Tanzania family safari
A Tanzania family safari with us starts with the tent, because nine of the 50 tents and cottages across our five camps are family units. Karatu Tented Lodge has one family suite for up to six people, and our four tented camps share the other eight.
Tanzania’s park authorities charge nothing for children under 5, and they set no minimum age for a game drive. The age limits you’ll meet are on activities, and the main ones start at 12.
Nine family units is not many for a year of school holidays. Five of them are at the three camps we keep open every month.
Is Tanzania a good choice for a family safari?
Yes. Tanzania’s northern circuit works well with children because its parks are close together. From Karatu Tented Lodge, Lake Manyara is 20 minutes away, the Ngorongoro Crater gate is 30 minutes and Tarangire is about an hour. That means a Tanzania family safari route can show young children elephants and rhinos without long transfer days.
The Serengeti is the exception. By road from Arusha it takes most of a day, over the Ngorongoro highlands. If you’d rather fly, light aircraft leave Arusha daily for airstrips across the park. Once you’re there, Mawe Tented Camp at Soit Le Motonyi has resident lions, leopards and cheetahs in every month of the year.
Plan for malaria and for unfenced camps before you book. The UK’s National Travel Health Network and Centre puts all of Tanzania below 1,800 m (5,900 ft) at high risk of malaria. And Mawe Tented Camp and Baobab have no fence, so animals walk through camp and a member of staff walks you to your tent after dark.
Why choose a private family safari instead of a group tour?
On our routes your family has its own Land Cruiser and its own guide. Nobody outside your family decides when you stop or when you head back to camp. With a young child on board, your guide can turn back the moment your child has had enough.
Every guest gets a window seat, and the pop-up roof lets you stand for a clearer view. Every vehicle carries drinking water and a first aid kit. We’ve run our own camps and Land Cruisers in northern Tanzania since 2014, and the same Mawe team looks after you from arrival to departure.
A group tour keeps one plan for everyone in the vehicle. We run one activity that way ourselves, the Tarangire night drive, at $94.50 per person on a shared vehicle, with a private vehicle available on request.
If you’re weighing a private guide against a group departure for a Tanzania family safari, start with your youngest child’s age. The younger your children, the more often a drive needs to stop or finish early, and a vehicle of your own allows both.
What age can children go on safari in Tanzania?
Children of any age can go on a game drive in Tanzania. The national parks and the Ngorongoro Conservation Area let children under 5 in free and set no minimum age for driving through. The age limits apply to activities, and bush walks and the Tarangire night drive both start at 12.
| Age | Route that fits | What works well | Park entry |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 5 | The 5-day route, with no Serengeti | Morning game drives, a base at our Karatu lodge (all ages, pool, kids’ corner) | Free |
| 5 to 11 | The 5-day route, or the 7-day route for a first Serengeti stay | Full game drives, easy nature walks around Karatu, a balloon flight from age 7 | Child rate |
| 12 and over | The 9 or 10 day route, with a migration camp | Everything above, plus bush walks and the Tarangire night drive, since both routes include a night at Baobab | Child rate until 15, adult from 16 |
| Activity | Minimum age | Where | Cost per person |
|---|---|---|---|
| Game drive in a private vehicle | None | Every park on our routes | Full day from $300 per vehicle, park fees separate |
| Easy nature walk | For children under 12 | Around Karatu | On request |
| Short bush walk, 2 to 3 hours | 12 | Serengeti, Tarangire, Ngorongoro Conservation Area, Karatu | $80 |
| Half-day walk with bush breakfast, up to 6 hours | 12 | Same areas | $180 |
| Tarangire night drive, about 2 hours | 12, with a parent or guardian | From Baobab | $94.50 shared, plus a $59 TANAPA permit |
| Balloon flight, about 1 hour in the air | 7 | Serengeti and Tarangire | About $550 to $600 in the Serengeti |
Children under 5
A child under 5 pays no park or conservation fee anywhere on our routes. Our lodge at Karatu welcomes children of any age. For a toddler, the morning drive from 06:00 to 09:30 is a manageable first outing. You come back to camp for lunch and a sleep, then decide on the afternoon.
Children aged 5 to 11
From 5, children pay the child park rate, and full game drives start to work. Around Karatu they can join easy nature walks, which is what we arrange for anyone too young for the standard walk. The Tarangire night drive waits until 12, because it leaves at about 9pm and younger children tend to struggle with the late hour and the rules on noise.
Children 12 and over
At 12, every activity on our list opens up, including walking safaris with a guide and the night drive at Tarangire. Teenagers still pay the child park rate until they turn 16.
Which Tanzania safari parks are best for families?
On a Tanzania family safari with younger children, the best parks are Lake Manyara, the Ngorongoro Crater and Tarangire, each an hour or less from our lodge at Karatu. The Serengeti suits families who can manage a long road day or fly in, and our camps there and at Ndutu hold seven of our nine family units.
What each park offers children
| Park | Nearest Mawe base and travel time | What children can see | Child entry, 5 to 15 | Plan for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lake Manyara | Karatu Tented Lodge, 20 minutes | Flamingos, hippos, elephants, blue monkeys, 400+ bird species | $15 plus 18% VAT | The shortest drive on the circuit |
| Ngorongoro Crater | Karatu, 30 minutes to Lodoare gate, about 1 hour to the floor | Rhinos, lions, elephants, buffalo; giraffes do not live inside the crater | $23.60, plus a $295 crater service fee per vehicle (NCAA) | A descent of about 600 m (2,000 ft), vehicles out by late afternoon, cold mornings on the rim |
| Tarangire | Baobab Tented Camp, inside the park; about 1 hour from Karatu | Elephant herds crossing the Lake Burunge corridor every day | $20 | The night drive needs a night inside the park and a child of 12 or over |
| Serengeti | Mawe Tented Camp, inside the park; most of a day by road from Arusha, or a light aircraft flight | Resident lions, leopards and cheetahs at Soit Le Motonyi | $20 plus 18% VAT | A full road day each way if you drive |
The Ngorongoro Conservation Area Authority puts more than 25,000 animals inside the Ngorongoro Crater, which covers 260 sq km (100 sq miles). Walking is not allowed inside the crater, so it’s a vehicle day for every age. In Tarangire, Baobab Tented Camp is inside the park, so your first game drive starts at the tent rather than at a gate. A family that wants the Serengeti with small children should think about flying one way, since the road from Arusha fills most of a day.
Family tents and suites at our five camps
We have nine family units across five properties, and every rate below is per person per night on full board. Park and concession fees, game drives and transfers are not included.
| Camp | Family units | Sleeps | Open | Family rate per person |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Karatu Tented Lodge | 1 family suite | Up to 6 | All year | $103 low, $126 high, $130 peak |
| Mawe Tented Camp | 3 family tents | Matched to your family at enquiry | All year | $185 low, $235 high, $245 peak |
| Baobab Tented Camp | 1 family tent | Up to 5 | All year | $185 low, $215 high, $247 peak |
| Gnu Ndutu Camp | 2 family tents | Separate sleeping areas | Late December to 31 March | $265 |
| Gnu Mara River Camp | 2 family tents | Separate sleeping areas | 1 June to 15 November | $265 |
At the three all-year camps, peak dates are 1 July to 31 October and 22 December to 5 January. High season is 6 January to the end of February, and low season is 1 March to 30 June and 1 November to 21 December.
Karatu Tented Lodge has cottages rather than tents, and its family suite sleeps up to six. Mawe Tented Camp has three family tents that keep parents and children together in one unit, and it’s open every month. Baobab Tented Camp takes no more than 35 guests, even with every tent full.
The two Gnu camps each have two family tents and are open for part of the year. At Gnu Ndutu Camp, predators hunt newborn wildebeest calves in plain view during calving season. The camp asks for your children’s ages when you enquire and gives its advice before you book.
Family sleeping arrangements
Family tents at Gnu Ndutu and Gnu Mara River Camp have separate sleeping areas inside one tent. The Karatu family suite has a queen-size bed and two to three single beds. At Baobab, the family tent has a queen-size bed, two single beds and an extra bed, for up to five people.
Tell us your family size and ages when you enquire, and we’ll match you to the tent that fits. Parents with one child usually take a triple tent, which sleeps three. Baobab has two triples, each with three single beds, and most of its twin tents can be set up with one large bed and one smaller bed to sleep three.
How a game drive works with children in the vehicle
A standard safari day has two drives. The hours in between are for lunch and a rest in camp.
Every vehicle is a custom 4×4 Toyota Land Cruiser with a pop-up roof.
How long can young children stay in a safari vehicle?
On a standard day, your child is in the vehicle for three to three and a half hours at a time. Then you’re back in camp for about six hours before the afternoon drive. A full-day drive is ten hours out with a picnic lunch, so we suggest saving them for children who have already enjoyed a few half days. Transfer days are longer, and the 5-day route starts with a drive of about two and a half hours from Arusha to Lake Manyara.
Tanzania family safari routes and prices per person
We publish four routes from 5 to 10 days, and three of them include the Serengeti. For two people sharing, the per-person price is $2,114 for five days and $6,230 for ten. Each route includes a private vehicle and guide, and the per-person rate is lower for groups of three, four and six or more.
| Route | Days | Serengeti | Nights at Karatu | Per person, 2 sharing | Suits |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Short Safari in Tanzania | 5 | No | 2 | $2,114 | Younger children, shortest transfers |
| 7 Days Big 5 Safari Tanzania | 7 | 2 nights at Mawe Tented Camp | 2 | $4,360 | Children ready for a long road day |
| Best of Northern Tanzania Safari | 9 | 2 nights in the central Serengeti, 2 at Gnu Mara or Gnu Ndutu | 2 | $5,605 | Older children, migration months |
| Great Migration Safari in Tanzania | 10 | 3 nights in the central Serengeti, 3 at Gnu Mara or Gnu Ndutu | 1 | $6,230 | Older children who want the most time with the herds |
The rates for three, four and six or more people are listed on each route page. International flights and your Tanzania visa are not part of the route price.
The 5-day route for younger children
The 5-day route is the Tanzania family safari we suggest for younger children, because it leaves out the Serengeti road day. Day 2 is Lake Manyara and a night at Karatu. On day 3 you drop into the Ngorongoro Crater, with a stop at Olduvai Gorge, and a second night at Karatu. Day 4 is Tarangire and a night at Baobab, and day 5 is a morning drive before the return to Arusha or Kilimanjaro Airport.
The 7 to 10 day routes for older children
The longer routes add Mawe Tented Camp in the central Serengeti. The 9 and 10 day routes then move on, depending on when you travel. Gnu Mara River Camp is open 1 June to 15 November, and Gnu Ndutu Camp is open late December to 31 March.
Where the money goes on a family safari
On our routes, some costs are charged per person and some per vehicle, and the per-person route rate falls as your group grows. Accommodation is per person per night on full board, and at all five of our camps a family unit costs less per person than a double or twin, in every season.
Park and conservation fees are per person for each 24 hours. Children under 5 pay nothing, and children from 5 to 15 pay the lower child rate. A private vehicle with guide and fuel is priced per vehicle, from $300 for a full day, and so is the $295 Ngorongoro crater service fee. A family of four splits one vehicle and one crater fee four ways.
If you’d rather build your own stay than take a set route, booking three or more of our properties for at least four nights takes 5 percent off the accommodation.
Things to do with kids besides game drives
From Karatu Tented Lodge we arrange easy nature walks, biking in the highlands, visits to Iraqw and Maasai families and coffee estate tours toward Oldeani.
Lake Eyasi is 45 minutes from the lodge, where the Hadzabe take visitors on their hunting walk and Datoga blacksmiths work at their forges. The Hadzabe hunt leaves before sunrise, so the day starts in the dark.
A balloon flight is an early start too. Pickup is around 05:15, the balloon lifts off at first light and lands about an hour later, and breakfast in the bush is at 08:00. You’re back on a game drive by 09:30.
At Baobab Tented Camp, children of 12 and over can join the night drive, which leaves after dinner at about 9pm and is back around 11pm.
Time in camp between drives
Between 09:30 and 15:30 on a standard day, children are back in camp. At Karatu that means the garden pool and the kids’ corner. Mawe Tented Camp, Baobab and Gnu Mara River Camp have Wi-Fi in the main areas, and lunch is included at every camp.
What should children pack for a Tanzania safari?
Pack for strong sun in the middle of the day and for cold at dawn. Both happen on the same trip, often within a few hours of each other.
- ›A wide-brimmed hat and high-factor sunscreen
- ›Long sleeves for the evenings, when mosquitoes are out
- ›A warm layer for the Ngorongoro Crater rim, cold at dawn even in the dry season
- ›Their own binoculars, and a camera or an old phone
- ›A refillable water bottle
- ›Snacks and something to do for transfer days
- ›A travel sickness remedy that suits your child’s age, from a pharmacist
Leave plastic carrier bags at home. Mainland Tanzania banned them from 1 June 2019, and there are desks at entry points to surrender them. Ziploc bags for toiletries are allowed. Our safari packing list covers the rest of the bag.
When to plan a family safari around school holidays
A Tanzania family safari in the July and August school holidays falls inside our peak dates, which are 1 July to 31 October at the three all-year camps. Gnu Mara River Camp is open for the whole summer break, from 1 June to 15 November. The Christmas holidays also match peak dates, 22 December to 5 January, and Gnu Ndutu Camp opens in late December.
Low season is 1 March to 30 June and 1 November to 21 December. Easter always falls between 22 March and 25 April, inside that window, when the Karatu family suite is $103 per person per night instead of the $130 peak rate. The UK February half-term is in high season, while Gnu Ndutu Camp is open for calving season.
With nine family units in total, the holiday weeks are the ones to book first. Our best time to visit Tanzania guide has the weather month by month.
Keeping children safe and well on safari
Unfenced camps and walking to your tent after dark
Mawe Tented Camp and Baobab have no fence, and animals pass through both. At Soit Le Motonyi, guests wake to buffalo and hear lions at night. After dark, a member of staff walks you between the mess tent and your tent, and no guest moves around camp alone at night. With children, that rule covers every trip to and from the tent after sunset.
Malaria and vaccinations for children
The UK’s National Travel Health Network and Centre (NaTHNaC) rates malaria risk as high in all areas of Tanzania below 1,800 m, including Zanzibar. The Serengeti is at about 920 m (3,000 ft) on TANAPA’s figures, well below that line. Antimalarial doses for children are worked out by weight, and doxycycline is not used for children under 12, so take your child’s current weight to the travel clinic.
Tanzania asks for a yellow fever certificate from travelers over 1 year old who arrive from a country with yellow fever risk. The same applies after more than 12 hours in transit at an airport in one of those countries. NaTHNaC does not generally recommend the vaccine for a trip to Tanzania itself.
Is Tanzania safe for toddlers?
Tanzania’s parks set no minimum age, and Karatu Tented Lodge welcomes children of any age. Government travel advice is a separate question. The UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office advises against all but essential travel only in one area, within 20 km (12 miles) of Tanzania’s border with Mozambique’s Cabo Delgado province, in the far south.
Tanzania family safari questions
Can a 3-year-old go on safari in Tanzania?
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Yes. A 3-year-old can join game drives in your own vehicle, stays free of park fees and is welcome at our Karatu lodge. Walks and the Tarangire night drive wait until 12, and a balloon flight until 7.
What is the best age for a family safari in Tanzania?
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From 12, every activity we run is open to your child. Between 12 and 15 they can join everything and still pay the child park rate, although children of any age can do the game drives.
How long should a family safari in Tanzania be?
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Five days covers Lake Manyara, the Ngorongoro Crater and Tarangire without the long Serengeti road day. A Tanzania family safari that includes the Serengeti starts at seven days.
Do children pay park fees in Tanzania?
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Children under 5 pay nothing. From 5 to 15 they pay a child rate, and from 16 the adult rate applies in both the national parks and the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. The $295 crater service fee is charged per vehicle, not per person.
Can children go on a hot air balloon safari in Tanzania?
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Yes, from age 7. The flight lasts about an hour, but the whole outing takes three to four hours, starting with a 05:15 pickup.
Can a family of five or six share one tent at Mawe?
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Yes, at two camps. The Karatu family suite sleeps up to six, and the Baobab family tent sleeps up to five.
Is the Serengeti worth it with young children?
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It is if you can fly in or manage a full road day from Arusha, since the other parks on the circuit are an hour or less from Karatu. At Gnu Ndutu Camp in calving season, predators hunt calves in plain view, and the camp asks for children’s ages when you enquire.
Is Tanzania or Kenya better for a family safari?
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We run safaris in Tanzania only. The Serengeti covers 14,763 sq km (5,700 sq miles) and is part of the Serengeti-Mara ecosystem that crosses into Kenya. Our Tanzania vs Kenya comparison sets the two countries side by side.
Tanzania · Northern Circuit
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