8-Day Family Safari: Masai Mara & Zanzibar

Duration:

8 Days

Guide Language:

English

Group Size:

2 - 10 people

Transport:

Private domestic flights between Nairobi, the Mara, and Zanzibar; safari vehicle with pop-up roof

Tour Meals:

Breakfasts, Lunch, Dinner

Tour Type:

Bush to Beach, Family, Luxury, Tanzania, Zanzibar

Accommodation:

Argyle Grand Hotel or Hilton Garden Inn (Nairobi), Sarova Mara Game Camp, Sandies Baobab Beach Resort

Designed for parents who want their children's first safari to be a real one, not a watered-down version, this itinerary pairs a family-friendly Masai Mara camp with children's wildlife programming against a Zanzibar beach finale built around a shallow, calm-water lagoon. No day is lost to transit, and no activity assumes every family member wants the same pace.

Journey Highlights

The moments that make this journey unforgettable.

Masai Mara
Hot Air Baloon
Kendwa
Zanzibar

Itinerary

Day 1 — Arrive Nairobi.

Touch down at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport where your private driver meets you at arrivals for a comfortable transfer to your hotel. Check into your family room, unpack, and shake off the jet lag by the hotel pool. Enjoy a relaxed dinner at the hotel alongside a quick briefing with your local tour manager to go over the week’s logistics, kid-friendly safety tips, and packing checks.

Stay at: Argyle Grand Hotel or Hilton Garden Inn.

Day 2 — Nairobi to the Masai Mara.

Enjoy breakfast at the hotel, check out, and transfer to Wilson Airport for a private domestic flight over the Great Rift Valley, taking in views of extinct volcanoes and dramatic escarpments. Land at the Mara airstrip where your dedicated driver-guide welcomes you in a private 4×4 Land Cruiser with a pop-up roof for a mini game drive en route to Sarova Mara Game Camp. After checking into your family tent and enjoying a buffet lunch, head out for your first game drive on the open savannah, paced gently for kids to focus on easy-to-spot herds like zebras, topis, and giraffes. Return to camp for warm showers, a cozy bush dinner around the campfire, and early lights-out.

Stay at Sarova Mara Game Camp.

Day 3 — Full Day, Masai Mara.

Morning and afternoon game drives across the reserve’s open plains, with an afternoon Junior Ranger session run by camp staff for children while adults can extend their own game drive. The day starts early to catch lions and cheetahs during cool morning hours, followed by a bush breakfast in the wild. While children learn tracking, footprint identification, and bird calls during their ranger training session, adults can track big cats deeper across the plains before regrouping for dinner and storytelling.

Stay at: Sarova Mara Game Camp.

Day 4 — Morning Game Drive & Maasai Village Visit.

A morning drive is followed by an afternoon visit to a nearby Maasai village, suitable for all ages, with beadwork demonstrations and a traditional dance welcome. The morning game drive heads toward the Mara River area to look for hippos, crocodiles, and large elephant herds. In the afternoon, kids can practice fire-making using sticks and make beadwork bracelets with Maasai women, while adults gain insight into village culture and traditions, finishing the day with sundowner drinks on the reserve boundary.

Stay at: Sarova Mara Game Camp.

Day 5 — Masai Mara to Zanzibar.

A final morning game drive is followed by a private flight from the Mara back to Nairobi, connecting onward to Zanzibar the same day. Enjoy one last early morning game drive to spot any remaining wildlife on your list before checking out. Upon arriving in Zanzibar, a private airport transfer takes you through the lush island countryside to Kendwa’s north coast, where you can step directly onto white sand and enjoy a buffet dinner featuring fresh local seafood and international favorites.

Stay at: Sandies Baobab Beach Resort, Kendwa.

Day 6 — Full Day, Zanzibar.

A day at the resort’s family pools and shallow lagoon beach, with kids’ club activities available for younger children. Kendwa’s north coast sits behind a protective coral reef, creating calm, non-tidal, waist-deep water that allows young children to swim safely without fighting wave currents. Spend the day building sandcastles, participating in coconut painting, enjoying poolside lunches, or relaxing with a beachside massage.

Stay at: Sandies Baobab Beach Resort, Kendwa.

Day 7 — Optional Family Snorkelling Excursion.

A guided snorkelling trip on Kendwa’s reef-protected lagoon, suited to children swimming for the first time in open water, or a full day remaining at the resort. Board a traditional wooden dhow equipped with safety vests for a short boat ride to the shallow outer reef, where kids can safely spot clownfish, sea stars, and sea turtles with guide assistance. In the evening, children are presented with their official Junior Ranger Badges before a farewell beachside dinner under the stars.

Stay at: Sandies Baobab Beach Resort, Kendwa.

Day 8 — Departure Day.

A private transfer takes you to Zanzibar International Airport in time for your onward flight. Enjoy a relaxed breakfast and one final morning swim in the calm lagoon before checking out of the resort and meeting your driver for your flight home.

 

 

 

What’s Included

  • Private domestic flights: All scheduled internal flights from Nairobi’s Wilson Airport to the Masai Mara, and from the Mara back to Nairobi connecting onward to Zanzibar, eliminating long overland transit days.

  • Dedicated private 4×4 safari vehicle: A custom pop-up roof Land Cruiser reserved exclusively for your family throughout your Mara stay, driven by a dedicated, English-speaking professional driver-guide.

  • Flexible game drive schedule: Private, unhurried game drives in the Masai Mara National Reserve tailored around your family’s pace, nap times, and wildlife interests rather than a fixed group schedule.

  • Junior Ranger Programme: Fully guided, age-appropriate wildlife tracking and identification sessions led by camp staff for children, complete with an official Junior Ranger badge presentation on departure.
  • Masai Mara National Reserve fees: All conservation fees, entry permits, and local council levies paid in full for the complete duration of your stay in the reserve.

  • Full-board luxury accommodation in the Mara: All meals included—breakfast, lunch, and dinner—during your stay at Sarova Mara Game Camp, including bush breakfasts and campfire dinners.

  • Bed-and-breakfast accommodation in Zanzibar: Overnight stays in family-suited rooms at Sandies Baobab Beach Resort in Kendwa, with daily buffet breakfasts overlooking the lagoon.
  • Family-friendly Maasai village visit: Private entry and cultural tour of a local Maasai homestead, featuring traditional dance performances, beadwork demonstrations, and child-paced storytelling.
  • All airport and airstrip transfers: Seamless, private ground transfers between hotels, airports, airstrips, and resorts in Nairobi, the Masai Mara, and Zanzibar.
  • 24-hour on-trip emergency support: Direct, round-the-clock telephone line to our regional operations team throughout your journey, covering ground logistics, flight monitoring, and local support.

What’s Not Included

✗International flights and Tanzania visa fees

✗Zanzibar snorkelling excursion (available as an add-on)

✗Travel insurance

 

✗ Gratuities for guides, camp staff, and drivers

✗ Alcoholic and premium drinks not specified at each property

Signature Experiences

  • The Junior Ranger Badge: While adults extend a game drive or relax at camp, children join a guided programme of age-appropriate tracking and wildlife-identification activities, learning to read spoor and identify calls the way a real ranger would. On departure they receive a badge to keep, giving the trip a tangible souvenir beyond the photographs, and something to talk about back at school.
  • Family-Paced Game Drives: Because your vehicle is private rather than shared, drive length and timing bend around your family rather than the other way around. A morning drive can end early if naps are due, or run long if a sighting holds everyone’s attention, with no fixed group schedule dictating when you head back to camp.
  • A Beach Built for Kids: Kendwa’s stretch of Zanzibar’s north coast sits behind a coral reef that keeps the lagoon shallow and calm at most tide levels, unlike the open-water beaches found on other parts of the island. It’s the reason this itinerary lands here specifically, giving children a safe, gentle introduction to swimming and snorkelling in the ocean.

Why Choose This Journey

  • Watch your child earn a Junior Ranger badge, real tracking skills taught by real Mara guides

  • Drive the Masai Mara at your family’s own pace, no fixed group schedule to match

  • Meet a Maasai family up close, beadwork and dance explained at a pace kids can follow

  • End the trip barefoot in Kendwa’s shallow lagoon, safe water even for first-time swimmers
Frequently Asked Questions
  • There is no strict minimum age for game drives in a private vehicle; most families find ages 6 and up get the most from the Junior Ranger Programme.

  • Yes, the reef-protected lagoon is shallow and calm at most tide levels, though we recommend confirming tide times with resort staff each day.

  • Yes, this itinerary is designed to flex for multi-generational groups; vehicle and room configurations are adjusted based on final group size.

  • Game drive length is flexible and can be shortened or split around naps and meal times, unlike a fixed-schedule group safari.

Map

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Extra

Hot Air Balloon Safari over the Masai Mara ($550.00)

Guided Family Snorkelling Excursion, Kendwa Lagoon ($45.00)

Maasai Beadwork Workshop for Kids, Masai Mara ($30.00)

Prison Island (CNairobi National Park & Giraffe Centre Day Tour, pre or post safarihanguu) Tortoise Sanctuary Tour, Zanzibar ($90.00)

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