Family Safari Holidays - Kids On Safari

It is safe, fun and rewarding to travel with children to Africa’s magnificent destinations. Family safaris allow parents to experience the look of wonder and excitement on their children’s faces as they observe giraffes and lions in the wild for the first time or make new friends in an African village.

Family Safari Holidays - Kids On Safari.

Many game lodges offer fascinating and entertaining activities for children from as young as five, bringing alive the magic of an African safari.  The specially designed children’s safari programmes teach children to appreciate nature. Supervised by rangers and camp staff,  hours of amusement and invaluable information is provided to the children.

KIDS ON SAFARI in South Africa

A family safari experience in South Africa offers both young and old alike a fascinating opportunity to discover the finer details of the African bush in a fun and interactive way. Children can enjoy fun-filled safari days, learning about our plant’s natural resources, special game drives just for them, pooh safaris, fishing trips, baking, birding, tracking, and pod and seed collecting.

South Africa is also home to smaller, private wildlife parks where visitors can see a lot of animals in a short amount of time. These private game parks provide comfortable accommodation with swimming pools and buffet lunches and dinners. The Garden Route and Eastern Cape in South Africa is filled with beaches and game parks in close-proximity, a winning combination with children. Finally, South Africa is home to several malaria-free game parks, so the children don’t have to take malaria pills and you don’t have to worry every time a mosquito comes along.

The Pilanesberg National Park in South Africa’s North West Province is home to the family welcoming Bakubung and Kwa Maritane Bush Lodges.

KIDS ON SAFARI in Tanzania and Kenya

Tanzania and Kenya offer a remarkable and authentic family safari experience with many fascinating things to learn and an incredible wilderness to see, explore and experience. Both Tanzania and Kenya are as diverse as they are interesting, ideal for the whole family on safari. Families can enjoy day excursions to a Maasai village, learning about their fascinating traditions, and discover their interesting way of life as told through stories, as well as nature walks in and around the lodge. Children can also learn through fun bow and arrow making, as well as rope making using local traditions and natural materials found in the bush.

KIDS ON SAFARI in Namibia

Sossusvlei is a fascinating desert wonderland for the whole family with much to explore and discover. As a family the Sossusvlei Lodge in Namibia offers guests the opportunity to learn and discover together in a fun and interactive way.  Children can also partake in bushman games, teaching them about the culture of Bushmen, bows and arrows, finding food and water and play-stalking small animals. As a family you can enjoy bush walks and star gazing, sharing memorable experiences together.

A family safari experience in South Africa offers both young and old alike a fascinating opportunity to discover the finer details of the African bush in a fun and interactive way

Age Restrictions on Safaris

Many safari tours have age restrictions on children, which is why an independently booked and planned safari is usually a better option for those traveling with children under 12. This is because it can be unsafe for small children to be sitting in the back of an open safari vehicle while viewing wildlife. Children are also more prone to sunburn, falling ill or general boredom on these long drives. Also, when you view wildlife it’s important to keep quiet and that’s sometimes difficult to enforce with a small child. Some adventure safari options like canoeing or walking safaris are not suitable for children under 12.

Certain lodges and campsites also have age limits. Wild animals roam in close proximity to camps and there’s a real risk to your toddler if s/he decides to leave the tent on their own. Some lodges may not have suitable dining options for small children or have food available throughout the day. If you’re making your own reservations, double check to make sure children are allowed to stay at the lodge/campsite and what the age-limit may be on game drives.

Children can enjoy fun-filled safari days, learning about our plant’s natural resources, special game drives just for them, pooh safaris, fishing trips, baking, birding, tracking, and pod and seed collecting

Keeping Your Children Interested While on Safari

Game drives can be long and a little dull since spotting wildlife can be tricky (they like to wear camouflage). Here are some tips to help keep your little ones interested:
* Buy them a camera
* Let them use binoculars
* Award points or a prizes for spotting birds, insects, wildlife
* Give them a bird or animal checklist to mark off what they see (every wildlife park will have these available)
* Stay in a family-oriented lodge that offers special drives for children or baby-sitting options so you can leave them at the lodge

Kids on Safari at Sanbona, Western Cape  / South Africa

Outdoor Activities
* Interpretive trail through the garden of Gondwana learning about animals that occur on the reserve as well as tracks, important plants etc
* Visit the sites where the San people left their legacy on the rock faces at Sanbona, where the ranger will interpret the scene so that the children can create their own ‘rock’ art
* Sanbona Activity Book is educational and fun, teaching children about the wildlife at Sanbona and at the same time encouraging children to get involved in the game drives, often requiring the ranger’s assistance     to answer some of the questions
* Children can partake in various social, sporting and art activities such as bead making, clay making activities, face painting, star gazing

Indoor Activities
* Scrap books, paper, scissors, glue crayons, pencils & paints
* Puzzles of varying sizes and difficulties covering a broad age range
* Documentary DVD’s on various conservation topics and animals, animated movies
* A selection of entertaining and educational children’s books
* A selection of fun board games

Special Notes
* Children younger than 4 years are not permitted on game drives
* Child minding is done by lodge staff and can be arranged with reservation prior to arrival at an additional cost
* All swimming activities must be supervised by parents at all times
* All children activities are age and weather dependant

Recommended Family Lodges :

* Phinda Homestead – South Africa
* Phinda Mountain Lodge – South Africa
* Phinda Zuka Lodge – South Africa
* Ngala Safari Lodge – South Africa
* Kirkman’s Kamp – South Africa
* Ngorongoro Crater Lodge – Tanzania
* Kichwa Tembo Masai Mara Tented Camp – Kenya
* Sossusvlei Desert Lodge – Namibia

Should you like to experience Family Safari Holidays – Kids On Safari, please contact us:

South African Tourism Company
Tel:    +27 (0)21 794 9050
Mobile: +27 (0)827 823 142
Fax:    +27 (0)21 794 9995
Email:   africa@golfing-safaris.com

Website: http://www.south-african-hotels.com
Website: http://www.south-african-lodges.com