Tanzania Safari with Kids

A Guide to Tanzania Safari with Kids

Traveling with the little ones can put a lot of parents under stress. Will they be able to handle the weather? What if they get bored? Will they be able to handle the long journeys between the parks? And so many more questions.

We have a guide on How to Plan A Safari to Tanzania. You may check it out to simplify and organize your planning, but here are some important steps that need to be followed:

• Choosing the destination
• Setting aside a budget
• Deciding the number of days
• Choosing the time of the year
• Choosing between a private or a group safari
• Choosing accommodations
• Choosing activities
• Packing appropriately

But if you have kids, here is some additional information on how you can make the safari enjoyable and safe.

*Please note that individuals 16 and above are considered adults.

Choosing the Accommodations

You have set aside a budget, you have chosen the parks you would like to visit, and now it is time to choose an accommodation for each location. You will notice that a lot of lodges have age restrictions. There are lodges that do not host children 12 or under and there are lodges that do not host kids 6 or under. So while researching lodges please apply appropriate filters to get the suitable options.

There is a long list of lodges that do host kids so you do not need to worry about not getting proper accommodations at all. Not only that, a lot of these kid friendly lodges have plenty of activities that your children might enjoy. Some lodges provide a complimentary drawing kit, and you can find various other activities such as horse riding, archery class with the traditional bow and arrow, Tanzanian art and craft classes, training on identifying game trails, cultural events, and much more.

You will also find swimming pools at many lodges which your children might enjoy after a drive in the wild. You may let the kids decide the activities they are interested in and select the lodge if it suits the entire party.

When it comes to rooms, you will be given special family rooms with extra beds and a spacious area for your kids to roam around. A lot of lodges even have adjoining rooms that can be accessed from inside the rooms. If your kids are old enough, they can be accommodated in such a room, allowing you some privacy while keeping you ensured that your kids are close by and safe.

You will find accommodation of two types: Lodges made out of solid materials and camps or lodges with canvas walls and roofing. You can get more information about the types of accommodations here.

We recommend solid structure lodgings for people with children, especially those with younger kids, as such lodgings have plenty of space and thick walls that might feel safer. In tented lodges and camps, the rooms have canvas walls so the sounds of the wild at night will seem more amplified. You are very likely to hear whoops of hyenas and growls of lions in the middle of the night. So if you think your kids might not like that, then lodges with solid structures are the best option. However, if your kids are old enough then tented camps and lodges are a great option too.

While booking a tour with us, you may simply mention the number of kids in your party along with their ages, and we will help you select the right accommodation. If you have any preferences, you may let us know about it and we will try to get it for you.

Choosing The Activities

Children of different temperaments will require different things. If there is a possibility that your child may get bored during a safari, you can spice up your trip with a number of activities.

For starters, while visiting nationals parks such as Serengeti and Tarangire, you have options of going on hot air balloon rides, rhino tours, walking safaris and night game drives. Each activity is interesting in its own way, will provide a different perspective of the wild, and hence not make the tour seem monotonous for your kids.

Please note that these activities have age restrictions. These activities are conducted by different lodges and operators, and they have their own sets of rules with different age restrictions, so once again keep a filter on while browsing.

There are plenty of other activities to add to your tour however. You can go for hikes, tree top walking, or cycling through plantations and highlands. You can also go on cultural excursions by adding Maasai village tours, learning about survival skills in the bush with the Hadza, visiting art and science museums, or exploring markets in the city.

Besides these, as mentioned above, a lot of camps and lodges organize activities too. They have archery, art, cooking, tracking, sundowners and a whole list of other activities that will definitely help alleviate some boredom.

So all in all, there are plenty of kid friendly activities to choose from. Selecting them is all about your kid’s interests and capabilities.

Deciding The Duration

Most Tanzania safaris start from Arusha city. Day 1 usually involves driving from Arusha to your chosen destination or national park, stopping at some tourist attractions on the way if you wish, and going out on a game drive for a few hours once you reach the national park. There is a considerable distance between Arusha and most famous national parks like Tarangire and Serengeti. To give you an idea, it can take up to 3 hours to get to Tarangire and 8 hours to Serengeti from Arusha. All this traveling can get really exhausting for kids, especially the smaller ones. Therefore, if you have younger kids it is advisable to spend more than one night at a park to allow your children to relax. Older children though, about 14 and 15, still find it much easier to cope with all the driving around.

Keeping this in mind you need to decide the duration according to the parks you want to visit and activities you want to do. If you have kids, a safari of 6 to 7 days might be ideal. You can spend a little more time at your chosen national parks, engage in interesting activities, and allow your kids some time to relax.

To cut down the drive times you can either start the trip with a closer national park such as Arusha National Park or Lake Manyara, or if you’re starting with Serengeti, you can take a charter flight to the location.

If Serengeti is the last destination, and you have to get back to Arusha from there, in such a scenario we would once again recommend you to explore chartered flights as a mode of transportation if you have small kids.

All in all, there must be sufficient time for children to relax and rejuvenate so that they can enjoy the safari.

If you need more help with deciding the appropriate duration, please contact us without any hesitancy.

Choosing The Right Time of The Year

Usually the right time of the year for a family safari would be in the Dry Season which is from June to October in Tanzania. Temperature in Tanzania during this season is between 20 to 30°C (68 to 86°F). During day time you can expect it to reach 30°C (86°F) however, at night and in early morning the temperature cam go as low as 20 to 22° C (68° to 71°F) .

Dry season is ideal as the vegetation won’t be thick and the animals will be drawn to water bodies which will together increase the amount of wildlife you see. To add to that, as it won’t be raining, there won’t be a lot of water stagnation that usually brings out the mosquitoes and the Tsetse flies. So if you bring your kids along during the dry season you would not have to worry about them getting attacked by mosquitoes and flies, and contracting diseases.

Further, the roads will not be muddy which will ensure that the drives between parks are more comfortable compared to how they would be during the Wet Season.

Group Joining Safari or Private Safari

Group Joining safaris require you to share the safari vehicle with another party. This brings down the cost as you will be sharing vehicle with others and the vehicle costs are charged per person per day. However, it also means that you would not have privacy or a flexible schedule. There will be fixed timings as requirements of each part have to be kept in mind.

Private Safari on the other hand will ensure that you will have the entire vehicle to yourself. You will be make changes to the itinerary and shift the timings here and there. However, it will be expensive compared to a Group Joining safari.

If your kids are old enough, say maybe 15, group joining safaris would be fine for them. However, if you have smaller children, going for a private safari would be a better idea. It would not put kids under time constraints, and they would have more space in vehicle which they might appreciate. Further, little kids might not appreciate the company of strangers either and therefore not enjoy the safari properly.

Hence, deciding between the two depends on the age and the disposition of your child, however, we would recommend private safaris for parties with children.

Getting The Right Clothes

Tanzania has a moderate climate in general. It remains between 20°C/68°F to 30°C/86°F in the Dry Season and goes a bit above 30°C/86°F in the Wet Season. Although for the safari and night or early morning time you still need proper clothes.

For safari, you must get clothes that cover your children’s body properly is advisable as it will provide defense against insects and sun. Clothes for game drives should also be in lighter tones because most flies and insects are attracted to darker shades like blues and blacks. Pairing these clothes with a hat might be a good idea.

Shoes for game drives should be comfortable and once again cover the feet completely. So sneakers or boots would good to go with. At the lodge or in the cities however, sandals and flip flops would be just fine.

Temperature drops down in the evening and early morning in Tanzania. It hovers around 20 to 22° C (68 to 71° F) around that time. So do remember to pack some warm clothing for your kids. A jumper, some warm socks, a fleece jacket, or warm bottoms would be sufficient.

Packing Important Medicines

A lot of kids do not find it easy to get accustomed to the weather, climate, and water of a new location which causes them to fall sick. So, be sure to bring antibiotics, pain killers, and other medicines. If they have any kind of allergies then do bring proper medicines and please inform us beforehand. Keeping a first aid kit would also be a great idea.

You may also being insect repellents for kids like patches, roll on, creams, ane chil freidly sprays. They can be easily applied on shirts and bodies if the need arises. Further, your lodges will also provide you with insect repellents and nets to keep the insects at bay.

Some parents might have concerns about Malaria, so in that case, please consult your child's pediatrician before coming to Tanzania. If they suggest some medicines, please add them to your medicine kit.

Will the Safari Be Safe?

The Tanzanian governments understands that entering a wild territory can get dangerous. To keep everyone safe, they have strict safety protocols in place. Protection is also provided by trained and knowledgeable park rangers.

While you're on a safari, you will be briefed by your guide about the safety regulations. To keep yourself and your kids safe, please abide by them.

Inform your guide about your kid's interests, discuss and schedule bathroom breaks, and talk to your kids about rules that they need to follow out in the wild.

All these steps will ensure that you have a safe and exciting safari.

Conclusion

Those are some important things that you need to take care of if you are bringing kids along with you on a Tanzanian safari. If you have any more questions, please feel free to contact us. We hope you have a great adventure with the kids! Joining our A Child Friendly Safari packages or Education Safari or Family Safari Packages.