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.
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 and in fact she was not 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.
- You can download “safari games” free from the web and 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.
One dramatic episode that we had that I would like to mention because it could 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 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. We could see that the lions missed their prey. Our daughter in all the bewilderment began crying, within seconds the lions who usually regard vehicles as just part of the landscape started to see the vehicle as a possible prey, like a small animal in distress. Fortunately our guide acknowledged the change in mood and drove us away quickly 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. There won’t be any problems keeping the children amused, this will be a new and thrilling experience where they will be introduced to different cultures and maybe poverty, the experience of Africa may possibly play an important role in the education of your 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 overemphasize but camp rules are there for your protection and must be followed, because if they are 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 understanding 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. It is an uncommon disease which you wouldn’t come across in a safari lodge. Your focus of concern should be malaria which is a problem all over the tropics. The locals catch it frequently and it is frequently judged no worse than an attack of flu. Although dangerous depending on the strain, the answer is prevention. Young children cannot take malaria tablets but please get advice from your doctor. Don’t forget to apply mosquito repellent profusely all over them, cover their arms and legs before the sunsets and make certain 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.
