family safari Tanzania 2007
 

We are a family of four planning a trip to Tanzania for summer of 2007 - and would love advice on places to go and travel with kids.

right now, having pored through books and this website, we are leaning towards a safari in southern Tanzania in late June/July. We are looking at the south because we understand that we can see all the animals and sights, but without the crowds of tourists we would see in the north. Also, in the south we have more opportunities to go on walks and hikes, rather than being stuck in the car. is this true -or should we go to Serengeti etc?

we are looking at several companies: The Africa Adventure Company and Wild Things have been responsive to our questions and seem to know about traveling with kids. ours are 9 and 10. any comments or advice on other companies to look at?

what about an itinerary that includes Selous, staying at the Selous Safari camp for several days, or at Sable Mountain Lodge with one night fly camping. Then Udzungwa where we would stay one night at the Udzungwa Mountain Lodge and one night camping at Sanje falls.

and then? should we go to Ruaha? what about Gombe for chimps? will the kids be allowed to see them?

should we head north to Serengeti or Ngorongoro Crater ? what about Olduvai Gorge?

we think we would like to end up on Zanzibar for some rest and snorkeling. are there any reefs left? should we go to another island or beach?

what about jetlag? we will be flying from Los Angeles and will be exhausted I am sure. should we spend a few days acclimatizing, and if so, where? should we go to a beach first rather than last?

and cost? It looks like this will be expensive no matter what. I don't mind digging deep to make this the trip of a lifetime - but I wonder how deep is deep?

these are a lot of questions. but every time I start to think I have a handle on this trip, I get all confused again!

looking forward to hearing from you!

<b>what about jetlag? we will be flying from Los Angeles and will be exhausted I am sure. should we spend a few days acclimatizing, and if so, where?</b>

We travel a similar distance (not quite in LA but close) and always break it up with one or (better) two nights in Amsterdam before taking the KLM flight to Arusha. Or you could stay in London if taking BA to Dar or wherever.

You will not likely see the number of animals in Southern Tanzania as you will in the crater or the Serengeti. You will be very secluded in the south, though.

You can walk in some places in Tarangire and Lake Manyara in Tanzania. Don't know about walking in the Serengeti.

Unaware of the age for chimp trekking. The agent could tell you. If you can go, I'd opt for Mahale rather than Gombe because the sightings are supposedly better.

Ideally, with kids, I'd do the Northern circuit and add a couple of parks in the south for variety and to get out and walk around.

Olduvai Gorge--With 9 and 10 year olds, I'd make it a quicky stop.

I have not heard of Wild Things. The Africa Adventure Company is reliable and I've traveled with them and all was perfect. The owners have kids in the same age range as yours. Other companies for East Africa that have been used successfully by Fodorites include

Africa Serendipty
Africa Travel Resource (ATR)
Eastern &amp; Southern Safaris
Go2Africa
Good Earth
Roys

I have no beach info, but I'd do the beach up front to relax to make the most of the days.

I'm with Bill on the jet lag issue. We flew from San Francisco and spent the night in Amsterdam before proceeding to Tanzania. The much needed rest really set us up well for the remainder of the trip. We stayed at the airport Sheraton, which is basically in the airport -- very convenient.

<b>spent the night in Amsterdam before proceeding to Tanzania ... stayed at the airport Sheraton, which is basically in the airport</b>

Just to follow up on that recommendation, the Sheraton (where we've stayed twice) is accessed from an enclosed walkway over the street, probably 200 yards or so from where you exit customs. Rooms are soundproof. If it's full there's a Hilton another 300 or so yards further down the same walkway, then about 50 yards across an open parking lot. We've stayed here once when the Sheraton was full. Both of these are nice business-class hotels.

Then you can grab a train at the station under the airport and head into town or wherever very conveniently.

One possible problem with this is you'll likely have to buy separate tickets due to the layover, which makes it harder (or in some cases impossible) to use FF miles for the KLM leg. But it's sure nice to arrive in Arusha with much of the jetlag out of your system.

Bill

Depending on how old your kids are and what type of interaction you're looking for with other families, I recommend that you book with Thomson Family Safaris. They specialize in Tanzania. I can't imagine that anyone does it better. They're not the cheapest, but you get what you pay for. Check them out at: http://www.familyadventures.com/tanzania_tfs/index.php

The Thomson's safari designed for kids does look good. They even have itineraries for teens and for the younger set. It has a Zanzibar add-on.

Thomson's is a well respected agent and there have been few Fodorites that have gone with them and had a great trip.

Dear Gussguss: We returned in July 2006 from a safari very similar to what you are planning. Our group consisted of 2 adults and our children aged 17 and 14. We flew to Dar and overnighted there - my thinking was to get over our jet-lag before the safari started &amp; in retrospect we all agreed that was the right decision. We stayed at Selous Safari Camp which was excellent - the game viewing was excellent - especially from the water &amp; the staff were great. They really took an interest in the children's attempts to learn Swahili.

I also highly recommend going to Ruaha. We had a great time, the game viewing was excellent &amp; often we drove for hours without seeming another vehicle or person. You will find that the game is more elusive and can be harder to see than elsewhere but in turn the reward is the feeling of isolation.

While we're Canadians we used an English travel agent, Tanzanian Odyssey, who were superb &amp; I highly recommend.

Kibo Safaris in Arusha also have a family safari itinerary. You can see in on their website at www.kiboguides.com.

We just returned in oct. from a family safari to Tanzania. My family, 2 kids 6,9 and my sister's kids, 8,11,13, had an amazing time. We booked through Green Footprints Safaris and they were awesome. Our guides were exceptional with the kids. They were informative, friendly, fun, and they went with the flow.We had 2 vehicles (9 people all together) I'll try to answer some questions.
We went to Arusha N.P, Tarangire, Ngorogo Crater, then flew in to the Serengeti and off to Zanzibar.

We were only in Zanzibar 2 days, which didn't feel like enough time, and was costly because we flew. They next trip we would try to find a beachy place on the mainland.

We loved the Sayari camp in the Serengeti, but this wasn't the kids favorite. They loved staying at the Plantation lodge, were we practically had our own villa!

For the flights we flew from San Francisco to Minneopolis, then Amsterdam, then had a 6 hour layover, then to Mt. Kil. airport. The flights worked out fine, and by our last flight everyone was so tired that they just slept. The kids actually did the best when it came to jetlag. Most of the flights had personal t.v's, video games, movies, except for our final 11 flight from Amsterdam to SFO.

We made sure that we asked for lodges with a pool, which turned out to be great for our down time. Also, we went on a bike tour, night drive, night dinner, and canoe trip, visited a couple schools and classrooms, saws tons of animals.... all through GF. That's why I picked them because we wanted our time to be broken up, not just in the vehicles.
If you have any other questions let me know.
Julie

this is all very helpful!
has anyone had any experience with the company Africa Travel Resource? or Tanganyika Expeditions?
any comments on the following 2 itineraries?:
HIGH END:
2 nights Arusha : Moivaro Lodge

2 nights Tarangire : Mawe Ninga Camp

2 nights Karatu : Gibbs Farm

2 nights Southcentral Serengeti : Olduvai Tented Camp

2 nights Serengeti : Olakira Serengeti Camp
3 nights Serengeti Mara Triangle : Sayari Mara Camp
5 nights
Mafia Island : Chole Mjini

OR

MEDIUM END
2 nights Arusha : Moivaro Lodge

2 nights Tarangire : Mawe Ninga Camp

2 nights Southcentral Serengeti : Olduvai Tented Camp
2 nights Central Serengeti : Ronjo Flycamp

2 nights North Serengeti : Lobo Lodge

2 nights Natron : Natron Camp

2 nights Karatu : Gibbs Farm

4 nights Zanzibar Island : Matemwe Beach

thanks!

You might look for Roccco's Tanzania trip report. I don't think he was too happy with some of the arrangements ATR made for him.

There have been a couple less than stellar ATR reports, but the rest have been highly complimentary.

First of all ATR only does Tanzania.

And if visiting during the summer months (late/June-July, being at Lobo and Natron camp are way off from where game is to be found. At this time, game are passing thru the Western Serengeti, then up kind of north on their way into he Masai Mara, Kenya.

On the second itinerary, though beautiful scenery, little game passing this way usually until November. And from here you travel across the border with Kenya to Natron and back south to Karutu. That's an awful lot of driving in areas where game may not be all that plentiful.

Personally, the first higher priced itinerary is more appealing. Sayari is nicely positioned in the Northwest Serengeti near the Mara River, so you'll see wildebeest/zebra crossings. And, at least you fly back from Sayari.

Also, there is a big difference between visiting Mafia vs Zanzibar. Mafia has but a few properties, none with air conditioning, and most who visit here are into scuba diving and deep sea fishing. Of course, snorkeling can be done. If you do end your itinerary on ZNZ or Mafia, try to arrange a homebound flight that departs from Dar-es-Salaam (DAR); shorter and less expensive than retuning to JRO, which if on the KLM flight, flies to DAR before heading to AMS for connection back to the States. KLM departs from DAR, as does Emirates (via Dubai) - both late afternoonn or late night flights. BA departs, but I believe it's an early early morning flight via London.

Breaking up your flight in AMS, LHR or DBX works even if to/fr California. After 10/hr flying anywhere, you feel no pain. And if arriving in Africa at night, the first thing you do is hit the bed and sleep. You'll be fine.

great advice everyone. I am getting dizzy trying to figure this out. I have been in touch with green footprints and they do seem good.
we continue to be fascinated by the Selous - has anyone tried flycamping there?

gussguss,
I traveled with Thomson's this past March on a private safari. A family of 5 (children ranging in ages from 5 to 10) had much the same schedule as we did and we ended up spending time in camps with them along the way. The Thomson guides were fantastic with these kids and were very flexible with schedules to accommodate them. They made sure this was not only educational for them, but great fun as well. Just my two cents...I imagine it can be done cheaper, but cannot imagine it could be done better. They did some school visits that we did not, and I know the parents tweeked things along the way to ensure the kids had other activites as well. Meals and mealtimes were adjusted for them as well. The parents raved at how impressed they were with Thomson's ability to accommodate their special needs.
Know it can get very overwhelming trying to zero in on one specific company, and hope whoever you decide on provides you with a fantastic safari!
Teri

thanks
what about timing - I just talked to one company that said the Serengeti in August is empty - the animals are at Masai Mara by then. is that so? when is a good time for Serengeti? what about Selous?

June would be good for the Migration. You might see it in the Western Corridor in late June. When do the kids get out of school?

August-September or October are better for Selous, but not best for the Serengeti. The central Serengeti is never bad, though. As ShayTay suggests, June would be better for the Serengeti, even into July.

we seem to be narrowing our options down to:
14 day safari going to Arusha, Tarangire, Ngorontgoro, Eyasi, and Serengeti, with an extension to Mahale/Zanzibar/Selous
looks like we will try to go in late June
the three tour companies that seem to have what we want are
Africa Adventure Co
Green Footprints
Africa Travel Resource

to combat jetlag, we will spend a couple of days in Arusha at the start.

comments?