Inspiration
Safari with children – A family adventure in Tanzania
Going on holiday to Africa with your (young) children? It might not be the first idea that comes to mind. Africa sounds adventurous — maybe even a little intimidating. Perhaps it feels like something to save for when the kids are older? Absolutely not!
A safari in Tanzania with children can be the ultimate dream trip. Imagine exploring the savannah together in an open safari jeep — spotting monkeys swinging through the trees, zebras grazing just metres from your vehicle, and lions lounging in the shade. It’s the kind of holiday your family will never forget.
And the best part? It can all be arranged from start to finish, so you don’t have to worry about a thing. From the moment you land, a private driver will be there to welcome you and take you to your hotel. A day later, your personal guide picks you up and the safari begins — following a pre-planned, family-friendly route tailored to your pace and preferences.
Travelling with children doesn’t mean giving up adventure — it just means having the right plan in place. So, what should you keep in mind when preparing a safari with kids? We’ve listed our best tips below:
- Take into account the travel distances every day. Tanzania is a large country and has several game parks, including Tarangire, the Ngorongoro crater and the famous Serengeti. So you are not only in the car for a game drive (in the parks), but you also travel from one park to another. Therefore, make sure you have a schedule in which you divide the travel distances over the days.
- The choice of accommodation is large, from budget to extremely luxurious lodges. A midrange lodge is often a very nice place to stay, it doesn’t have to be super expensive and luxurious. And how nice is it if you can dive into the pool at the end of the day. In parks like Serengeti, a lodge with a swimming pool is quite expensive, but outside it is very affordable.
- Safari means that you often spend long days in the car. As indicated above, it is useful to plan this smartly. But it is also nice to alternate the game drives with other activities, such as a bike ride in the village and the nature reserve next to Lake Manyara, a visit to a real Maasai village or a walk to the waterfalls.
- Especially when the children are young, it is financially smart to go now. Children up to the age of 12 receive a discount on the accommodations and children up to the age of 15 receive a substantial discount on the park fees. A safari is easily 4 to 7 days and then that makes a huge difference!
- Tanzania is pre-eminently the ideal holiday country where you can alternate safari with sun, sea and beach. After your safari, book a domestic flight to Zanzibar and enjoy a few more wonderful days on this tropical island. From Zanzibar you can fly back to the Netherlands.