Children safari holidays to Tanzania Africa
When nature meets us - our experience with Elephants while on safari in Africa
My wife and I love Africa and we couldn’t resist the temptation to visit our friends in Africa and visit the continent, when Juliette was nearly two years old we travelled from South Africa to Zimbabwe, Malawi, Zambia and Tanzania both the mainland and Zanzibar.
Finding food for our daughter or cots in hotels wasn’t a problem we found which made our trip amazing. Actually the entire trip was just perfect. We made sure that used mosquito nets, and 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.
- Download “safari games” free from the web this will entertain them when the safari is quiet. 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.
An amazing experience that we had and 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. Happily our guide predicted the change and instantly drove us away at top speed to safety with a pack of lions following us.
Because the food in safari lodges are flexible you won’t have any problems with children’s food. 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.
As far as wellbeing is concerned we feel there is no real danger as long as the parents act sensibly. 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’s no need to overstate but camp rules must be obeyed, if they are not, the consequences can be very 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 our own 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. Because this disease is rare you will not meet anyone with it let alone encounter it at a safari lodge. More concern is for malaria which is a problem all through the tropics. The local residents get it regularly and it is typically regard it as 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 cant be given malaria tablets, please get advice from your GP. Before the sun goes down make sure that you put insect repellent all over their arms and legs making sure any exposed area is covered then check to make sure they are sleeping under mosquito nets. If you use these precautions you can diminish the risk of malaria to approximately 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.