This Tanzanian family safari includes all the sacred traditions of an African safari, as you’d expect in such game-rich destinations as Lake Manyara, Ngorongoro and the Serengeti. There’s also a real emphasis on something equally precious: quality family time, with accommodation and activities especially designed for safari-goers of all ages.
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Three nights at Chem Chem Lodge in a
family tent
Arriving at Chem Chem Lodge, we were delighted with the views of glittering Lake Manyara. Our little girl was a bit perturbed that her and her brother would be separated from us by a short wooden bridge, but the affable manager took this is in his stride so that by the time we’d finished high tea (and watched giraffe enjoy their own leaves), furniture had been rearranged to create a boys’ room and a girls’ room instead. Calm was restored – or was that just the soothing effect of being on a slow safari in a palm-fringed oasis?
Our son, an avid gamer, had been excited to learn that there were real warriors staying close by, so a visit to the local Maasai village was our priority for our second day. We took a back seat as our kids helped with a maths lesson in the primary school, and were then taught how to make a beaded bracelet (they’re both still wearing them now). It was fascinating to watch as cultural differences fell away and the universal languages of soccer, laughter and admiring each other’s hairstyles bridged the gaps between kids who, while half a world apart, had much in common.
One thing that unites our family is a shared
opinion that elephant are our favourite animal, so a game drive in Tarangire National Park the next day was a real treat. With the river being the only source of water they were not hard to find, and we spent a very happy morning watching a herd of over a hundred drinking, bathing and playing. Heading back to the lodge, our guide pulled over next to one of the many baobab trees and we tried to join hands around its massive girth. With our guide co-opted as an honorary uncle, we just made it.
Three nights at Gibb’s Farm in Bustani House
The road transfer to Gibb’s Farm was fascinating, as we passed through several African villages before entering the coffee plantation and finally the sprawling, landscaped gardens around the farm itself.
Even our cottage at Gibb’s Farm seemed to exude a warm welcome, and the heady scents of tropical flowers and freshly roasted coffee hung in the air. After a lunch on the terrace overlooking the gardens, we saddled up and headed out on a bike ride around the plantation. It was an eye-opener for our kids to learn that coffee doesn’t come from capsules, while the birds we saw darting between the trees were as brightly coloured as any of the pods they were more familiar with. After our free-wheeling afternoon, we more than did justice to the delicious farm-style dinner.
Young eyes that were being sleepily rubbed as we left for a day in the Ngorongoro Crater were soon wide-open in disbelief as the first lion our kids had ever seen walked within tail-swishing distance of our 4x4 vehicle. We’d descended into the crater in search of game, and we weren’t disappointed. When the first animal of the day is a black rhino, you know you’re into something good. The lion were undoubtedly the highlight, and our daughter’s heart positively melted as ‘Simba’ whiled away his parents’
by Nick Galpine
Tanzanian
tour