A safari is one of the best trips you can take with children. They see animals they know from books walking past the car, they meet children from other cultures, and they remember it all their lives. With the right planning, it is also easy and safe. Here is how we plan family safaris in northern Tanzania.
What age is best?
There is no minimum age for a private safari with us, but the experience changes with age.
- Under 5: possible and many families do it, but long drives and early starts are hard. Keep the trip short, choose lodges with pools and gardens, and consider a fly-in safari.
- 6 to 12: the ideal age. Children are curious, can sit through game drives, and love checklists and binoculars.
- Teenagers: they can join walks, cultural visits and photography, and often become the family's best spotters.
Some lodges and camps have minimum ages, often 6, 8 or 12, especially small tented camps and walking safaris. We only suggest lodges that welcome your children's ages.
Why a private safari is best for families
With your own vehicle and guide, you set the pace. You can start later, stop for a toilet break, return to the lodge for a swim, or stay an hour with a baby elephant. You never worry that your children are bothering other travellers. Our guides are parents themselves and are very good with children: they teach tracking, animal sounds and Swahili words, and they turn a long drive into a game.
The best parks for children
Tarangire
About two hours from Arusha on a good road, with lots of elephants and giant baobabs. A great first park for children.
Lake Manyara
A small park with monkeys, hippos and birds, and short distances. Perfect for younger children.
Ngorongoro Crater
Animals everywhere, in a small area, and a picnic by the hippo pool. Children love the crater, and a full day there is easy because the drives between sightings are short.
Serengeti
The highlight for older children, but it takes a long drive or a short flight to reach. For young children, we usually suggest flying in and out.
Family-friendly lodges
Look for lodges with a fenced or well-guarded pool, family rooms or connected tents, flexible meal times and child menus. In Karatu, several lodges are working coffee farms with gardens where children can run, which is a welcome break after a day in the vehicle. In the Serengeti, Four Seasons Safari Lodge has family rooms, a pool and a kids' programme. Unfenced tented camps are wonderful for older children, but parents must keep young ones close, especially after dark, when staff escort you to your tent.
Health and safety
- Malaria: northern Tanzania and Zanzibar are malaria areas. Ask your doctor about child-safe prevention, use repellent and long sleeves in the evening, and sleep under nets.
- Vaccinations: make sure routine vaccinations are up to date, and ask your travel clinic about others for Tanzania.
- Sun: the equator sun is strong, even when it feels cool. Hats, sunscreen and plenty of water.
- Food: lodges serve simple options for children. Bring familiar snacks from home for the vehicle.
- Medical help: good hospitals are in Arusha, and we can add emergency evacuation cover to your safari. Always buy family travel insurance with medical evacuation.
Park fees for children
In Tanzania's national parks and the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, children under 5 enter free and children aged 5 to 15 pay a reduced fee, often about a quarter to a third of the adult fee. Many lodges also offer reduced rates for children sharing with parents. This makes family safaris better value than many parents expect.
Tips for long drives
- Keep drives under four hours where possible and break them with stops
- Give each child their own binoculars and a wildlife checklist
- Download films, audiobooks and games for transfer days
- Plan afternoon breaks at the lodge pool instead of two long drives every day
- Choose a fly-in option for the Serengeti with children under seven
Cultural experiences children love
A visit to a Maasai village, a morning with the Hadzabe at Lake Eyasi, a coffee farm tour where they roast their own beans, or the Materuni waterfall near Kilimanjaro are all great with children. They are short, active and full of things to try. For the Hadzabe hunt, children should be able to walk quietly for an hour or two.
A sample family route
Here is a route that works well for families with children aged 6 to 12:
- Day 1: arrive in Arusha, rest at a garden lodge
- Day 2: Tarangire, with an afternoon at the pool
- Day 3: Lake Manyara in the morning, coffee farm in Karatu in the afternoon
- Day 4: Ngorongoro Crater with a hippo-pool picnic
- Days 5–6: fly to the Serengeti for two nights
- Day 7: fly to Zanzibar for beach days, or home
Keeping children busy and learning
Children enjoy a safari most when they have a job. Give them a checklist of animals and birds, a pair of binoculars and a camera of their own, even a cheap one. Ask them to count elephants, spot the first giraffe of the day or listen for the call of a fish eagle. Our guides love teaching children to recognise footprints and droppings, and to say the animals' names in Swahili: tembo for elephant, simba for lion, twiga for giraffe. In the evening, a drawing book or a journal helps them process everything they saw. Many lodges also have small activities for children, from bead-making with Maasai women to short guided walks around camp.
Night-time and camp safety
Most safari lodges and tented camps are unfenced, which is part of the magic but needs some rules. Children should never walk alone after dark; a member of staff with a torch escorts every family to and from the tent. Keep tents zipped, do not leave food inside and stay on the paths. In family tents, the children sleep in the same unit as their parents. Our guides explain the rules on the first evening, and children usually take them very seriously.
Travelling with babies and toddlers
Babies and toddlers can come on a private safari, and many families do it. Bring a travel cot if your lodge cannot provide one, plenty of nappies and wipes, and familiar food. Car seats are not standard in safari vehicles, so bring your own if you want one; we can fit it for you. Plan shorter game drives of two to three hours and rest in the middle of the day.
Family safaris we recommend
Our 8-day safari with Lake Eyasi mixes wildlife with a cultural morning children remember. The 6-day classic safari flies back from the Serengeti, which cuts the long drive. For younger children, the 5-day fly-in luxury safari keeps drives short, and a few days in Zanzibar afterwards make the perfect end; our safari and Zanzibar guide explains how. See our family safari page or tell us your children's ages and we will design the trip around them.
Frequently asked questions
01What is the best age for a safari in Tanzania?
Six to twelve is ideal, but families with younger children travel happily on short, private safaris with family-friendly lodges and fly-in options.
02Do children pay park fees in Tanzania?
Children under 5 enter the parks free. Children aged 5 to 15 pay a reduced fee, much lower than the adult rate.
03Is a Tanzania safari safe for kids?
Yes, with a private guide, sensible lodges and the usual precautions: malaria prevention, sun protection, travel insurance and staying close to parents in unfenced camps.
Ready to plan?
Tell us your dates and travel style and we will shape a route around them.
