How To Plan An Unforgettable Family Safari Trip to Tanzania

Traveling with the whole family can be fun, but it also presents a few challenges. For the parents, you may need to plan the trip under stress and consider all the possible scenarios for your children. You may be worried about the weather or how the children will handle the entire journey. You may also be wondering whether the children will get bored and how their experience in the parks will be. 

Planning a family safari trip to Tanzania does not have to be that difficult. In any case, you only need to know where you will be staying, what to do, and the things that will make the trip worthwhile. This guide will provide you with some of the tips to make your planning easier. 

Find the Right Accommodation

One of the most important considerations you need to make for a successful family safari trip to Tanzania is deciding where you will stay. Once you have decided on a budget and picked your top parks to visit, take time to choose a convenient accommodation for each location. 

Tanzania offers a wide range of accommodation options for tourists, most of which are family-friendly. Although most of the lodges have age restrictions and will not host children under the age of 12 or 6 years, there are still many options. Check out the kid-friendly lodges along your route, especially the ones that offer activities for the children. This may include archery classes, horse riding, craft classes, cultural events, game trials, and more. 

Choosing a family-friendly accommodation helps to make sure that everyone is comfortable. The rooms are usually bigger and usually come with extra beds. There is also a spacious space where kids can play. For families with bigger kids, you may choose accommodations with adjoining rooms that offer an added layer of privacy. 

Choose Family-Friendly Activities

The choice of activities that you choose will largely depend on your family’s temperaments. Some children get easily bored during a safari while others are so excited to see the animals. Knowing what your children love to do can help spice up the trip with the right activities. 

If you are going to national parks like Tarangire and Serengeti, you may consider adding activities such as hot air balloons, night game drives, walking safaris, and rhino tours to make the experience more enjoyable. While you will still be in the wild, such activities make the trip more exciting and eliminate the need for constant game drives that may seem monotonous for the kids. Other family-friendly activities that you may add to your itinerary include:

• Seeing the Big 5 
• Experiencing The Great Migration
• Travel and explore the Northern Circuit
• Go to Stone Town
• Explore water games on the Zanzibar Island
• Enjoy the sandy beaches of Zanzibar
• Visit a Maasai Village

Most of the activities are usually limited to specific locations. So, it helps to check what is offered before adding a destination to your itinerary. Some of the general activities that you may find interesting include tree-top walking hikes, and cycling through the highlands and plantations. You may also explore cultural excursions by visiting Maasai villages, visiting art museums, or exploring the city. 

Decide the Duration of Your Tanzania Trip

While you may be tempted to stay in Tanzania for as long as possible, choosing a specific duration helps you to plan better. Usually, your trip will start in Arusha after arrival into the country, and then you can head to your preferred destination. You may stop at several tourist attractions on the way and head out for a game drive on your way to your destination.

Since the distance between Arusha and most national parks is huge, you may need to have several stopovers for the kids. For instance, Serengeti is 8 hours away from Arusha while Tarangire is 3 hours. Driving directly to these destinations can be tiring for the little ones, and that’s why it helps to have several stopovers. 

Although you may not be covering such huge distances every day, deciding on the duration helps you choose the parks to visit and the activities you want to do. Usually, the sweet spot for family safari trips to Tanzania is 6 to 7 days. This gives you adequate time to spend at the national parks, try out various activities, and allow the kids time to relax and enjoy the vacation. 

Get Your Vaccinations

Just like any other family trip, safety and health are the most important things. Before your family safari trip to Tanzania, you will need to seek vaccination advice from your health provider on the following conditions:

• Yellow Fever
• Hepatitis A
• Hepatitis B
• Tetanus
• Diphtheria
• Tuberculosis
• Polio

Especially with kids, it is important to make sure they are vaccinated for polio and yellow fever. If your trip will be longer than two weeks, some doctors may recommend you get vaccinated for Typhoid as well. Talking to your doctor about the activities that you plan to engage in, such as petting the animals helps in making sure you get the right vaccinations. 

Choose the Right Time of the Year

The weather in Tanzania is not the same throughout the year, and choosing the right season ensures you have the best experience during your safari. The best time is usually the Dry season, which lasts from June to October. During this period, you will love the warm weather, with temperatures ranging from 20 to 30°C (68 to 86°F), which makes it ideal to visit most places. 

One of the factors that make Tanzania safaris quite interesting during the Dry season is that the vegetation is not that thick. This gives you the best views across the land, and the animals are naturally drawn to water bodies in their numbers. Therefore, it is easier to spot them, take nice photos, and explore their lives in their natural habitat.

Since it will not be raining, most roads are passable and your itinerary can be as extensive as you like. There is also no water stagnation, which means your risk of encountering tsetse flies and mosquitos is low. Your children will enjoy their trip without the excess worry of such insects or bugs in their accommodations. 

Carry the Right Clothes

Although the Dry season is the best time for a trip to Tanzania, the country’s client is generally moderate. Even in the wet season, temperature will occasionally reach above 30°C/86°F. However, this does not mean that you should only pack light for your trip. Most of the game drives are during early mornings and you will need to have proper clothing at this time.

When you are going on a safari, make sure that your children’s clothing covers their bodies properly. You will likely encounter insects and the hot sun later in the day. Preferably go for lighter tone clothes during the game drive as most insects and flies and attracted to darker shades like blacks and blues. A hat may also come in handy during the trip. Also, make sure to park warm clothes for your children such as a fleece jacket, warm socks, jumper, or warm bottoms as the temperature in the evening and early morning can drop significantly. 

When it comes to shoes, make sure they are comfortable and cover your feet completely. Even if you will not be going for a hike or a safari walk, comfortable and well-fitting shoes make it easier to explore the wild. A good choice may include bots or even sneakers. However, when visiting the cities or staying at the lodge, you may shift to sandals or flip-flops to allow your feet to relax and breathe. 

Hire a Professional Guide

The importance of a professional guide during a safari cannot be overlooked. Depending on where you will be staying, you can be offered a guide or need to hire one. Some hotels provide professional guides for their visitors during their entire stay. In others, however, you may be required to hire one through their information center.

With a professional guide, you will be able to find the best spots to places and the best time to find rare wildlife. They also make it easier for you to access secure areas and give you a great experience. You can ask any question, especially about the hard-to-find animals, making the entire experience worthwhile. 

Consider a Group Family Safari Trip

The safari experience can be as exciting as you want. If you join aopt for a group family safari trip, it means that you can share a safari vehicle with another family. Not only does this bring down the cost of hiring the vehicle, but it can also create a unique experience for your family. You may not have the flexibility of privacy that comes with having the vehicle all by yourself, but you will have the benefit of having the numbers. 

Purchase a Local SIM card

When you are traveling with family to Tanzania, communication is a major consideration. You can bridge the communication gap with the local people and abroad by buying a sim card locally. This will save you the extra charge of calling or sending messages with a foreign number. You will also be able to connect to the internet locally at a cheaper price. 

Several options are available depending on the budget and service reception. While Airtel is the most budget-friendly option, it also has the worst network reception. Vodacom on the other hand has the best network connection, but relatively more expensive. Whichever you choose, a local SIM card will keep you connected to the world. 

Pack Essential Medicines 

When traveling with kids, you can never be too careful. Most children struggle with new weather or climate, and may easily fall sick. Therefore, make sure to pack some painkillers, antibiotics, antihistamines and other medicines that may need a quick reach during the safari. If you have any kind of allergies, make sure to bring the right medication and let your guide be aware of this beforehand. 

Since you will be spending more of your time in the wild, bring insect repellants for you and your kids, mostly roll-on, patches and kid-friendly sprays are a great choice. Although most lodges may provide nets and insect repellants, bringing your own gives you peace of mind, especially when you need to use them on demand. 

Plan Your Family Safari Trip to Tanzania with Professionals

Going for a family safari trip may seem complicated, especially when considering all the important things your children will need. However, choosing the right itinerary allows you to know what to focus on and plan your safari better.

At Bobby Tours, we help families create the best memories of Tanzania safaris. Our family packages will help you have the best experience while in the country while considering all the dynamics that come with having your kids on board. Contact us today to make a booking or make an inquiry about any of our packages. 

FAQs