So you've decided to take the kids on an African safari. Now you need to prepare them. And yourselves. My girls loved having their own set of binoculars (Jason Maynard) Yes, it was worth it for each to have their own pair of binoculars (Jason Maynard)
You will need some appropriate clothing, footwear, and a few extra tidbits. We are happy to help with some advice on all of this. Clothing should be in neutral colors and in easy-to-care-for fabrics. You may need layers depending on your destinations and the time of year you travel. Yes, it can get chilly on safari! Have no fear, though, we have a packing list for you. Early mornings in some safari locations can be cold. Be prepared! (Jason Maynard)
And giving each kid the same stuff is key, of course. You don't want a fight to break out over the lone pair of binoculars and scare away a momma lion and her cubs. Sleeping lion cub (Jason Maynard)
The flights over are generally long and arduous, as some of the layovers may be as well. Load up tablets or laptops with downloaded shows and movies. Sure, the seatback video player on your long-haul flight might have something new for them, but then again, it might not. Plus, kids like familiar stuff. Please don't expect to stream anything while on safari. Any wifi is generally limited. Prepare your kids (especially your teenagers!) for having limited or no connections. In fact, if our cell phones didn't have such great cameras, there would be no real reason to bring them along. Your kids will need activities on safari--animal checklists, puzzles, whatever works for them. (Jason Maynard)
Animal checklists are great fun. Include bird checklists for more action! Art supplies can be useful as well. And even though most safaris will have early start times, your kids will find time to nap in the vehicle. The bumps along the road don't seem to affect kids' ability to sleep in the vehicles (Jason Maynard)
I love bringing along the wildlife guidebooks for the kids to look up information about the animals we see. And older kids might love a journal for the trip as well.
And finally, you will need to let the children know that your guide must be listened to at all times. Safaris are very safe. Animals don't care about the "Landies," as the vehicles are usually called. But a few precautions are always needed. If the kids need a potty, the guide can find you a "bush toilet" but only after he or she has made sure it is safe. No wandering off! Keep the snacks wrapped up to avoid any small visitors (such as mice) in your tents. And finally, everyone needs to be flexible! You may have started off searching for a pride of lions, but you stumble across a tower of giraffes or a leopard napping in a tree--you adjust! Take advantage of what you find while on safari and create those memories!
Excellent travel advice and service
This is my second experience working with Adventure Life. I’m sold. Jess Heuermann is an experienced traveler and provides a lot of useful information when planning a trip. These are the questions I like to ask at the outset - What’s it like to go here, there, what would you suggest, what do people report, can we add any additional side trips? Jess took the time to answer my questions and seek additional information to share with me. Petchie Colina is outstanding in helping with travel logistics and final preparations. Adventure Life has excellent guides and offers private guides and small group adventures. We enjoyed the opportunity to talk with the guides and drivers to learn more about their countries, cultures and histories. A highlight was having the guides pick local restaurants where we could share meals together. Highly recommend.
Claire Cordon
5 days ago
Our six-day tour in Iceland went smoothly with one exception. We had asked for two rooms each night. Somehow we were booked with one room with three beds. It could not be fixed at the first hotel in Reykjavik because the hotel was fully booked. Once informed of the problem, however, Adventure Life rebooked for two rooms for the remainder of the trip. As an 85-year-old traveler, I appreciated that one could participate at different physical levels at many of the stops. Iceland is a great place to visit but on the expensive side.
Mary Warren
6 days ago
Jess was very easy going and answered all our questions. It’s not easy dealing with 6 people at once but she did an outstanding job!
Diane Foster
1 week ago
Kassandra and the Adventure Life team have been incredible! Kassandra was very knowledgeable and attentive to our asks while making sure we kept within our budget. This was our first experience with a travel agent and we were blown away by the booking/initial exploration service. We will use Adventure Life again.