We won a Safari! Anyone been with kids?

[HumbugsforChristmas]

We literally won a safari holiday for two, in a raffle (a posh raffle and posh safari).

We have decided to add our DD (nearly 10 when we travel), but now I am worrying.....about safety, health issues and whether we are mad to do this with a child, although she is obsessed with lions!

The trip is to Tanzania, the lodges are 5 star, we have private driver and vehicle at our disposal along with some short flights from one area to another so avoid long stretches in a 4x4, it really is a trip of a lifetime, I can't tell you how wonderful the accommodation looks, the whole thing really.

We haven't told DD yet (go in July), so why am I worrying?

Has anyone done anything like this? How did you get on?

Tell me It will be OK.

It will be ok. It will be amazing. I am very jealous

I was only 11 when I went to Zimbabwe which included a safari amongst other things such as a trip to Vic falls etc - obviously this was before all the trouble there. It was a great holiday although my parents love to remind me how full of attitude I was during that holiday.My mum is still convinced that the larium tablets caused my change in behaviour.
Have a fab time - what a great prize to have won!

I ran safaris for families, she will love it. I would check that the lodge will accept children under 12 some 5* lodges do not also check about game drives. Normal drives are 6am until 10am then around 4pm until 8pm so a break in the afternoon with time for a swimming. Look into yellow fever jabs if your flight is not direct to Tanzania. If you have a stop over in an other country you may need the jab. There are Health officers at the airport that may check if you have had the jab if you have not they do it there! Plus tell your doctor where you are going for the other travel jabs and tablets for Malaria. A good bug spray over there is called Peaceful Sleep which can be brought from Shoprite supermarkets (there's one in Arusha) Wish I will going!!!!

Oh my goodness! I have absolutely no advice for you seeing as I have never been on safari but just wow at such an amazing raffle prize! Congratulations

Wow, jealous to the max. Safari one of the best things I have ever done. Will be fine

Wow what an experience!

Thanks, I think we have got over the shock of winning now and having had the itinerary, it is beginning to be real.

However, has anyone actually done one with children?

Nanny, the trip was tailor made, so the company have told the lodges and safari camp our DD's age. Only one was a possible no, but as she us nearly 10 when we travel, they accepted her.

Our flight is into Nairobi from the UK, our seats are reserved, we confirm on Monday. We have a two hour change in Nairobi for Kilimanjaro, this is one of the parts that worries me, being in the airport in Nairobi for sometime. We could possibly go via Amsterdam, but don't get into Kili. Until late, which wastes the day in Arusha. We have a driver in Arusha, but don't fancy shopping around, is it safe? Will we scream tourists?!!

The other art that bothers me is the malaria medication for dd and then the transfer flights across the Serengeti in a little plane - twice!

Am I being a wimp?!!

You should be ok if your transit time is only 2 hours at Nairobi, by the time you get off the plane you will get straight onto the next flight.
tanzaniahighcommission.co.uk/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=62&Itemid=73
If the transit was over 12 hours you would need yellow fever jab.
Kili airport is really small. Arusha is fine to walk around. Where the shoprite supermarket is there are a few shops one sells the best ice-cream!!!! I lived in Arusha for awhile and loved it. I loved walking around the local fruit and veg market all the time. There are ATM machines and forex to change money. Are you staying on the coffee estate in Arusha?
Are you just going to the Serengeri? The flights are the best part
You will have the best time ever, I am really really jealous. I am now in the uk and miss Africa sooooooooooo much.
My friends own meserani snake park near arusha if you want something to do all profits from the visit go to a clinic they built for the local maasai free of charge. They also have an orphanage if your daughter has any old toys or clothes she would like to donate they would love that
www.meseranisnakepark.com/snake-park-medical-clinic.html

Thanks Nanny. I thought Arusha would be dangerous, just not sure what to expect.

I am going to speak to our surgery tomorrow, but sounds like we won't need yellow fever jabs then. What is the best malaria medication for kids for that region? Have you any suggestions?

Not sure about snakes, but could take a lot of clothes, particularly baby and toddler ones if they would help, just not sure about baggage yet.

We are staying at Leg. Lodge. Don't want to name it outright, as a search could find this thread, third on TAdv.

Yes going to a safari camp in the Serengeti for three days, before flying back to Kili and then home, two other lodges in between.

We went to Ghana for a mini safari with ds who was 12 at the time, but as he has learning disability and ASD seems very much younger and it went very well. We were very worried before we went. I don't know the area you are going to (not that we'll travelled) but the things that helped our trip to work well was being on our own ( the rest of the tour group had opted for a more ambitious itenary so we were put in a separate vehicle, as they needed two anyway) air con in the bus if travelling in the heat of the day. As a result of being on our own, as you will be by the sound of it, there was some flexibility. If we were tired we could opt to miss out on a side trip, or stay a little longer at something ds was enjoying. We had a tour guide and later a wildlife guide and a driver. All were brilliant especially with ds. We had a guide with us when shopping or on foot. Ds is phobic of some insects so we got him a safari hat with a net. We got an outfit each of craghoppers mosquito (nosilife) repellant clothing of which the long sleeved tee shirts and cargo trousers were the most useful. There is a company that specialises in adventure travel items such as suitable child safe bug repellant for families but I cannot remember the name. I'll post again if I remember. Getting the visa 's and vaccinations was rather costly, so you need to cost that in. We had to prepare ds very well because of his autism, but actually the simpler life suited him very well.
You should have a lovely time.

Thank you magso. That link would be very useful.good to hear it all went well. Any other tips welcome!

Yes we have a private driver so not worrying about others and not overdoing it.

The visas and park fees are included. We need to pay for vacs. If necessary and malaria Meds. What one did you ds take?

Doxycycline should not be used by children younger than 12 years, Plus adults can get very sun burnt with this.
Malarone and Lariam can be taken but you need to talk to your doctor and the weight of your daughter needs to be taken into account when choosing.
The lodge in Arusha is lovely great views of Mount Meru and on a working coffee estate.
Don't forget to take US$ dollars for the visa on arrival and have a pen handy for the landing card and visa form. Think now they are taking a photo of you and finger prints on arrival

Malorone is expensive (£1 per day) but has very few side effects - I had none - and only has to be taken for a week after leaving. For grownups, doxy is much cheaper!
We went on safari for our honeymoon and in our camp there were some kids- aged 8+ and they loved it. At 10 your dd will love it! game drives are really undemanding but fascinating and such a wonderful learning experience.
I was also worried about light plane flights but they were fine.
Extrmeley jealous!

It will be fantastic, we took our three to Kenya a few years ago, dd being the youngest at nine then. We had to arrange it privately as most companies wont take younger children, so we had similar set up with driver and van to ourselves. We all had a great time. Dd Had no problem with the game drives and never bored of seeing another baby animal!
Nairobi was fine, we felt quite safe there and even took a sleeper train to the coast hassle free ( apart from the derailment but that apparently is rare )
Go and have fun

Within 5 mins of !anding we saw a whole pride of lions with their six cubs and sat and watched them play as the sun set, I'll never forget it. Your daughter will be the envy of the school.

First of all, consult your doctors' surgery about up to date malaria advice. Things change. We have used Malarone, and the children took a reduced amount, because you take far less of it and it is way less problematic to keep remembering when you are back home. But..... This may not be the current recommendation.

We have been to Tanzania with children, and Kenya and South Africa. We have been on the flights out to the safari lodges. Believe me, the roads can be bad and it is extremely tedious. The Tanzania Safari circuit will include the Serengetti and hopefully the Ngorongoro Crater. This is totally amazing. The lodges will be superb but take books to read/music to listen to as you have time between breakfast and tea. Getting up early is a must but it is totally worth it. Be prepared for partly eaten carcasses with lions or cheetahs in attendance. Some children are not so keen on this.

Get a guide book with pictures of the animals you are likely to see. I have a very old one which has birds and animals of East Africa. Take binoculars. Keep a record of what you see. You do not need a fancy camera but let your DD take photos.

When in the bush, do as you are told. The guides will be fantastic. Go to the loo before you leave! If you are in tented camps, zip up the front to stop bugs getting in. My children have enjoyed all our holidays to Africa and my DH and I went quite a lot before they were born. The game drives usually stop for coffee in the morning and sundowners in the evening. Most of the camps have web sites so you will get an idea of routine and what you might see. You will have a great time and you will remember it forever. My children talk about a zebra that crossed the river and was nearly caught by a crocodile. Much agitation in our vehicle. In the Serengetti ask to go where the wildebeeste are as they will be in the process of migrating to Kenya in July. Try and see the great herds as they are dramatic and the lions will be nearby.

Its good the visa's are being sorted out for you as that was costly and the timings took some effort . If you need vaccinations you need to get them done at the correct times, to get the correct protection. We used Malarone tablets for anti malarials and if I remember correctly this was the only option for ds due to his age. It was about a £1 a day each. There is a paediatric version to get the dose correct for children. It is based on weight. We had to start antimalarials before - about a week and continue after we returned, so I think we needed 27 days of tablets for our 10 day trip. None of us had any side effects that we noticed.

Of course you must take her. Lucky girl. Have a wonderful time.

We have travelled a lot to Tanzania and done safaris, since our youngest was 5 years old. It's an amazing country.

Make sure you start your jabs in good time. Some need a course, with certain amounts of time in between. Check the up-to-date requirements re yellow fever (bear in mind the possibility of planes being delayed/diverted).

Be careful about the malaria medication. Malarone avoids some serious side effects and we used it with all of ours - I think it might not be the cheapest, but probably this isn't the area to save money. Friends have had nasty (psychological) side effects with Lariam.

Take long-sleeved tops for you and your daughter. You don't want her getting bitten or sunburnt. And safari trousers that can be rolled up and down are very useful, again for covering ankles in the evening when the insects are out/it gets cool. Wide brimmed hat, sunglasses, suntan lotion and insect repellent - sorry, I know that's obvious.

Arusha is safe.

(I have very clear memories of the snake park near Arusha. Careful if you wear loose clothing - they are very good at getting under t-shirts!)

Get a pair of binoculars for your daughter which are easy to use. It is good to have more than one pair between you all.

If your dd hasn't been to a developing country before, be prepared for her to be thoughtful about the differences between her life and that of the children she sees. We had lots of questions about this and needed to help our dc feel they could contribute something, however small, because they had so much (materially at least) compared to the lifestyle they saw.

Do pm if you want any more info on anything.

You lot are wonderful! Thank you.

I feel a lot happier knowing that it has been done safely and that we are not mad to take her as others have too! When we won the trip for two, we knew we couldn't go without her, she is totally lion and animal mad. Having paid the extra for DD and a couple of extra days I think the cost of Meds. is not an issue. Goodness know what it would have cost for the whole thing .

The clothing info is useful, and I was looking at the trousers that roll up. We thought we would get her a simple digital zoom camera and she already has her own binoculars, she often plays explorers!

Regards the carcasses, the only one that won't like it is DP, but DD is fine, she wants to be a vet, so anything dead we find, gets a poke with a stick and the once over. (we live in a rural area!), doesn't worry me.

Good idea to talk about the lifestyles! not thought of that, she expressed concern about the children on the water aid advert recently, so is becoming more aware. A farm the company uses, has links with a local school and I was wondering if we could take some supplies, felt tips, or pencils etc., her school do have links with a school in Sierra Leone so it would be good for her to see what it's like for them. We are well travelled, but mostly Europe and US.

It sounds like it is more or less the same format for most safaris then. Yes we are going to Lake Manyara, Ngoronogoro crater and the Serengeti under canvas, we were hoping to do an extra trip at the crater with the lion conservationists, one of whom comes to dinner with us and tells us all,about it, but there has been some issues with the authorities and this :(

Can I finally ask about tipping, obviously dollars, but what sort of amounts for drivers etc.?

I may PM in due course. Thank you all so much, feeling a lot happier tonight.

Some vaccinations are available through the NHS if needed (presumably to protect the UK population from jllnesses that could be brought back) so its worth checking with the GP - usually the nurse is the travel expert. There is a helpful section in NHS choices. The travel nurse will have access to up to date information on what is currently needed for where you are visiting. We needed typhoid cover ( a pill- NHS) because there was a risk at the time in west Africa.
I cannot find that website but will post if it springs to mind!
We were advised to bring (or later send) electronic or technical gifts as well as tip, but that was in a developing part of Africa where electronics are difficult to get but much needed for their embryonic tourist trade. Our wildlife guide had a lovely hunting knife in a leather sheath that had been a gift and was very proud of it. We sent solar chargers/laptop/multi tools, once we could see what was needed and send things from time to time to individuals and communities that we met. Ds keeps his grown out clothes for sending to Africa, as he saw how little clothes the children had. The tour company organising the tour should be able to advise on tips. Ours was very helpful.

I'm off to Tanzania in two weeks to do some volunteering and via NBO. Anything you want to know in particular ?

Wow, how amazing, where are you volunteering?

Would love to hear about it. The flight, changing in NBO. We are going with Kenya Airways.

How safe you felt. Any advice, suggestions etc.

Thanks again everyone.

We are going Kenya Airways too so will tell you about it. Going to work with a street child project for a week, great opportunity !

Hi KenDoddsDadsDog,
Be careful that you get the right visa if volunteering in Tanzania,
They see volunteering as work.
You will need if on a British Passport a single entry tourist visa and the cost will be $50 (I think). After getting the ordinary/tourist visa then you will need to get a Carrying On Temporary Assignment - CTA permit which I think is a stamp on your visa. The cost of this is $200 for something like 60 days. Whomever you are volunteering for will be required to provide you with a letter of invitation, and a document for you to present to the Immigration people in order to get this CTA.