A safari in Africa is, plain and easy, a continuous trip. It requires loads of money and time, and for a lot of households it could be a visit they solely take as soon as. However seeing the plains of Africa and watching animals within the wild leaves reminiscences for a lifetime. To at the present time I can recall the sound of hippos protecting me awake at night time on the camp by the river and waking as much as the sound of lion roars, desperate to get on the trip realizing the lions had been shut. From the darkish sky stuffed with stars that you simply not often see at dwelling, to the friendliness of the individuals, even to the scent of “incense” used on safari vehicles to maintain the tsetse flies away, the reminiscences stay.
However there’s loads of planning that goes right into a safari, particularly while you’re touring with children. We spoke to our trusted journey associate, a South African native who spent his childhood on safari and weekends exploring the continent and spent years on safari earlier than co-founding his firm. He’s additionally a dad who took his youngest on his first safari when he was solely 6 months previous.
Right here, he shares his ideas for the largest questions mother and father ask about happening safari with children.
Prime ideas for an African safari with children
What’s the finest age to take youngsters on safari?
I believe age to begin taking youngsters on safari is round 6, however truly 8 to 12 is right. Quite a lot of good safari lodges have applications specifically developed for youngsters of that age, whether or not it is going out with a bow and arrow and studying to shoot or following tracks and in search of animal prints and casting plaster of them and making molds to take dwelling. I see youngsters this age getting quite a bit out of the safari expertise; it is all so superb to them. So that they fall in love with the entire thing.
Then, from 12 and up, you are at that time, you are mainly a younger grownup and also you’re doing what mother and father do, so it is simple to take pre-teens and youngsters.
We may also help you intend an off-the-beaten-track African safari journey!
Our household journey advisors work with trusted in-country specialists to pick the suitable vacation spot, design a customized itinerary, prepare non-public cultural experiences and extra. Click on to ship us an inquiry!
Can I carry youngsters beneath 6 years previous?
Safaris are typically fairly costly in comparison with different journeys, and also you need to get essentially the most worth to your cash. For instance, we took my son on his first safari when he was about 6 months previous. The house had incredible childcare so we had been in a position to go on a safari whereas he was with the padishka. As well as, he didn’t achieve something, and the kids should not free; there may be merely no must carry a baby.
When you carry babies on a safari, you must pay for a non-public car, which is round $400 to $600 per day with guides. And sure safari lodges have guidelines in regards to the animals you’ll be able to see. For instance, they won’t permit younger youngsters to strategy predators equivalent to lions and leopards as a result of the animals can sense different younger animals and may grow to be unpredictable.
What’s the finest time of yr to go on safari?
Fortuitously, peak safari season and summer time trip for youngsters coincide completely. Summer season holidays are often June, July and August, that are one of the best winter months in Africa. That is the dry season, so there might be no rain and the climate might be good. This additionally implies that viewing safaris are on [their] one of the best as a result of there will not be many leaves on the bushes and the grass is brief so you’ll be able to see the animals. And since water sources are few and much between, animals congregate in the identical space, making them simpler to search out.
What about touring over the Christmas holidays?
Christmas and New Yr are the most costly occasions of the yr, though it isn’t one of the best time for a safari. This time is finest averted as you wrestle for availability and pay the very best charges and the rains return.
Easy methods to discover safari lodging that’s child-friendly?
In truth, about 60 % of departments don’t permit youngsters beneath the age of 12; it is extra uncommon for a house to permit youngsters beneath 12, and in the event that they do, they could have a “no children beneath 8 or 6” rule.
Occurring safari will not be like going to Paris and simply reserving a resort on-line and reserving actions on the concierge desk. The variety of individuals concerned in placing these journeys collectively, from airport assist to guides and from drivers to the sunshine plane that takes you between safari lodges, is a number of. Other than the safari lodges, you’ll be able to’t go and ebook all of those by yourself.
Africa generally is a scary place. There are numerous totally different nations, many necessities, visas and vaccines. And it is costly. It’s in all probability some of the costly holidays you’ll take. Do you actually need to attempt to ebook on-line your self with out having a assist community on the bottom? Depart it to knowledgeable.
Are safari rides secure for youngsters?
The factor to recollect is that when you find yourself on safari, you’re going into animal territory; they’re wild animals. There’ll at all times be some inherent danger in happening safari, irrespective of how cautious the guides are or what number of precautions are taken. Such incidents do occur, however they’re extremely uncommon.
Once you arrive on the safari lodge, you may be with the lodge supervisor and guides, who will spend fairly a little bit of time with you on the primary night time to get an concept of your youngsters. On the primary safari, the guides might be very conservative and avoid giant animals. They’ll measure how youngsters behave and react, after which tailor actions round them.
The very last thing guides will do is put households in any place that might be harmful. You simply need to belief them to make one of the best selections.
Are safari lodges secure too?
A lot of the safety points are handled within the planning section, earlier than you even arrive in Africa. Safari specialists will discover the suitable lodging based mostly on age. There are numerous safari lodges which are utterly fenced to maintain the animals out. They supply extra freedom for youngsters to play on the garden or frolic within the pool.
These huts will characteristic lodging with sliding glass doorways that shut on the high in order that youngsters can not open them, in contrast to canvas tents that don’t forestall anybody from getting out and in. There are additionally camps that aren’t fenced and thru which animals can roam at any time when they need. As for them, you might need to wait and hold your children beneath higher supervision.
Safari drives are lengthy days. How can I information the kids in order that they take pleasure in themselves?
Once you journey on safari, you journey a protracted solution to Africa and fly for at the very least 15 hours. Then while you land after 15 hours of flight, the time zone is totally tousled as a result of it’s at the very least 8 hours forward. These first night time or two are typically fairly hectic and the children do not sleep effectively. I at all times counsel visiting Cape City or Johannesburg and even the seashore for 2 to 3 days in order that the kids can modify to the time zone and sleep effectively. Then begin the safari factor of the journey on the finish of the journey.
Often safari drives final 3.5 to 4 hours. You get up at 5:30 within the morning and exit from 6:00 to 10:30, possibly 11:00, which is lengthy sufficient for the kid to be engaged and sit nonetheless and never get bored. Rent a non-public car as you’ll be able to tailor your days particularly for your loved ones. As a substitute of waking up at 5:30 am, get up at 6:30 am and also you’re on safari till 7 am. You may also make the rides a lot shorter, say from 7 to 9:30 within the morning, in order that they final solely 2.5 hours and the kids are engaged, and you come to the house for a snack.
Do my youngsters want malaria vaccinations or tablets?
We advise households to go to a neighborhood journey clinic to elucidate the place they’re going and observe any directions given. However you’ll be able to request, for instance, a malaria-free safari. There are safari lodges all through South Africa, equivalent to the gorgeous Madikwe Recreation Reserve, positioned in malaria-free areas.
What ought to I pack?
You will need to keep in mind that there isn’t a Walmart or CVS the place you’re going. Completely every thing that your youngsters may want, every thing that they use at dwelling, be sure you take with you.
On safari you spend loads of time outdoors staring on the solar, so I at all times advocate good sun shades for teenagers too. Quite a lot of the time children do not actually put on sun shades, so attempt to get them used to sporting them earlier than you go.
Do we want a complete week for the safari?
I might say 4 nights is the utmost you must spend in a safari lodge. After 4 nights in a single lodge, you’ve got seen virtually every thing within the space. If you wish to spend every week on safari, I might advocate three nights in a single camp and three nights in one other camp for 2 totally different experiences, totally different geographies, totally different animals and totally different ecosystems.
When you solely have 4 nights, I would not advocate doing two nights and two nights. This won’t offer you sufficient time to settle in and benefit from the place you might be visiting. You’ll arrive, have the entire day after which go away. Three nights and three nights are good.
If you’ll journey 15 hours to Africa, you must positively take every week or extra if potential. Nevertheless, you will need to spend the primary two or three days getting used to the time distinction. I counsel you spend a couple of days in Cape City after which attempt two safaris, every for 3 nights for a visit of at the very least 10 days.
What if I need to go away my children at dwelling and go on a parents-only safari?
Once more, you will need to spend seven to 10 days in Africa, and I counsel that after spending time in Cape City, you spend a couple of days visiting wineries earlier than heading north on safari.
In case you are, say, an empty nester and have the time, I’ve deliberate journeys that final six weeks. Spend 10 days in South Africa after which go to Namibia and spend 10 days there. Fly to East Africa and go to Kenya, Tanzania or Zanzibar. However do not go on safari in each nation. These early mornings are beginning to meet up with you and I believe you are going to get a bit scared.
You can begin in South Africa and go to Botswana to go to the Okavango Delta, which is a special expertise due to the water and the boats. Then fly to Rwanda and go climbing with gorillas and chimpanzees. Then head to Kenya or Tanzania for the Nice Migration earlier than ending with a couple of days on the seashore within the Seychelles. This mixture of safari, non-safari, safari and non-safari retains issues fascinating.
Related hyperlinks:
Browse all household trip concepts in Africa on Ciao Bambino
Choosing the proper luxurious safari for your loved ones
5 superb issues to do in Cape City with children
72 hours in Cape City with youngsters
5 the explanation why Tanzania is a tremendous vacation spot for households
3 Belmond properties for a luxurious child-friendly African vacation
Editor’s notice: Lissa Poirot has lined journey for greater than a decade, together with websites equivalent to TripAdvisor, CruiseCritic, The Factors Man, Household Trip Critic, Household Traveler and Cruise Hive. Her love of journey has led her to go to over 43 nations and is on a mission to see each state within the US (simply 4 extra states!). She has been taking her youngsters on journey adventures since they had been infants. When she’s not touring, she’s exploring new points of interest and occasions in New York or Philadelphia, as she lives between each fairytale cities.