Tanzania Family Safaris
A brief overview of where to head if you are travelling in a group...
Tanzania is often lauded as one of Africa's friendliest countries and, with regards to family safaris, this is certainly the case. As with its neighbour Kenya, Tanzania is one of the few countries in Africa that can easily combine a beach holiday with a safari and, with regards to family safaris, there is a very large range of options that you can choose from. Please have a look at the different recommendations and options below.
0 to 7 year olds on safari
It is often debated as to what age it is possible to introduce children to the world of safari and we tend to find that, with Tanzania being in the malarial zone, anything up to 7 years old tends to be a little too early for them to appreciate the activities. This is not to say, however, that the islands of Zanzibar are not still an option and, with a select few properties offering rates for children up to this age, it is still possible but probably not recommended.
7+ year olds on safari
From 7 years onwards it is certainly possible to have a varied and interesting safari in all of the various safari areas in the country. Please see our thoughts below:
Northern Tanzania for family safaris
On the whole most of the itineraries that we feature to visit the northern parks of Tanzania involve using a private Landcruiser and so this is easily adaptable for family trips. The one point we would make about these northern trips is that, at certain times of the year, there can be quite a lot of driving in the itinerary and so younger children can find it quite tiring.
Southern Tanzania for family safaris
The southern parks of the Selous Game Reserve and Ruaha National Park have become more and more family friendly over the last few years and, as such, many of the camps down here offer interconnecting family tents as well as family villas which allow total seclusion, private guides and child friendly activities.
Western Tanzania
This are of Tanzania is probably the hardest and most expensive to get to but it is certainly worthwhile in order to see some of the most remotes areas of Africa such as Mahale Mountains National Park and Katavi National Park. It does to be an area that is more for keen safari fans, but it can., again, be a rewarding place to consider.
Zanzibar and the Islands
Certainly one of the most popular destinations for families in Tanzania, there are plenty of very good properties to choose from on the island of which a few are mentioned below.