Do you want to take a break from your usual Family routine, become more productive, and be closer with each family member? If you’re used to family vacations and travels, consider a perfect family safari experience.

Expose your whole family to life’s circle. A family safari opens up nature and wildlife to all members in fun and interactive ways. A perfect family safari lets you relax, learn, and create memories with your loved ones while meeting other people – and animals!

To make the most out of your family time together, here are tips to have a perfect family safari experience!

1. Know Your Family Members

Each family is unique, and it would be great to know and appreciate your family’s uniqueness. Each composes varied ages and interests. Others may also be composed of any combination of the core family members (father, mother, and children), grandparents, cousins, and other relatives, depending on the family orientation.

Fit Safaris with Your Family

To have a perfect family safari experience, identify the composition of your family to efficiently choose the type of family safaris you would get on with to best suit your family. Consider the following members and activities for your family safari experience.

• Toddlers. Consider South Africa or Tanzania if you’re with kids below six years old. Safari camps in these countries give free accommodations for toddlers. Besides, South Africa has malaria-free parks like the Eastern Cape and the Madikwe Game Reserve in the Kalahari.

The kid-friendly camps also offer activities, such as fire-side story time, pizza-making, bows/arrows building, following tracks, doing arts and crafts, or watching penguins on the beach. Just inform the person in charge about your family’s personality.

• Tweens. This school-age group (6-12 years) is more travel-patient and relishes the journey than its end. They often want to have a taste of everything. Indulge them with bush experiences and exploratory adventures in the private conservancy in Kenya for flexible and exclusive activities. You may provide them with budget-friendly wildlife experiences in Zambia.

Zimbabwe also offers nature walks at Somalisa Acacia, visits to the five World Heritage sites (Mana Pools National Park, Matobo Hills, the Great Zimbabwe Ruins, Khami Ruins National Monument, and Victoria Falls), and rides on Elephant Express, a dual-engine, 22-passenger tram that takes you to Hwange National Park.

• Teens. Most teenagers (ages 12 and up) are addicted to smartphones, but this addiction won’t match the African family safari with little to no Wi-Fi. Getting a few meters closer to a rhino on a safari walk, watching a wildebeest stampede through crocodile-infested water, fly camping, quad biking, sand boarding, riding camelback, and hot air balloon will surely grab their attention.

Let them realize life’s lessons learned in school as they engage in cultural interactions like leaping with Maasai for the highest jump or learning the beading method of Samburu women. They may also join conservation education activities like pump runs, anti-poaching dog teams, and rhino darting.

• Intergeneration. A safari experience can be perfect for the whole family, regardless of age. A family safari for intergeneration ensures to meet every family member’s expectations and strengthens family bonding through the varied activities.

2. Determine the Where and When of Your Safari Adventure

Want to embark on your family safari adventure without affecting your work or your children’s school? Knowledge of your family members ensures planning for a family safari adventure becomes a breeze. You can choose the best destinations, but you can only get the best out of them at a specific time of the year.

Here is a round down of the best time and places to go for a worry-free and perfect family safari experience.

• January to February. In Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda, animals flock to permanent water supplies as the weather is dry. The last two weeks of January have fewer visitors and lower camp rates.

The three-week period in February is the time of mass birthing of wildebeests (especially in Serengeti), perfect for baby animal lovers.

• March to April. The best safari experience is in East Africa in early March. Namibia,  Botswana, and Victoria Falls in Zambia/Zimbabwe are the best in April. You may combine a visit to any South African safari.

Discounts rain on safari in April. However, it’s rainy from East Africa through Southern Africa — you can hardly find animals; dirt roads are impassable; lush vegetation obstructs your views of the animals.

• May to June. Zambia is the best country to visit in May for its wild African safari. South Africa, Botswana, Zambia, Zimbabwe, and Namibia are at their best in June. Just prepare your jackets for the chilly nights and early morning drive.

• July to September. You won’t be out of options as all major safari destinations are at their peak. Witness the wildebeests’ Great Migration from Serengeti in Tanzania to Masai Mara, Kenya, and be awe-stricken with the river crossing when the frailest wildebeests fall prey to the lurking crocodiles. Book ahead because camps, parks, and lodges become crowded these months.

• October to December. Zimbabwe, Kenya, and Tanzania are best for game viewing in October. You may witness a smaller version of the Great Migration in Liuwa Plain National Park in Zambia and the migrating herds heading back to the Serengeti plains in November. Okavango Delta in Botswana can also be a great sight as migrating birds fill up and start their breeding season until March.

Spend your best “bushy” Christmas in Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda. It’s an excellent season for game viewing in East Africa.

3. Bring Only the Essentials

You need not overload your baggage for your adventure. Just pack normally – pack the clothes normally worn at home, including hats, closed shoes, and anti-malaria and sun cream. Avoid wearing bright colors so you and your family will be comfortable in the day’s heat.

Black or dark blue clothes attract tsetse flies, while bright white ones get easily dirty from dusty parks and safaris, so keep them away from family safaris. Protect your family from colder mornings and evenings by bringing jackets. For each member to enjoy, each must have binoculars. And don’t forget the special medications or food your family members need!

4. Know Whom to Call and Decide Where to Stay

Contact and work with a safari specialist when planning your family safari adventure. You might have friends or connections who know a safari specialist or tour operators. For more options, you may scour the internet for them.

Gather more information and weigh options months before your scheduled adventure. Inform your specialist and discuss with them all you want for your adventure so they will consider factors to make your family safari experience perfect.

Safari lodges often house up to 100 people, and experienced tour operators recommend smaller tented safari camps for a more intimate family experience. Be sure to discuss this with your specialist, and for sure, you won’t even forget to ask for specific prices!

5. Manage Your Budget

Every family is unique, and so is the budget. Daily group safari prices vary from $150-275 for budget camping, $175-300 for budget accommodation, $175-400 for mid-range accommodation, and $475-700 for luxury accommodation per person. Other luxurious accommodations range from $700 to $1500 per person daily.

You may opt for travel businesses that often offer budget packages for family safaris. They’re just a few finger taps away, so don’t hesitate to contact and inquire. The more inquiries you have, the more knowledgeable you become to decide on your perfect family adventure based on your budget.

6. Relate and Create Memories

Don’t forget the essence of your planned family safari experience: strengthen your bond and create more memories together. Allow members to create their moments in the activities, but don’t forget to engage with them and create memories for the whole family.

Take this opportunity to reward yourself by living the moment and forgetting all the burdens you left for your safari adventure. Put down your gadgets once and a while and engage your senses in the wonders and feats of nature.

Seize That Perfect Family Safari Moment!

For your perfect family safari experience, months of planning must be in place before you schedule your adventure. Explore options, choose the activities that your whole family can enjoy, and take action.

Remember that July through October is the best time to visit the African safari, and be sure to communicate expectations and make all members feel they’re part of the planning.

So, get on with your adventure and seize that perfect family safari moment!

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