Let the Journey Begin: San Francisco to Doha, Qatar!

Happy 10-year wedding anniversary to us! Emily and I like to go big, and a safari-focused trip to Tanzania, Africa with our seven and five-year olds (at the time – eight and six now) was just that. To top the idea of this trip, not only was it an absolute blast and once-in-a-lifetime experience, but Henry (seven) and Andrew (five) were world traveling rock stars (= they had so much fun, and Emily and I breathably enjoyed the trip).

To kickstart the trip, we flew direct from our home airport, San Francisco International Airport, to Hamad International Airport in Doha, Qatar via Qatar Airways. The flight was very comfortable, thanks to high-quality service and space provided by Qatar Airways – this made our 15-hour direct flight not only bearable, but enjoyable. The Q-Suites we upgraded to were amazing, but definitely spoiled us before our return to economy for our many flights ahead.

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Doha, Qatar here we come, after a 15-hour flight, and a 7-hour layover ahead! After landing and departing customs with our handheld travel bags, we caught an easy Uber ride from the Doha airport (Hamad International Airport) and took a 45-minute drive to our first layover destination, a sand dune camel ride. Henry and Tony teamed up on one camel and Emily and Andrew on the other, and the nighttime camel ride was the key to keeping us awake. Each camel rose up quickly, with a lunge, to an unexpected height and shifted around from up to down and side to side, much more than we expected – we were now ready to go. We thought that the camel ride with our two boys was a wake up call, but that was a rookie experience compared to the nighttime sand dune Toyota Land Cruiser safari ride that followed. Just picture Tokyo Drift on sand, sliding down the sides of the sandy slopes like a professional skier or snowboarder would down a ski slope – wow! We screamed, and screamed some more. A ton of fun and a bit scary. Since this was your average layover experience, we ended the layover journey by watching jumping fish leap out of the Persian Gulf sea under a star filled sky. Yes, this was not a dream. We returned back to the airport much more awake than when we arrived and were ready for our upcoming 5-hour direct flight from Doha to Kilimanjaro International Airport in Arusha, Tanzania, Africa.

Welcome to Tanzania, Africa: Arusha + Lake Manyara

After departing from SFO on Tuesday, June 28 at 4pm, we arrived in Tanzania on Thursday, June 30 at 7:35am – the 4th furthest destination in the world from San Francisco! After going through a 5-step, not so fast, airport check-in process, we met our amazing personal Tanzania guide, Wilfred, and Access 2 Tanzania’s Safari SUV which was our main form of ground transportation for the next seven days of our Tanzanian journey. The drive to our first lodging, the Rivertrees Country Inn, gave us all our first taste of Tanzania, Africa – such a special feeling being abroad again, but on a level that truly takes you into a country and continent that is very different than your own and live life in a new and unique way. After arriving to our lodging, which was 45 minutes from our hotel, we immediately ate breakfast, showered, and got ready for our daytime adventure.

Arusha was our focus for the day, and it was exhilarating walking through the streets and shops of Tanzania’s 5th largest city. This urban town, surrounded by high-rise, lush and green mountains, was such a wonderful welcome to our first time in the continent of Africa. Arusha’s downtown market was filled with nicely aligned and colorful fruits, vegetables, and spices – it was very impressive. That night, we enjoyed a nice walking cruise around our lodging property, which included paved trails, monkeys jumping from one beautiful tree to the next, and a rushing river on the backend of the property. Our fireside dinner was delicious, and although our kids fell asleep one-by-one during dinner, it was a relaxing and delicious experience.

Arusha brought us to Lake Manyara via a 45-minute tiny plane ride. After landing the tiny plane at the tiny airport of Lake Manyara, we had a quick and delicious Swahili breakfast and local shop experience at the African Galleria, not far from the Lake Manyara Airport. The Great Rift Valley viewpoint was our first prime destination of the day, and it was magnificent to view the mountain ridge line that extends from Kenya and Uganda through Tanzania, with a beautiful view of the Great Rift Valley and Lake Manyara. We then drove through local towns to the Elephant Caves forest hike, which included a waterfall at the end. We were thankful for our two guides, one including a ranger with a firearm for protection. They kept us safe from potential leopards leaping at us through the thick bushes surrounding the hike and the potential for elephants stomping on us on the narrow trails. We did see an elephant during the hike, but from a safe distance, which was a beautiful sight. The hike down to the waterfall was a bit treacherous, and we had to hold on tightly to Henry and Andrew’s hands to ensure we travelled down the steep, narrow, slick, and basically unprotected staircase and trail safely.

Directly after our Elephant Caves hike, we embarked on a 1.5 hour mountainous, foresty, windy, bumpy and dirt road trip up to over 7,000 feet to Ngorongoro Conservation Area’s Lions Paw Camp, where we stayed for two nights. This was the official kickstart to our Tanzanian safari, and with elephants, lions, leopards and more surrounding our hotel rooms, it was as real, beautiful, intimidating, and amazing as it gets. By the way, this hotel was out of this world – very luxurious and incomparable!

Ngorongoro Conservation Area

Ngorongoro Conservation Area safari, here we come! Our first safari of our Tanzanian journey was underway, and it toured us through the Ngorongoro Crater, which was a 15-minute drive straight down the mountain from Lions Paw Camp. The safari was a 5-hour tour through the Ngorongoro Crater, which included Lake Magadi or Alkaline (salt) Lake, and we were generously welcomed by a wide, unbelievable cast of wildlife: lions, elephants, buffalos, zebras, hippos, hyenas, gazelles, wildebeests, warthogs, jackals, flamingos, and ostriches. Absolutely wonderful enjoying their natural habitat with them.

After a short, absolutely needed, mandatory siesta at our very comfortable, spacious, and luxurious Lions Paw Camp hotel, we visited the local Maasai village to meet the local Tanzanians from the Ngorongoro region and to learn about their lifestyle. The Maasai’s warm welcome to our family was incredible, and their willingness and openness to share their lifestyle with us was very much appreciated and a wonderful cultural education for our family. From dance to fire making to spear throwing and sparring to house (hut) visits to school house education in action, it was a very worthwhile and fun experience. We even got to play football (or soccer) with the adults and children, and I selfishly was able to live my “Secret Life of Walter Mitty” dream – playing soccer (or football) on the fly in a foreign country with people from a completely different culture with one simple interest – feeling free and kicking a “football” around.

Serengeti National Park

In the morning, we departed Ngorongoro Conservation Area’s Lions Paw Camp with our wonderful Access 2 Tanzania guide, Wilfred, for the Serengeti National Park leg of our Tanzanian safari. Just so you know, by this point in our journey, Wilfred was not just our guide, but also a member of our family, who we all adored.

During the drive from Ngorongoro Conservation Area to Serengeti National Park, the landscape shifted drastically from lush, green mountainous terrain to desert. We made of very historical stop at the Oldupai (or now known as Olduvai Gorge), where they believe the first human remains were found 1.84 million years ago! We then drove through a bridge, connecting two world famous national parks, the Ngorongoro Conservation Area which we exited and the Serengeti National Park that we entered – quite the day of epic landmark experiences. After a picnic lunch at the Serengeti National Park check-in station, we entered the park for our first Serengeti safari – 21 lions, 2 elephants, and 3 giraffes from an up close and personal distance. We were very fortunate to view these amazing animals in the wild. After our safari, we arrived to the Serengeti’s Lemala Nanyukie Lodge, which was another absolutely amazing lodging. Lemala Nanyukie Lodge had private views of the Serengeti from our private back deck with lounge furniture, a dip pool, and lions, leopards, elephants, buffalo, and more surrounding the area. Luckily we had personal Maasai to help guide us to and from our lodging to the dining and recreational areas of the hotel with each arrival and departure.

Our first morning in the Serengeti was a photo and video shoot at sunrise, organized by Emily of course. This very special, once-in-a-lifetime sunrise photo and video shoot was with a Tanzanian crew from Dar es Salaam, Green Wedding Films, who took photos and videos of our family at the Lemala Nanyukie Lodge and Serengeti National Park to celebrate Emily and Tony’s 10-year wedding anniversary. After the shoot, we had a fun and adventurous 5-hour Serengeti safari with plentiful wildlife viewing – lions (male and female), cheetahs, a leopard, hippos, and elephants, and giraffes up close. We returned to the Lemala Nanyukie Lodge for lunch and a restful afternoon. Once we refreshed in the dip pool and outdoor shower on the back deck of our fancy dancy tent, we enjoyed a sunset cruise through the Serengeti.

The next morning, we started strong once again with a sunrise safari that welcomed us with more beautiful wildlife viewing – tree climbing lions, a cheetah, hippos, a crocodile, a joint herd of zebras, giraffes, baboons, and an eagle eating a rabbit! Considering that each daytime safari lasted up to 5 hours, we were so happy that Henry and Andrew remained intrigued and excited about each expedition, no more melt downs than your average day at home – why not turn our time at home into Tanzanian safaris more often! Pool, archery, and lounge relaxation time at the Lemala Nanyukie Lodge made for a fun and rejuvenating afternoon before our final Serengeti sunset safari.

Zanzibar

Departing the amazing Serengeti National Park and Lemala Nanyukie Lodge was not easy. We were fortunate that our drive to Serengeti’s Seronera Airstrip was via a safari through the Serengeti (best drive to an airport ever!), which was our final safari of the trip. Although it was tough saying goodbye to Serengeti National Park, it was even tougher saying goodbye to our absolutely amazing and personable Access 2 Tanzania guide, Wilfred – it was a very sentimental and tearful goodbye – he is an extraordinary person and guide and would not recommend any other travel company or person to lead your way on a Tanzanian adventure. Our family, as a whole, completely broke down in tears at the airport as we said goodbye to Wilfred – we were the only family at the airport, and there were quite a few, that were crying saying goodbye to their safari travel guides. That speaks to the quality of Wilfred’s warmth, personality, and professionalism. To make it better, we currently remain in close contact with Wilfred, and we are so thankful for that.

After checking in at Seronera Airstrip, we boarded our next tiny plane for Zanzibar via one-stop in Arusha – two planes and a total 1.5 hours of flying brought us to the archipelago of Zanzibar, an island located on the northeastern side of Tanzania. Tropical paradise welcomed us warmly at Zanzibar’s airport, Abeid Amani Karume International Airport. Gallery Tours & Safaris, a Zanzibar travel guide company, which was arranged by Access 2 Tanzania, picked us up from the airport and transported us to The Residence Zanzibar, our home for the next 3 days and nights. The drive through Zanzibar to our hotel was invigorating, watching the local Tanzanian, East African island life locals in action during their daily routine. The scenery was beautiful and the entrance to our hotel, after the 1-hour drive from the airport was incredible. Infinity pool that aligned perfectly with the clear blue waters of the Indian Ocean, and our own beach front villa with our own private deck, pool, and beach. The Indian Ocean was ours. We even had our own four bikes to cruise around the property.

Ocean. Pools. Bikes. Restaurants. Kids Club. Sums up Zanzibar. However, more fun detail adds a nice spice and connection between these fun and relaxing highlights of Zanzibar and a day in the life of The Residence Zanzibar. Waking up with in-room coffee and Indian Ocean views from our villa, we juiced up and biked 5 minutes to one of their on-site restaurants for breakfast. Right after breakfast, we swam in the ocean front infinity pool, continued cruising around freely on our bikes for transportation around the property, to and from our villa, where we continued to swim in our private villa pool and play on our private beach. Climbing palm trees and coconut “football” (or soccer) were fun. Once the kids started to show signs of a meltdown, we immediately biked them to the Kids Club, the Smiling Monkey, for a 2-hour parental break. After we picked up the kids, refreshed, we biked to the on-site Jetty, or pier, which was made with fine wood and extended a couple hundred of yards out into the shallow waters of the Indian Ocean. Amazing enough, from the back edge of the Jetty, where the water remained very shallow, 2-feet deep tops, we walked through the Indian Ocean back to the beach. Although this sounds glorious, which it was, the underwater sand closer to the beach is a sticky suction cup, and a very strange and semi-difficult type of sand to walk through. Fun finding out new facts about exploring a new ocean, and this one being the Indian Ocean.

To launch our final morning in Zanzibar, we took an exhilarating tiny motor boat ride from our hotel Jetty across the Indian Ocean to a private beach with mangroves. The water colors were spectacular, jumping from clear blue to light green and turquoise throughout the ride, and our private white sandy beach was next to a forest of palm trees and mangroves – absolutely beautiful and perfect for our family’s first official swim in the Indian Ocean. That afternoon, we had a seaside lunch at one our hotel’s two restaurants, the one that is conveniently located right next to the infinity pool. Fresh baked pizzas and grilled calamari, with adult beverages alongside our seaside and poolside were perfection. We had to cap lunch at the swing bar on the beach – a refreshing, coastal day it was. Directly after the swing bar, we biked the kids to the Smiling Monkey Kids Club and biked as fast as we could to the spa for a 75-minute massage. Although we could barely bike back to pick up the kids, way too comfortable and relaxed, we picked them up with their bikes as well, and enjoyed an amazing final Zanzibar and Tanzanian sunset on our private beach.

The Journey Home: Zanzibar to Dar es Salaam to Doha to San Francisco

Zanzibar to Dar es Salaam to Doha, Qatar, what a departure day! The day came, and the realization struck that all great things must end – fortunately, thanks to our 14-hour overnight layover in Doha, Qatar, we were granted with one final bit of fun. From Zanzibar, we flew 20 minutes on once again, another tiny plane, to Dar es Salaam (after a 1-hour drive to the Zanzibar airport from our hotel), and from Dar es Salaam, we flew 5.5 hours to our final overnight destination of the trip, Doha, Qatar. Luckily, since we already toured through Doha during our long layover in route to Tanzania, we stayed true to our energy level and relaxed and spent the night at the Doha airport hotel, the Oryx, which was really nice. The hotel had a pool, and to ease our tastebuds back to life in the United States, we treated ourselves to a very unique restaurant you may have heard of before, Burger King.

The next morning we flew, flew some more, and flew even a bit more, 15 hours in total from Doha, Qatar to San Francisco. What an amaaaaazing trip it was, and stay tuned for our next journey to come!

Are you interested in other family getaways with kids and toddlers? Read more here:

• Tenaya Lodge in Yosemite – Perfect Fall Getaway
• 30+ Weekend Getaways from San Francisco with Kids
• How to Pack for a Family of 4 in 1 Bag & Save Money

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