Tanzania is one of the well-liked locations for a family safari in Africa; it is a place of diverse wildlife and beautiful natural scenery. The nation is home to some of the most recognizable species on the continent, such as lions, elephants, and leopards.
Your children will discover the wonders of nature outside of the classroom. They’ll love learning how to “track” animals by their footprints or droppings. And imagine their joy in watching baby elephants running by, leopard cubs at play, or velvet monkeys stealing food, among their other antics.
The experience that the Tanzania family safari creates is a lifetime memorable adventure. The visit to Northern Tanzania’s top attractions, such as Serengeti National Park and Ngorongoro Crater, and the combination of exploring new and diverse cultures, last a lifetime.
Things You Should Consider While Planning a Tanzania Family Safari
When embarking on your journey to plan the best South Africa safari experience for your entire family, there are important considerations to keep in mind at the outset.
- What are the kids’ ages?
- The outcomes you anticipate from a safari in Tanzania
- Which animals are you hoping to see
- Do you have the correct tour guide
- Do they have children’s programs
- Which packages are the luxury safari Tanzania
Why Go For a Tanzania Family Safari?
A National Geographic documentary, a magazine article, or a trip to the zoo might have sparked interest in viewing Africa’s wildlife. One alternative is to work with a tour operator that offers themselves as “safari experts” to accentuate the interest. Alternatively, one may educate oneself and discover what can be seen and done on a wildlife Tanzania safari.
A family safari in Tanzania is one of the best places to see the most animals, in species and sheer numbers, on game drives across savannas or hiking wooded trails, observing watering holes, or along lakeshores teeming with birds, hippos, and crocodiles.
Tourists or families on a visit disconnect for two weeks from all forms of modern technology, including the internet, cell phones, newspapers, radio, and television, though you can have access to the internet.
They choose to avoid fast food chains, vehicular traffic, large crowds, and artificial noises, creating an unfamiliar environment in today’s hectic, modern world. A safari day is made up of a variety of unplanned, unanticipated, and natural occurrences.
Every safari is distinct and thrilling. One’s world can be enriched by an opportunity to witness Tanzania’s wildlife. Also, interact with the people of Tanzania, and know the tribes in Tanzania and their respective cultures.
7 Travel Tips to Help Plan Your Family Safari in Tanzania
Are you planning on a travel trip to Tanzania on a Family safari? And you might be wondering how to plan your trip, especially when you intend to come with kids.
Here are some of the tips that could help you plan a perfect Tanzania family safari:
1. What activities are most important to your family?
Engage the entire family in a brainstorming session to discuss different ideas, preferences, and expectations. Make a note of what each family member wants to do or see on safari.
Not only will this help your family clarify priorities, but the better the tour operator understands your wish list, the better the chance they’ll be able to optimize your safari options.
2. Budget for Your Safari
Identify your budget early on in the planning process. First, you’ll need to assess how much you’ll be able to spend on travel to and within Tanzania, insurance, visas, hotels, meals, activities, and tours (national park fees, drivers/guides, 4×4 safari vehicles) for your family group.
The type of trip you are searching for, whether a family safari or a luxury Tanzania safari, depends on your budget. The cost of a Tanzania family safari depends on how many people are traveling as a family.
Depending on the kind of lodging you choose, African safari vacation packages for families, couples, or luxurious packages all come at different costs.
An experienced tour operator can help you set a realistic budget depending on how basic or luxurious you prefer your accommodations. They’ll guide you on the pros and cons of seasonal rates (peak or off-season).
3. Work with a Reputable Tour Operator
This tip deserves its own section. Working with a reputable tour operator can make all the difference in your safari experience. Especially with children, you’ll want to minimize any hassles that arise when traveling on safari far from home. They know the best places to go, how to spot animals you’d never pick out on your own, and can enrich your daily experience with insight and background information.
An experienced tour operator can assist you with your itinerary planning, make invaluable recommendations, let you know when you need to book accommodations and activities and facilitate much of the set-up you need for seamless travel.
4. Plan Suitable Accommodation for Your Family Safari
Choose the type of accommodation you want to use while on a family safari in Tanzania. The rooming layout should be according to your preferences. For example, check for a separate room arrangement service for a luxury safari in Tanzania.
Also, you may want connecting rooms, a family site, a private villa for only your family, or you would prefer camping for a bigger family size. Whatever you decide should be up to your standards.
5. Identify the Best Time for Your Family to Travel
For those who can be flexible in their travel times, setting up your safari based on what you most hope to see and experience can follow Africa’s natural rhythms. The dry season, from July to October, is the most popular time to travel to Tanzania. And if you’re hoping to see wildlife and lots of it, this is the time to do it–even though you’ll be working around crowded observation points. As watering holes dry up, more and more animals converge on the remaining water sources, and the chances are excellent that you’ll witness the careful dance at the watering hole between predator and prey. Birdwatchers will prefer the rainy season, and budget travelers love off-season with dramatically reduced lodging prices and far fewer people around.
And, of course, there’s the legendary wildebeest migration, where almost two million animals migrate across the Serengeti following the rains. Calving season is January through March in the southern Serengeti, and a spectacle on a scale you must see to believe. Wildebeests and their calves, and hundreds of thousands of zebras and gazelles start migrating north and west in May and June with the dramatic river crossings at the Grumeti and Mara Rivers through July, August, and September.
Your tour operator can guide you to the best places to see all you hope to see, given the time of year you can travel. The more you can fit your schedule to suit nature, the more you’ll be able to enjoy all your safari can offer.
6. Work with a Kid-Friendly, Family-Friendly Safari Guide
Families traveling with children will be glad they teamed up with a kid-friendly tour guide. Your guide will know the special spots that appeal to kids, like nature walks looking for animal tracks, big animals, small animals, insects, snakes, and fossils–they’ll keep it interesting and fun for your kids.
A knowledgeable safari guide creates a fantastic means of fostering tighter ties within the family, and making their experience a memorable one.
7. Which Safari Destinations in Tanzania Will Be the Best Fit for Your Family?
In Tanzania, you can go on a family safari and spend entire days in the wild. Several of their national parks, including the Serengeti National Park and the Ngorongoro Crater and surrounding conservation area, are home to the Big 5 animals: the lion, leopard, elephant, buffalo, and rhino.
The Ngorongoro Conservation Area looks just as its nickname implies: The Africa’s Garden of Eden, complete with paleontological treasures at Olduvai Gorge. Arusha National Park, also in northern Tanzania, is known for its abundant wildlife but of the less dangerous variety. Families with younger children may feel more comfortable in these sorts of areas.
And then there are the chimps of the Mahale Mountains National Park, the flamingos of Lake Manyara National Park, the iconic Mount Kilimanjaro, and the sun-drenched beaches of historical Zanzibar.
Discuss with a tour operator which of these world-renowned safari destinations will be the best fit for your family.
Conclusion
A family safari in Tanzania is an extraordinary opportunity for you and your family to experience nature in a way you might never be able to do again. This firsthand experience of life in a faraway land, of people of diverse customs and ways of life, and of magnificent creatures in natural habitats of awe-inspiring beauty will be an experience the entire family will always treasure.