Planning a family holiday to Africa

posted 3rd August 2019 by Danica Wilson in Work in progress

Planning a family holiday to Africa

Are you planning a family holiday to Africa?  That’s great. Most children already know Africa’s animals fondly through exposure to colourful cartoons, bath toys, figurines, movies and more! So why not make their fantasy world a reality?

Whether you wish to holiday in Africa during the school holiday periods or outside these times, we can offer you outstanding options to consider that factor in the needs of your children and mum and dad too!

There are always great savings to be had except over the primary Christmas period which is usually 20 Dec – 2 January.

We want to give you a few inspiring ideas that will help you in planning a family holiday to Africa.

Tips for family travel in Africa

Africa with babies and tots [birth – 4]

  1. There are some fantastic malaria-free areas to enjoy safaris which means no tablets are needed for little ones. South Africa is best!
  2. In the malaria-free reserves there are fantastic animals including the Big Five.
  3. You also find family friendly properties with great facilities, nannies on call, flexible eating hours and larger room options.
  4. Accommodation is geared to families and set up accordingly so you don’t stress if your little one wanders.
  5. Expect brilliant guides highly experienced at guiding families.

Some of our favourite malaria-free properties

  1. Madikwe Safari Lodge where no age restriction applies, guides are great and accommodation spacious.
  2. Tswalu is outstanding with exclusive vehicle and guide for every booking, enormous rooms, great nannies available and meals designed around your family needs.
  3. Kwandwe Game Reserve has exclusive use properties for larger families and there is no child age restriction for them. You get your own guide, vehicle, chef, butler and nanny.

Tips for family travel in Africa

Africa with in betweens [5-12]

  1. Still your babies, kids at this age are far more inquisitive and want hands on interactions. So we love to recommend places that offer brilliant bush programs plus the usual creature comforts as a fall back distraction plan.
  2. Most properties allow children under the age of 12 to share with an adult. Keep in mind sometimes it’s taking a separate room if you have 2 kids because it would have to be 1 adult and 1 child per room. We rather find somewhere you can all be together.
  3. Think about moving between each location. Know your limits and that of kids. So if it’s 3 hours in a vehicle let us know and we plan accordingly to avoid melt downs.
  4. What about activities? Think about all the sorts of things you want kids to experience.
  5. Malaria-free is not such a priority because the kids are a bit bigger and able to swallow tablets!

Some of our property favourites

  1. Meno a Kwena in Botswana as a huge diversity of activities to entertain all ages from a river-floating wildlife hide, cultural interactions with the San, game drives and more. Accommodation is tented and really authentic and there’s multiple social areas to guarantee a great experience all round.
  2. Somalisa Camp in Zimbabwe’s Hwange National Park is a highlight for families on safari and their guides are phenomenal with the “in-betweens”.
  3. Loldia House, Lake Naivasha in Kenya is in a great location and on its own 6,000 ranch which means families can enjoy all the activities on offer in the region. Imagine as a family enjoying a delicious picnic lunch on Crescent Island, then walking up Mount Longonot. Lake Naivasha is famous for its flamingo population so it’s impressive safari going.
  4. Tanzania Northern Safari Circuit – this can be done with your family and a private vehicle and guide driving from place to place and you can see Lake Manyara, Tarangire National Park, Ngorongoro Crater and the famous Serengeti. It’s on our Wishlist for the Wilson family.
  5. Lake Malawi is a brilliant destination for families especially after a safari holiday in Zambia or Southern Africa. Even though it’s a lake, it feels like a beach and offers the family down . time, sailing, snorkelling, kayaking, village visits and so much more.

Tips for family travel in Africa

Africa with teens [13 – 19]

  1. Teenagers are tricky… they will either love you for the shared experience or resent you for taking their time away from friends and digital devices. Once the teens arrive in Africa, things change and they come back realising just how lucky they are for experiencing such a wonderful holiday with their family.
  2. Take away technology – you won’t have to because teenagers soon throw themselves into everything on offer.
  3. Mix up the moments – we love to combine beach or island time with safari life so the teenagers have the opportunity to catch up on sleep! They are not used to early morning rises usually.

Some of our property favourites

  1. Camp Kalahari, Botswana so the teens can head out on quad bikes, sleep out on the pans, walk with San bushmen and more
  2. Exclusive use mobile camping in Namibia has become a treat for many of our guests with teenagers. Private vehicle and guide, exclusive use tented accommodation in great locations like Damaraland and Sossusvlei. Desert elephant and rhino tracking, himba cultural interactions, dune hiking and more
  3. Jackalberry Treehouse, South Luangwa Zambia is a treat for anyone. Two bedrooms with lounge area up high in a tree that elephants come to eat from… it’s an outstanding safari moment
  4. Gorilla or chimpanzee trekking is a treat and available for teenagers from 15 / 16 depending where you go
  5. Boating safaris for teens makes for great fun and you’ll see their competitive streak if you go canoeing or kayaking

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