What Should I Consider Before Taking Children on an African Safari?

It should come as no surprise that an African safari would be a supreme highlight for your whole family to cherish forever. For the best family safari experience, before you plan to add any children or adolescents into the safari equation you must familiarize yourself with some basic etiquette and common age restrictions for entering this rugged African bush.

You must be advised that the vast majority of safari management and private game reserves will not allow the presence of children under a specified age limit. Small children may not be able to adhere to a hectic schedule involving multiple modes of transportation, and you can understand how temper tantrums will not be well received alongside fellow safari-goers.

Kids under the age of 6 are normally not permitted to partake in the safari. However, that age restriction might be as high as age 12 depending on your specific facility. Avoid traveling to regions with malaria threats if a child is under 10, as young kidneys are weak to its effects.

The underlying reason for enforcing an age limit is obviously due to safety concerns and to ensure the best family safari experience for everyone involved. Considering the fact that animals will often hastily react (often negatively) to something that is smaller and slower than they are, a child could very well feel far removed from any sort of a comfort zone in such an environment.

And while children may adore engaging with backyard creepy crawlers, the types of bugs that you might come across in the African bush are undeniably unfamiliar and hence overwhelming to some.

Let’s face it: our culture spends entirely too much time immersed in a digital realm of computers, television screens, video games and radios. Keeping this in mind, the transition period may take at least two days for children to adjust to being in such a radically different atmosphere. But their attention will be rapidly diverted to the visual spectacle of natural delight surrounding them on your African safari. So, if you are planning on bring children on an African safari, make sure to carefully plan ahead and utilize trusted safari planners for guidance and assistance to make sure you have the best family safari adventure.

Kids on safari looking out over African savannah

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