Safari holidays and Travel with Children to Tanzania.

Elephants treck through hotel while we were 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.

We had a wonderful trip and had no problems with finding food for our daughter or cots in the hotels. Actually the entire trip was just perfect. We were extremely vigilant to use mosquito nets, we covered her with a strong mosquito repellent to the point that 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. Our daughter Juliette has encountered safaris from when she was very young and we have friends who live in safari lodges that have children so the straightforward answer is yes children do particularly well settling in to the wild but with some stipulations.

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.
• Safari games available for free from the internet, grab some of these to keep them busy.  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 dramatic episode that we had that I would like to mention because it could 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 found a young leopard and soon we were right in the centre of a herd of buffalo that was being ambushed by four female lions. The lions prey escaped. Our daughter in all the excitement began crying, within seconds the lions who typically view vehicles as just part of the landscape started to perceive the vehicle as a feasible 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. There won’t be any problems keeping the children amused, this will be a new and thrilling experience where they will be introduced to different cultures and maybe poverty, the experience of Africa may possibly play an important role in the education of your children.

Each safari and lodge have guide lines that must be adhered to – if not then danger, trouble could follow. As these are set there to keep you and your family safe it is wise that you and your children abide by them. Certainly the first thing to do is sit down with your children before departure 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 understanding 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. This is a rare disease which you should not come across in a safari lodge. More concern is for malaria which is a problem all through the tropics. Locals who catch it regularly usually considered it to be no worse than a bout of flu. However depending on the strain, it can be dangerous and the solution here is good prevention. Young children cannot take malaria tablets we advise you to get advice from your doctor. 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 precautions you can cut 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. Before travelling you should speak to your GP and take advice from the relevant authorities before travelling.

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Tagged with: Africa • children safari • children travelling • family holiday • family safari • family safaris • malawi • south africa • tanzania • zambia • zanzibar • zimbabwe

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