A Family Safari In South Africa is one of the finest ways for a family to explore, have an adventure and generally “gel”. In this age of instant and often screen-based communication and entertainment South Africa can offer outdoors adventure, magnificent scenery and so many variations of “things to do” that the Kindle or Laptop suddenly seems – at last! – redundant (or is at least relegated to it’s proper place: processing digital photos!).

One could reduce a blog like this to a simple list of activities for families in South Africa, ranging from whale watching to white water rafting to trapezing in forest canopies, but the connotation between Africa and animals cannot be ignored so let’s dwell for a moment on that aspect of a brilliant family holiday.

The first consideration is whether to stay in a malaria free zone or not. Most of the Eastern Cape is malaria-free and so are regions such as Madikwe in north eastern South Africa. Both have some perfectly acceptable game viewing (places such as Kwandwe, pictured below, are absolutely brilliant for families) and are therefore spot-on if one wants to avoid taking malaria prophylaxis and so malaria is not an issue when planning a safari for a family.

Walking With Children at Kwandwe – Family safari In South Africa With Experts AfricanExplorations.com

The Kruger, of course, is where most people turn when thinking of a family safari in South Africa and there are excellent small camps and lodges which suit families very well indeed and which, to some extent, also include activities other than “just” game drives.

This leads on to one aspect of South Africa that works so well for a family travelling together – the way that one goes on safari. Game drives are wonderful, especially if some members of the family are quite young, but there are other ways to go on safari: walking and riding are two of the best. Some smaller properties love to take clients walking and show the younger members of the family the more hidden aspects of the bush but riding, especially, is something that not only adds flavour to the whole safari experience but is also an activity that can be enjoyed by everyone, with the day’s end not only being “gosh I saw animals” but also “didn’t we just have the very best fun”!

Properties such as Ant’s Nest or Horizon fulfill this double-plus so well. There are wild animals, there are horses (where else will you be encouraged to take your horse or pony swimming with you?!), one feels truly part of Africa, there’s camping out and a million-and-one other things to do, it’s all so utterly relaxed and there’s no need to be packing and travelling all the time. Each day is different and the end result is a holistic, enjoyable,  fun time for the family as a whole. And it’s a fabulous, completely shared, FAMILY holiday, not just time off with everyone doing their own thing……..

Family Safari In South Africa: Riding at Horizon With Experts AfricanExplorations.com

I believe that of all the countries in Africa, Kenya offers the finest experience for an overall family safari. The reason for this is that it offers great diversity, both in terms of wildlife and scenery, but also in activities and experiences.

For example, for a family who might be slightly nervous and used to only staying in villas and luxury hotels, we can assemble the most wonderful safari which utilises the most special villas and lodges, some which are even fenced against the wildlife, so one is never concerned. Here they have their own private guide who – perhaps if you want to go on a walk by yourselves – will teach your children all about their cultural ways – learning how to make bows and arrows and to use them, how to make fires with no matches and what it takes to become a warrior these days.

Family Safari Kenya with AfricanExplorations.com

For famillies who are more adventurous, we can arrange some amazing private mobile tented safaris, sleeping out beneath the stars or perhaps going on a camel assisted walking safari and also sleeping in a tree house. Swim in rivers, go tubing or swing across them on ropes – all the wonderful things we did as children – or certainly that I did when I was growing up in Africa!

Luckily there are still family owned lodges and ranches where one can stay and feel part of a family, learning about the country and obviously all about the wildlife, the insects, the trees and plants and their medicinal properties.

You can either end up on the coast where you have a wide choice of chic, Robinson crusoe properties, or private villas that come with a skipper and your own private boat so that you can go snorkelling and water skiing whenever you wished – or you can stay at a resort or a boutique hotel – or even a dhow or catamaran! Alternately, stay at a lovely lodge on the lake where you can go out on boats and go fishing.

Whatever you decide to do, a family safari in Kenya is the obvious way to go!

One of the very best countries to take a safari in, is Zambia. Apart from scenically being one of the most beautiful countries, what makes it so special is its diverse vegetation, its huge concentrations of  wildlife and the fact that Zambia has some of the finest guides in all of Africa. If anyone is particularly interested in walking, then this country is home to the walking safari. Put simply – nobody does it better than they do! Whether it is a dedicated walking safari of around 5 days, or a private mobile walking safari for just one or two nights, the guiding is second to none and your experiences will be heightened as one learns so much more on foot, whether its the medicinal properties of plants and trees, or spending time working out the life cycle of a dung beetle or termites in a mound! It is fascinating!

However, this is perfectly paired with the more traditional vehicle safaris, which take place in south Luangwa, Kafue and Lower Zambezi regions. There is a wonderful array of truly superb camps to choose from, and if one enjoys canoeing, then there are some beautiful camps and lodges from where one can canoe down the Zambezi, in the lower Zambezi.

Zambia Safaris with AfricanExplorations.com

Either way, if you are looking for a sensational safari, filled with diversity of scenery and wildlife and the best guiding, then Zambia Safaris are the way to go!

For those lucky souls who found their first safari to be one of life’s truly formative experiences, the draw of Africa becomes irresistible. But, as the Africa “bug” bites so that one is drawn back time and time again, the need becomes paramount to find those authentic, never to be forgotten, moments and special, out of the way, places. Assuming that one has access to the right advice and the best private guides this is no problem as Africa can continue to deliver fabulous experiences time and time again; but always given that one has the time for such indulgences. Ah, I hear you cry: “we must make time”! However, in this hectic world of ever-increasing pressure and intense personal time management, making time is not necessarily straightforward, especially when precious spare time is partially expended just getting to these remote and beautiful places.

Thus we must make effective use of time and one way of doing so on a safari is not to spend too much time travelling to the places that can deliver the experience we are looking for – and then effectively managing the way we get to and from each location.  This means a flying safari. Here I am not referring just to using scheduled hops around, say, Tanzania, Zambia or Kenya (although this is the base method of achieving rapid access to the final destination, albeit to the more mainstream parks and locations) but I would suggest, for those who want the best possible return on the time and cost investment of a highly personalised safari,  chartering an aircraft privately in to and out of all the camps and properties chosen for the itinerary. I also assume that the safari will be privately guided as this goes hand-in-hand with the flying element to make the absolute most of one’s time in Africa.

Private Flying Safari With Experts African Explorations

Thus the point, on a safari that may only last eight, ten or twelve days, is to maximise each and every day and hour. Having a private guide maximises the experience per se but it is the sum total of the experiences that go to make up a truly great safari. Having a private charter or, better, a private aircraft at one’s disposal ensures not only that one travels at the best time of day so that no time is ever lost in terms of timing of activities but also one is not dictated to by any schedule as to what order places can be visited or for how long one stays or, within logistical reason, how long it takes to get there. Thus a safari can take in widely varying habitats, very different scenic destinations, very remote places and be planned to maximise the best of every element possible simply because being flown privately ensures complete flexibility – and viewing game takes on a whole new aspect from the air….

The result is so relaxed! Flying privately around Africa is not a cheap option of course but, assuming that one has the funds, how do we value the wonderful moments in our lives? We work hard to earn our downtime in this life and my view is to get the best value out of each and every safari: take a private guide and a private charter and see the best of Africa: places such as Turkana, the Skeleton Coast, the wilds of Mozambique, the far west of Tanzania and many more. Do it in style……

An African Safari in Kenya will be one of the most rewarding and diverse kinds of safari imaginable. Kenya offers the quintessential African safari – the infinite, savannah plains, the concentrations of wildlife (both during and outside of the wildebeest migration), as well as a wonderful collection of people – over 49 tribes.

African Safari in Kenya with AfricanExplorations.com

Add to that a myriad of ways of being on safari, from horse riding, to camel trekking, to walking, to flying, interspersed perhaps with some fly fishing or visits to Lake Turkana by helicopter and you have a safari unlike any other. Of course, I take the 4 x 4 safari as standard practice.

Add in some fantastic guides, perhaps your own aircraft to take you everywhere and then some ranch houses, perhaps a private tented mobile camp complete with your own private guide and vehicle, and some of the most beautifully constructed lodges in Africa, and you have the perfect safari!

Add the coast in at the end – perhaps a private villa complete with your own skipper and boat, or a Robinson Crusoe chic castaway on your own private island – or even some time on a dhow or a yacht – in beautifully warm waters and white sand beaches – and you truly have it made! Coming from Kenya and taking my own family on safari there each year allows me to divulge the very best places with you!

There is nothing quite like an African Safari – the colours that dance on the high grasses as the sun rises, that wonderful smell of wild herbs – so pungent with the morning dew! That extraordinary colour when the sun rises – a mixture of pink and blue and yellow hues. The scenery – across infinite savannah plains or perhaps through miombo woodland across to a waterhole. Then, of course, seeing the animals as the sun gently warms their coats – changing from a dark to light brown, as they start feeding on the grasses.

One feels so alive – so well – and its such a joy to witness as your guide imparts details of the activities over the last night – where animals have walked, exactly what appears to have happened – perhaps a leopard taking an antelope, whose carcass may be fresh in the trees.

African Safari with AfricanExplorations.com

After a day of wonderful game viewing, by open vehicle and on foot, learning about the medicinal properties of plants and animals, stop and have a sundowner at a beautiful lagoon, filled with birdlife – and perhaps some hippos snorting away.  Watch that blood red African sunset whilst sipping a chilled glass of wine, before wending your way back to your camp – which could be a luxury lodge catering for just a handful of discerning guests, to a private lodge or private, luxury tented camp erected just for you and your family or friends. Then one can view wildlife on horseback, by boat or on foot. The options are endless! But with over 22 years of experience and a team of specialists from Africa, what you can be assured of – is that we will transform your holiday to a safari of a lifetime!

African Safari with AfricanExplorations.com