A Family Safari is about the most special safari that anybody can have. So – what’s so special about a family safari? Okay – how about the special bond that it promotes within a family – the sacrosanct time that one has at a time like this that simply doesn’t exist at any other time?

Getting to know one another again as a family and appreciating the time one has with each other? Whether that spends time doing things that you used to enjoy once upon a time as a time as a family ie: horse riding, fishing, quad biking, snorkelling, diving, playing tennis or afresh and learning about how one’s interests have diversified.

Family Safari with AfricanExplorations.com

Whether that means going down an avenue of scientific knowledge of lion and elephant behaviour or spending time with chimpanzees and gorillas – or even seeing the big 5 and then finishing off with spending some time sailing on the ocean whether that is in a catamaran or on a laser boat or windsurfing or waterskiing or deep sea diving.

Family Safari with AfricanExplorations.com

Whether it is the marine big 5 or the land big 5, we can assemble whatever wish you have in mind – whether a safari in the savannah plains or spending time with elephants, lions, giraffe, zebra – a full big 5 safari – or something photographic where it is just you and your camera – or perhaps climbing a mountain – or seeing the best primates in the world – we are complete specialists – we all come from Africa – our passion is in Africa – and we are used to designing a custom made holiday of a lifetime – so don’t hesitate to call us for your dream safari!

Family Safari with AfricanExplorations.com

Whether canoeing, sailing, beaching, having contact with the local population and understanding their culture and learning about wildlife – we are here for you!

Family Safari Botswana – well, the country truly lends itself to some of the finest family safaris imaginable!

Depending upon the ages of your children, we can adapt a safari to suit your family perfectly! Top of the range must go to the young explorer’s programme that we offer. This is for children aged 6 upwards and is based in the Okavango Delta. Here the camp is closed to your family and we have the most wonderful guide in Paul Molesang. The children will learn how to identify the signs of the bush – the tracks left by animals and they will learn which plants and trees are used by the local people to make toothbrushes, to cure certain ills etc as well as the folklore attached to them.

Family Safari Botswana with AfricanExplorations.com

In addition, they learn about the night sky, how to fish for bream and a host of other fascinating facts. They then receive a certificate to say they have done all these things which the children all love – in fact, our two ten year olds thought it was the greatest thing ever!

Family Safari Botswana with AfricanExplorations.com

Then they can go to the Kalahari Desert, get close to meerkats and ride quad bikes over the salt pans, having a sleep out as well, beneath the stars. They can walk with San people and learn about their culture. Perhaps even visit an orphanage in Maun. If you ride, they might like to do some riding in the Delta or further north and we can arrange for the family to camp in your own private, mobile tented camp should you wish. We can also arrange a canoe safari for a couple of nights, learning to read the delta as the rivermen have done for a hundred years! Botswana is so rich in wildlife which makes this one of the most rewarding safaris possible!

Family Safari Botswana with AfricanExplorations.com

Alternately, if luxury is your thing, Botswana has no shortage of these style of lodges!  One can never put a price on these sort of safaris  – as the memory lasts forever! Perhaps start your safari at Victoria Falls which is such fun and end off on the coast somewhere, like Mozambique?

Elephant Safaris can come under the guise of many different types of safari!

Elephant Safaris with AfricanExplorations.com

Does one mean a safari whereby one has a lot of interaction with elephants – such as in Kenya where one can go out with a researcher for a day and learn everything about an elephant and perhaps even be involved in a tagging process. Or in Botswana where one can either ride on an elephant’s back for three days or even walk alongside it, with its trunk in your hand, in the Okavango Delta?

Perhaps it just means those areas where one is most likely to see the greatest concentration of elephant – which means – Amboseli and Samburu National Parks in Kenya – although Meru and the Masai Mara have a good population of elephant too! The Caprivi Strip in Namibia where I used to live, where herds of up to 500 elephants would congregate at the water’s edge on a nightly basis. Chobe National Park in Botswana has its numbers swelling to 60 000 elephants in the park at certain times of year although it has good populations elsewhere such as south Chobe and Moremi.

Hwange, in Zimbabwe is renowned for its Presidential Herd of elephant which is really impressive. Tarangire National Park in Tanzania is also home to one of the strongest elephant herds – again 500 strong can be seen at certain times of year.In Mana Pools one can get really close to them in a canoe – being silent they dont see you as a threat, more part of the river!

Addo National Park in South Africa also has a tremendous elephant population and one can spend time observing them at a waterhole.

I confess they are my favourite mammal, so I follow them closely in all the parks they appear! We would love to assist you on your next elephant safari!

Family Safari Holidays are my favourite way of travelling together as a family. There is simply so much to do – which is also away from the social media that has dominated our children’s lives!

Each year I take my own family on two safaris a year – this year it was a riding holiday and a luxury safari in South Africa – ending up in Cape Town and Plettenberg Bay.  Mozambique is a great country to end up at for the coast – gorgeous waters of 30 degrees celsius, amazing snorkelling and we have found a first class lodge which caters really beautifull for younger children – which is owner managed.

Family Safari Holidays with AfricanExplorations.com

Last year it was Kenya – doing a camel trekking safari, doing a riding safari, then spending some time in the Masai Mara at a wonderful tented camp where the owner has his own children – and then ending up on the coast.  We have a handful of places which we use for our famillies which are sensational! They range from a private villa in Lamu complete with private skipper who can take you out snorkelling and sailing around different islands each day – to a lovely Robinson Crusoe-esque place which is family owned and they have more watersports facilities than one can shake a stick at – and that is also based in Lamu. We have some places in Kiwayu which are sensational – notably one where there is fabulous deep sea and fly fishing, great snorkelling, windsurfing, laser sailing and water skiing.  At certain times of year you can go swimming with the dolphins which is simply amazing! I did it this year! Next year we are going back to Madagascar which is great for children – you can take a catamaran for several days around the islands!

Family Safari Holidays with AfricanExplorations.com

Botswana is superb – and a couple of the camps have a special programme for children – and we can arrange a private mobile tented camp which means its a camp that moves and only your family stays there. Go quad biking on the salt pans of the Kalahari desert – learn to fish in the Okavango Delta – learn how to read the stars as well as the footprints of the animals on the sand. Zambia is great – and you can combine it with the Lake of Malawi where one can take a catamaran or simply go sailing .

Family Safari Holidays with AfricanExplorations.com

Then we have Tanzania, which you can team up with either Zanzibar or Unguja or Mafia Island, go snorkelling, diving, dolphining, kite surfing and wakeboarding – just to name a few activities on offer!

Luxury honeymoons – well, this is one of the moments in life which should be treasured – and – how better to do this than with a luxurious honeymoon? Most people would agree that the lead up to their wedding is nothing short of traumatic – exciting of course and the highlight is your special day – but then, you need to be rewarded for all that hard work in making your day such a success!

luxury honeymoons at Sasaab with AfricanExplorations.com

If choosing the continent of Africa – quite where does one start? Most people need a break right at the beginning – somewhere to acclimatise and simply let the entire magnificent experience sink in! Then, once you have regained your breath, so to speak, move on to a wonderful safari – where it can be just the two of you in a vehicle, or on foot, savouring the moments together. Perhaps you might like to start in Kenya, staying somewhere romantic at the beginning, with infinite views, a little riding for those that do, picnic lunches and bush breakfasts set up as a surprise, after a walk. Flycamp for a night, where you sleep beneath the stars, an entire camp erected just for the two of you…. or walk, ride or take a camel to a treehouse where you will sleep for the night! Then move off to the Masai Mara or Samburu (or we suggest both!) and sleep in an enormous tent, bedouin style, with persian carpets and lots of big cushions and day beds, either overlooking a river or the plains. Have sundowners on a large rock, with miles of savannah plains and wildlife sprawling out in front of you. End up on the coast, either the Kenyan coast, where there are some gorgeous, romantic boutique hotels, who arrange dining in a different place each night for you. Perhaps in a cave one night, lit with lanterns,  or on the beach, or around a swimming pool or on your own verandah? The Tanzanian coast is especially good for those that dive, or if a large, opulent hotel is more your style, then combine it with Mauritius or the Seychelles.

luxury honeymoon at Zarafa Camp with AfricanExplorations.com

Namibia is another amazing country, with beautiful deserts and one can spend time in a beautiful lodge which is open sided, with views of sand dunes surrounding one, or perhaps a skylight so one can view the stars. The piece de resistance is taking a hot air balloon ride over the dunes at dawn as the dunes change hue!

Luxury Namibia with AfricanExplorations.com

South Africa also offers some amazing designer style lodges, where comfort is the keyword and then one can move on to either Mozambique, Mauritius, Madagascar or the Seychelles from there!

In Tanzania, stay in a gorgeous, luxurious lodge or camp in the Serengeti, followed by a stay in the Ngorongoro Crater, where fresh roses are flown in daily for you and placed next to your bath that your butler has run for you, a glass of wine on the side, and views of the Crater from your bath!

Botswana is fabulous too, one can walk with elephants, learning all about these magnificent pachyderms, and stay on a gorgeous island, with just a handful of luxurious tents, and a lagoon surrounding you, so that you fall asleep to the gentle snort of the hippos. Or even spend time riding an elephant and staying at a luxurious lodge with fabulous views of the Okavango Delta.

Luxury Banyan Tree Seychelles with AfricanExplorations.com

There are so many dreamy places that one could spend months – let alone days – with your treasured partner – you simply wont want to leave! Remember though, that to spend longer at a place is better, as it means you dont have to undertake the early morning game drives, but rather participate on them as you wish – remember, this is all about fun and relaxation – in equal measures!

Luxury camping is an easy thing to achieve in Africa these days – in fact – we arrange luxury camping simply everywhere in Africa – from Botswana and Zambia to Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Malawi to Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania.

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Luxury camping desert with AfricanExplorations.com

This is often the very best way to get really close to wildlife – specifically with an encounter such as the wildebeest migration which occurs for three months of the year in Kenya and Tanzania. Many famillies and groups of friends prefer total exclusivity and want to be by themselves with their own private vehicle and guide and their own space – this allows complete freedom and flexibility. This all comes from having a private, mobile luxury camp. These camps can be erected almost anywhere within reason – close to excellent wildlife locations – we have placed camps close to hyaena or wild dog dens when the animals have had pups, or even close to a nest of a Shoebill Stork – so nothing is too much of a challenge for us!

Luxury Camping safaris with AfricanExplorations.com

A great contrast to having a camp in a wildlife area, such as the Okavango Delta in Botswana – is to have a luxury camp erected in the desert. Here we can offer tremendous luxury camping in the Kalahari Desert in South Africa, the Kalahari Desert in Botswana and the Namib Desert in Namibia. In Namibia – the Namib Desert is home to some of the highest sand dunes in the world, while the reason to visit the Kalahari desert is to see desert adapted species such as the brown hyaena, meerkats, oryx and springbok as well as exploring the salt pans by quad bike and learning about the San or bushman culture. Either way, these are some of the finest safaris in Africa!

Luxury Camping Africa with AfricanExplorations.com

In terms of accommodation, the private camps have their own en suite bucket shower with lots of hot water and  loos and  and some camps even have persian rugs in the tents and tables complete with candelabra and silver cutlery – it all depends upon how grand you would like it to be!

Nicola Shepherd talking about a Botswana Safari…

I really don’t think there is any other way of undertaking a safari these days with complete success unless it is entirely bespoke, which is exactly what we do at African Explorations.

Bespoke Safaris from AfricanExplorations.com

In order to ensure the perfect success of a safari, one has to really understand what makes that person tick – the sort of accommodation they would most enjoy – from a luxurious lodge complete with butler service, to a  small, intimate permanent lodge or tented camp in a beautiful location, to a private mobile tented camp erected purely for you. Then if you would require a private guide to accompany you throughout your safari – and if so, we must ensure they match your personality – then we need to include any particular hobbies or interests that you may have. Perhaps scientific – in which case we would arrange for you to accompany a lion scientist, or go out with an elephant specialist, or a wild dog specialist. Perhaps you might be interested in photography, in which case we would select a guide or camp which facilitates just this – camps that provide bean bags and special platforms for your camera – some camps even have a media room – and then one can even join a specialist photographic safari. You might be a keen birdwatcher, in which case we might even place you on a special Shoebill stork safari.

Bespoke Safaris with AfricanExplorations.com

It may be a wonderful family safari – in which case we would listen carefully to the interests of your children and match them – sending them to places which offered perhaps a private villa complete with skipper and private boat – or a luxury Robinson Crusoe styled place with more watersports than ever imagined!  We can arrange for you to spend a day with a Samburu or Maasai warrior, learning about their culture – or even visit a school. You may be a rider travelling with a non rider – that is easily arranged, too! You might want to sail at the end of your safari – just say the word! Perhaps you simply want something completely luxurious and utterly romantic – we have all the places at our fingertips! Whatever it is you wish to do – we can tailor it to you – perfectly! Bespoke Safaris are, after all, just what we’re about!

There are few others holidays that one can take in life to rival something quite so spectacular as a luxury Africa safari! These days, it is so easy to undertake a safari in complete and varying degrees of comfort. Whether one is looking for a private mobile tented safari with private vehicle and guide, allowing one complete flexibility  and exclusivity each day, to staying at a luxury permanent camp to the ultimate designer lodge, happily all these safaris are now possible to do!

Luxury Africa Safari with AfricanExplorations.com

The next difficult question would be – which country?  Well, for first time safari goers, little equals East Africa with its large, infinite savannah plains and concentrations of wildlife, to the delights of Zambia which is uncommercial, beautiful and plentiful of wildlife and probably the finest country for walking safaris, to Botswana, Mozambique, Malawi, Namibia, Uganda, Rwanda, Madagascar and South Africa. Each country has its own special and unique factors – and we are here to assist you with our wide choice of luxury safaris, all tailored to you by our African experts from Africa!

Luxury Africa Safari with AfricanExplorations.com

Botswana is the most wonderful country and offers some of the most amazing experiences when it comes to a luxury family safari Botswana. To begin with, they have the young explorer’s programme which is simply fantastic. Lucia van der Post of the Financial Times recounted the safari we sent her and her 10 year old grandsons on in the Okavango Delta – it is a memory that will remain with them forever!

Luxury Family Safari Botswana with AfricanExplorations.com

Apart from learning every aspect of the bush, they learnt how to fish, how to read the night sky in the southern hemisphere, how to light a fire, how to read the footprints of animals, which plants are used for medicinal purposes etc. One can then add this to a stay in the Kalahari Desert at Jacks Camp or San Camp and spend time with habituated meerkat.

Luxury Family Safari Holiday Botswana with AfricanExplorations.com

This is one of the great ‘must do’s’ in life! Learn too all about the san people (or the bushmen) and their culture. Ride quad bikes across the salt pans. Perhaps you might like to do some luxury camping in the Moremi or take a canoe safari in the Linyanti or simply spoil yourselves at a beautiful luxury lodge on the shores of the Chobe River. Either way, this is such an educational and fun experience, they will be begging you to take them back to Africa in a trice – so start saving!