Serengeti Yoga Safari: 10-Day Wildlife & Wellness Retreat in Tanzania

The trip starts at Rivertrees Country Inn near Arusha, a lodge set in old-growth gardens along the Usa River, where you land, meet the group and do your first practice. From there you fly into the Eastern Serengeti and stay at a Nyumba camp — Thomson's tented camps with proper beds, en-suite bathrooms and solar power. Mornings here are yoga before breakfast or a sunrise drive, and afternoons bring a second practice on days you were out early. Evenings are campfires and stargazing, with the occasional night drive.

You then move to the Central Serengeti, again in a Nyumba camp, with more game drives and picnics out on the plains. Guides are with you in custom safari vehicles with guaranteed window seats, and the wildlife list is the real one — lions, elephants, giraffes, zebras and whatever else the day turns up. Alongside the driving there are guided hikes, nature walks and storytelling sessions, plus visits with Maasai communities and the Enjipai women's collective.

The last stop is Gibb's Farm in the Ngorongoro Highlands, an ecolodge with private cottages, organic gardens and farm-to-table meals. This is the unwind end of the trip: spa treatments can be booked here, laundry is included, and there is time to sit with the views before flying home. An optional hot air balloon safari is available if you want one more big morning.

What separates this from a standard Tanzania safari is that yoga is built into the itinerary rather than bolted on — Masuda and Yuki teach daily, morning and afternoon, and there is a tree-planting component through the trip. It is also genuinely small: 12 guests maximum, private vehicles, and internal flights instead of long road transfers between parks.

The teachers are the reason the yoga side works. Masuda runs Radiance Yoga in Alexandria, Virginia, wrote Unlock the Power of Your Chakras, and teaches Kundalini and chakra-focused classes and teacher trainings. Yuki is a certified yoga therapist and a lead teacher on Radiance's teacher training, with private therapy sessions as part of her work. They have run this trip before — a 2024 departure was listed — so the logistics are tried.

What's included

- 9 nights of accommodation in Arusha, the Eastern Serengeti, Central Serengeti and Ngorongoro Highlands - All in-country flights and transfers - Daily yoga and meditation with Masuda and Yuki - All meals, made with locally sourced, seasonal ingredients - Park fees - Expert-led safaris with guaranteed window seats in custom safari vehicles - Cultural visits, guided hikes and scheduled excursions - Tree planting and conservation contributions - Access to camp amenities - A personal safari trip manager - Pre-trip support and personalized assistance

What's not included

- International flights to/from Kilimanjaro (JRO) - Travel insurance - Tanzanian visa - Alcoholic beverages - Gratuities for guides and camp staff - Optional hot air balloon safari - Personal expenses such as laundry at some locations and spa treatments - $500 Tanzania departure tax per person