BKC Solutions Corner

Elephants treck through hotel while we were on safari in Africa

We travelled from South Africa to Zimbabwe, Malawi, Zambia and Tanzania both the mainland and Zanzibar when Juliette was nearly two years old. My wife and I both love Africa and we couldn’t resist the temptation to visit our friends in Africa and go on safari as a family.

We had a splendid safari and actually had no trouble with finding food for our daughter or cots in the hotels etc. 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. Juliette has been on many safaris since a very young age and we have many friends who have children that have grown up in the safari lodges so the answer is a simple one, yes children are fine in the wild conditions.

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.

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.This was so exciting and turned out to be one of the most amazing we have ever done. We came across a young leopard where we found ourselves right in the centre of a herd of buffalo that at the time was being ambushed by four very hungry looking female lions. Suddenly we realised that the lions missed their prey. In all the excitement our daughter began crying, it took seconds for the lions who characteristically think vehicles as just part of the landscape began to think the vehicle as a promising prey, like a small animal in distress. It was lucky that our driver recognised the change and drove away quickly with a pack of lions following us.

The food in safari lodges tends to be quite relaxed so no problems here 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. To help your children get the most out of the safari we suggest that you sit down and explain to them how different Africa is, where there is danger around. There is no need to make too much of it but camp rules for your safety must be obeyed, because 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. Because of our first hand experience we can guide you on this 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 meet in 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. 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. All travellers should speak to their GP taking advice from the relevant authorities before travelling.