We watched as elephants trecked through the hotel while on safari in Africa

Juliette was nearly two years old, we travelled from South Africa to Zimbabwe, Malawi, Zambia and Tanzania both the mainland and Zanzibar but my wife and I both love Africa and we could not resist the temptation to visit our many friends in Africa and visit the continent we love so much.

 

Finding food for our daughter or cots in hotels wasn’t a problem we found which made our trip amazing. In fact the whole trip was just perfect. We were very careful to use mosquito nets, to cover her with a strong mosquito repellent she wasn’t bitten once in the whole trip.

So if you are thinking of travelling to Africa with your family but are worried whether your children will enjoy the safari and whether they will be safe, we hope you will be encouraged with our personal experiences. Children adapt just fine to the safari wild conditions as Juliette who we have taken with us on many safaris from an early age and friends who have families in lodges can testify to.

Children tend to love the wildlife and a safari is usually a wonderful experience for children of all ages. It can get a bit long and hot for children so we have some suggestions for you;

  • take with you some animal spotting safari games
  • learn the Swahili names for the animals which will help the children build a relationship with your driver and should provide fun.
  • Keep the kids busy with downloadable “safari games” free from the web. We have a FREE children’s activity pack which you can view or download and print free of charge and includes a safari animal check list with Swahili animal names, plus some other fun stuff.

One spectacular night that we experienced that I would like to mention because it might be useful for other parents travelling with young children while on safari…
We went on a night drive in Zambia in an open vehicle with other guests from the lodge. It turned out to be one of the most spectacular we have ever done. We noticed a young leopard that night, later we found ourselves right in the middle of a herd of buffalo being ambushed by four female lions. The lions lost their prey. In all the commotion our daughter started crying, suddenly the lions who typically judge vehicles as part of the landscape had begun to think the vehicle as a probable prey, like a small animal in distress. Fortunately our guide and driver noted the change and immediately drove us away at top speed to safety with a pack of lions following us.

Children’s food in a safari lodge is no problem as the meals are usually flexible so that isn’t a problem for you either. In general there should be no problems keeping children occupied in their new and exciting world here they will come face to face with a different culture and also perhaps poverty for the first time, but I think the reality of Africa can play an important part in the education of our sometimes over protected children.

Common sense is if the parents are sensible and make the children abide by the safari rules no danger will come to the children. Once you have booked your safari it would be a good idea to sit down with your children and explain that Africa is a different world from the one they are used to, where there is danger around. There is no need to exaggerate but camp rules must be obeyed, because if they’re not, the consequences can be serious. For very young children I would advise you to select your lodge carefully and check with your travel advisor which are most suitable for children. We can guide you on this from personal experience as we have been on many safaris with our children. We also have a lot of information for going on safari & travelling in Africa

It is recommended that young children should not be vaccinated and are excused in most countries for yellow fever but truthfully I don’t feel this should be of concern. It is an uncommon disease which you wouldn’t come across in a safari lodge. Your focus of concern should be malaria which is a problem all over the tropics. The local residents get it regularly and it is typically regard it as no worse than a bout of flu. Although dangerous depending on the strain, the answer is prevention. You should get advice from your doctor because young children cannot take malaria tablets. Make sure that you rub mosquito repellent liberally, cover up arms and legs before sundown and ensure that the children sleep under mosquito nets. If you take these safety measures you can reduce the risk of malaria to almost zero.

Don’t be scared about taking your children to Africa, it is a wonderful experience for them and we have been back with Juliette many times, but do cover them up well and no safaris in open vehicles for very small children

Note: The above information is advice given on the basis of the author’s experience at the time of writing and the author cannot take responsibility for any traveller choosing to take the advise above. Travellers should speak to their GP and take advice from the relevant authorities before travelling.

 

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