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.

We had a splendid safari and actually had no trouble with finding food for our daughter or cots in the hotels etc. In fact the whole trip was just perfect. We were very careful to use mosquito nets, 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. Our daughter Juliette has experienced safaris from a very young age and we have friends who have brought up their children in safari lodges so the simple answer is yes children do settle in extremely well to the wild but with some provisos.

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.
• FREE to download are safari games available from the web, this will 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.

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 ended up being one of the most amazing 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 missed their prey. 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. It was lucky that our driver recognised the change and drove away quickly 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 safety 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 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 propose you pick your camp carefully and make sure your travel advisor knows you are travelling with children so they can find the most suitable for children. We can guide you on this from personal 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. This is a rare disease which you should not come across in a safari lodge. The main illness concern is malaria as this is a problem through all tropical areas. The locals catch it frequently and it is frequently judged no worse than an attack of flu. Depending on the strain, it could be dangerous and the answer here is good prevention. Young children cannot take malaria tablets but please get advice from your doctor. Make sure that you apply mosquito repellent abundantly, covering up arms & legs before the sun goes down and make sure 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. Travellers should speak to their GP and take advice from the relevant authorities before travelling.

If you are thinking of catching the February wildlife great migration in the Serengeti national park, now is the time to book.40 of our friends from around the world came to the Serengeti with us on our honeymoon. We came at the end of the second week in February which was ideal timing.
This is something that you must see for yourself the whole of the plains were crammed full of thousands of gnu and zebra’s it was the most spectacular sight I have ever witnessed my senses were tingling as I could see them migrate past me, the smell of wildlife added to the atmosphere and the sounds were over whelming with each animal calling out. In the morning light we watched the mothers around us giving birth, with only a brief moment to give birth some mothers had calves half in and half out as they had to continue with the herd.
Calves were born and from that moment the mothers are there encouraging them to stretch those awkward lanky legs, stagger to their feet and to move with the herd, as the mother knew staying with the herd will help their survival. Although it seems cruel to us it is natures way to trim out the weak, sick and aged animals for the survival of stronger and younger animals right in the midst of mothers giving birth to their young.
We went deep into the Serengeti where the scenery was spectacular, but the biggest concentration of game we saw was near lake Ndutu. Lake Ndutu is a beautiful setting that is surrounded by giant, flat-topped acacias, the Lake Ndutu shimmering in the sunlight providing precious water to the wild life as it migrates through the Serengeti.
We stayed two nights at Ndutu Safari Lodge which is quite small (I think we filled it) but was full of old style game lodge charm and is the only lodge where you can sit and watch the migration of the wildebeest as they give birth and feed on the grass. Upon leaving Ndutu Safari Lodge, Lake Ndutu and the Serengeti national park we found it was one of the hardest things we have had to do, our hearts wanted us to stay in Tanzania but we had to return home knowing that we will return to Africa and all of it’s wonderful splendour