetables, free range chicken, dairy products, and coffee from this working organic farm. Overnight at Ngorongoro Farmhouse or similar. [BLD]

DAY 6 :  NGORONGORO CRATER WILDLIFE
Descend the 2000 foot walls of the Ngorongoro Crater for a day of game viewing inside this World Heritage site. The caldera is home to more than 20,000 animals spread throughout a variety of ecosystems. Hiking by herds of animals, we look for the rare black rhinoceros, elephant bulls with enormous tusks, black-maned lions wildebeest, Thomson's gazelles, zebra, reedbucks, monkeys, and baboons. As the animals have little to fear of humans, it is often possible to see wildlife quite close up. You may also see local Maasai grazing their cattle along the crater rim. Take time during your picnic lunch to soak in the beauty of this memorable scene. Overnight at Ngorongoro Farmhouse or similar. [BLD]

	Fascinated by the antics of a baboon.

DAY 7 :  OLDUVAI GORGE AND THE SERENGETI
Leaving the crater highlands we travel to one of the most famous wildlife sanctuaries in the world, the Serengeti National Park. Stopping to walk in the Olduvai Gorge, we learn more about the early hominid findings of Louis and Mary Leakey and see the remains of early man, his artifacts, and other fossilized prehistoric animals. As we drive across the vast and pristine landscape, look for animals roaming freely just as they have for thousands of years. During the months of migration these seemingly unending plains contain huge numbers of wildebeest and zebra. In February through March these animals are concentrated at the Ndutu and Salei plains where calving takes place, attracting the attention of predators such as lions, cheetahs, and hyenas. To intimately experience the Serengeti, we camp in a mobile tent site chosen depending on the season and within good proximity of wildlife. We enjoy the privacy of camping in comfortable tents, with only those in our group. Overnight Private Mobile Camp. [BLD]

DAYS 8-9 :  EXPLORING SERENGETI NATIONAL PARK
Without a specific schedule or route, our game drives allow us to follow the rhythms of the limitless wildlife as we witness the daily struggle between predators and prey. The kopjes, or massive islands of granite standing in a sea of grass, provide shelter to a great variety of animals from the elusive leopard to the tiny dik-dik. We learn to track animals, paying particular interest to any species we have yet to see. In the evening there is the chance to help cook African camp specialties and gaze up at the brilliant blanket of stars carpeting the African sky. Overnights Private Mobile Camp. [BLD] Optional Serengeti balloon flights are offered at an additional cost of $479 per person, must be booked in advance.

DAY 10 :  TRAVEL HOMEWARD OR ON TO A BEACH EXTENSION
Appreciate your last morning in the bush before a spectacular light aircraft flight over the plains of the Serengeti brings you back to Arusha. Relax in your hotel dayroom and enjoy dinner before you transfer to the airport to board your international flight home, loaded with enough African memories to last a lifetime. [BLD]

Consider extending your Tanzania vacation with several nights on the exotic island of Zanzibar. Swim in the clear Indian Ocean waters, indulge in a myriad of sporting activities, experience the rich history and Islamic culture of Stone Town and sample native seafood, tropical fruits, and island spices. (At additional cost)

Questions? Ask Our Program Directors.

. C o n t a c t Julia Nesbitt 1(800)345-4453