| The demand for a family friendly safari has increased | | | | activities on the Indian Ocean coast or in Cape Town. |
| tenfold over the past year, and since launching our | | | | We have already successfully combined these areas |
| Family Safari Brochure in July 2002 we have had a | | | | for several families and this includes Charlotte at |
| tremendous response from families with children | | | | Aardvark who recently took her husband and seven |
| covering a broad age range. | | | | and nine year old boys to South Africa. |
| Many of the operators in Africa have responded well | | | | For those who are happy to take preventative |
| to this new area of the market and some have | | | | medication for malaria, Malarone has now been |
| thought carefully about the requirements and | | | | launched in the UK in a children's formula. It is the first |
| constraints when having children in their camps. | | | | malaria tablet to be designed for kids and so far it has |
| Activities to suit children of all ages, specialist guides, | | | | been licensed in the UK, USA, Denmark as well as a |
| meal times, babysitters and private vehicles are some | | | | couple of other European countries. The best news is |
| of those that have been considered. The subtle | | | | that the tablets are small and film-coated, so they are |
| balance of inclusion and exclusion of families can take | | | | not bitter to taste. The course starts the day before |
| some planning. Although a family safari is by name an | | | | travel and finishes only seven days after your return |
| adventurous holiday, you do need to feel that safety | | | | home. |
| issues regarding children have been examined. Safety | | | | If malaria isn't an issue, Kenya genuinely welcomes |
| standards in Africa are very different to those in | | | | families. Not only at camps such as Rekero and |
| Europe and we do question lodges and camps quite | | | | Cottars in the Masai Mara, but also in some of the |
| closely on aspects such as fencing around pools, | | | | ranch style properties that offer a perfect base for a |
| steep drops and thegeneral suitability for younger | | | | family holiday. The private properties such as Loisba |
| family members. | | | | and Lewa Downs provide comfortable settings with |
| A happy and satisfying family holiday general means | | | | any number of varied and wonderful activities on tap, |
| that everyone involved can find activities to suit them | | | | in addition to traditional game drives. These properties |
| for most of the time. In many of the family-friendly | | | | are owner run and many have raised their own |
| lodges this has been well catered for. This may mean | | | | children in the bush, a fact which is most reassuring. |
| that the parents enjoy a morning game drive, the | | | | Robin Pope Safaris in Zambia have an itinerary which |
| youngest child is baking biscuits in the camp kitchen | | | | is particularly suited to families by offering Nkwali |
| and the older children are collecting dung. It's a great | | | | Camp in the South Luangwa. It has open lawns |
| bonus for even the littlest person to come home with | | | | shaded by huge ebony trees and a large fenced |
| their own and very special memories. | | | | swimming pool. All the staff are child friendly and |
| Wilderness Safaris in Southern Africa have solved | | | | safety conscious. Game drives, walks, visits to the |
| what has been a worry for some parents. In most | | | | local school, cooking and collecting leaf, dung and |
| tented camps it has not been possible to add an extra | | | | feathers all feature on the activity list and safari packs |
| bed into the standard tents. This has meant that | | | | and colouring books are all provided. Each programme |
| children have to sleep in a separate tent. This may in | | | | will be tailored to the number of children and their ages. |
| reality be only five metres away, but it's too far for | | | | And meanwhile Robin & Jo Pope are currently |
| comfort. To solve this concern, in some of their camps | | | | renovating their own house at Nkwali, which will be |
| in Botswana and Namibia, Wilderness have | | | | available for exclusive bookings shortly. |
| successfully created a family tent by adding an extra | | | | Tangala House is another private residence in Zambia, |
| tent onto the back of the bathroom. Wilderness have | | | | this one is located on the banks of the Zambezi River |
| also lowered the age range and they now accept | | | | close to Victoria Falls. It's beautifully equipped and is |
| children from 8 years of age in all their camps. | | | | therefore an ideal place for families with all the facilities |
| However, if you wanted to take any camp on an | | | | of a family home, including nannies. A wide range of |
| exclusive basis, perhaps sharing it with another family, | | | | activities are on offer in the immediate vicinity including |
| this lower limit would be waived. | | | | canoeing, rafting, game drives, white water rafting and |
| Some lodges will automatically provide a separate | | | | elephant riding. |
| vehicle for a family group, which means that you can | | | | Another option would be to do a private mobile safari, |
| take your game viewing at a pace which suits you. | | | | possibly in Kenya, Botswana or Tanzania, which |
| We would actively encourage all families to take this | | | | country would depend to a degree on the age of your |
| option, even if it's not offered as an inclusive. It does | | | | family. Accommodation would be in simple but |
| mean that if one of the children gets fed up on a | | | | comfortable tents with your own personal guide and |
| game drive, you can stop and calmly enjoy a coffee, | | | | camp staff. You would have the option to tailor-make |
| just sitting or mucking about under a tree without | | | | all your game activities at a pace to suit and involve all |
| worrying about other clients and their reactions. | | | | the family with the safari experience. |
| The content and timing of meals is another area that | | | | The restrictions with older children are obviously fewer |
| most family-friendly camps have looked at. There are | | | | and once they are twelve years old, they are |
| few parents that don't enjoy a child-free evening meal | | | | considered to be adults except on some of the more |
| at the end of the day (those of us with young children | | | | adventurous activities. An excellent teenage holiday |
| particularly) and children are much happier eating | | | | would be to spend some days in Victoria Falls indulging |
| something they recognise at a sensible time. This is | | | | in some of the more active pursuits and to combine |
| also made possible by the general availability of | | | | this with perhaps a walking, canoeing or riding safari. |
| babysitters, childminders or nannies; available at most | | | | Many families will combine a safari with some time on |
| lodges during the day and evenings at very reasonable | | | | the beach, which you can do very well in South Africa, |
| rates, but don't expect a fistful of official | | | | Kenya or Tanzania or you might wish to just |
| European-style qualifications. As with many African | | | | concentrate on a beach and water activities type of |
| women, most will have successfully raised large | | | | holiday. If that is the case, you can't do much better |
| families of their own. | | | | than Mauritius where there is a wide range of excellent |
| Kwando Safaris located in Botswana's Okavango | | | | hotels and resorts that welcome families with children |
| Delta have a specialist children's guide, Lisa Reed. Lisa | | | | of all ages. The variety of activities is excellent and |
| has worked extensively with children from the very | | | | most hotels have children's clubs that are open on a |
| young to teenagers. To begin with she prepares | | | | daily basis. |
| special materials which are sent to the children at | | | | Each individual family will have its own criteria when |
| home and she then takes them through a | | | | putting together a holiday to suit, so it is exciting to see |
| purpose-designed programme while they are in the | | | | that there is now a tremendous variety of exciting, |
| bush. Serious though it may sound, it's beautifully | | | | educational and relaxing options throughout Africa and |
| crafted to entertain, educate and match each child's | | | | the Indian Ocean to chose from. As more families are |
| concentration threshold. | | | | taking the opportunity to visit Africa, it really is worth |
| Another question is of course whether to travel to an | | | | planning well ahead for either a trip during a half term |
| area that is malaria-free or not. South Africa offers a | | | | or a main school holiday. We are now finding that the |
| range of safari camps in malaria-free locations, which | | | | most popular properties are getting booked up well in |
| of course can be successfully combined with any | | | | advance. |
| number of family orientated beach lodges and | | | | |