Safari with young kids- any agent recommendations?

[Meadowbreeze]

Does anyone have any experience with safari travel agents? We are going as a large family (4 adults, kids 14, 6, 6, 4). We really want to see the falls as well as the big 5. I'm not too keen on Namibia or South Africa. All kids are fine with taking tablets so that's not a concern re malaria.
I really want to go with a reputable company as we are planning to spend quite a lot and would love to be able to have some childcare or activities for the littles whilst there.

I’ve always heard 12 is the minimum age to do a safari right. There is a lot of waiting around and you have to be patient and quiet. When my kids are old enough we are definitely going to do it but we have a few years to go.

What kind of childcare are you after? Evening babysitting, or childcare while adults/older children are on a game drive? Not sure I have seen many with a kids club.

might be worth looking at Sun City (appreciate its South Africa). It is close to a game park so can easily do game drives, but will have a host of other activities and maybe kids club arrangements.

@Rickrollme thanks. I've heard the same but we've got friends who went and have kids same age as ours and they loved it. I think I just need to research well. Hopefully someone on here has a company theyve used and can recommend.

@crumpet So the place my friends went to was in Botswana and had staff that could look after the kids if they weren't up for a drive. I wouldn't want them in a kids club. It was a very small place that unfortunately has no space for us all.

We stayed at Mhondoro safari lodge in South Africa and that might suit you. They have a 3 bedroom villa and so special

@Nw22 what kind of animals did you see? We've been told that it's quite hard to see the big 5 and others in SA but i might be wrong.

No idea why that posted.
I was trying to say Mhondoro safari lodge in South Africa has a 3 bed villa and does game drives just for small children.
or Tom’s little hide on hwange is lovely and within driving distance of Victoria falls

@Meadowbreeze we saw lots of rhinos, many every day and at the lodge. Elephants, cheetahs, lions multiple times. Leopard is the only thing we didn’t see but other guests did.
elephants come to the lodge almost every day.

Any particular reason you don't want to do South Africa or Namibia? Both have wonderful options and many reputable agencies. I know many people who have used the tours linked to Virgin or BA or similar with great success - and can go from fairly budget to full on lux.

Kuoni does a lot of safari tours all over Africa so that might be a good option for you.

Definitely not my experience. The Kruger National Park is famous for the Big 5 and has a huge array of options for accommodation both inside and outside the park ranging from luxury villas to cheap and cheerful cabanas or resort hotels.

You may find you need to do a self drive or stay at just one lodge. We did a self drive in Zimbabwe when ours were 7 and 10 through Safari Drive.

@Triffid1 We were advised by one company that those two are better for kids but the animals you see aren't as good as in eg Botswana. Everytime I call a company I get the impression they just want to offer the most expensive thing for me (botswana) which is why I wanted to come on here and ask. It seems that SA or Namibia might not be a bad idea.

@countrygirl99 Ah I'm not keen on self drive, a bit scared to be honest. We are thinking of maybe waiting till next year when the youngest are 5 and 7 but one of the adults is quite old and it's possibly this is our last year we could do it with them.

@Meadowbreeze what is your budget and when do you want to go?

@TiredButDancing Did you organise it all yourself? Sounds really good.

www.malamala.com/about/why-malamala

This is a private park linked to Kruger with plenty of high quality accommodation etc.

I admit that I haven't done a safari in South Africa for a long time, but I think it's bollocks that there are fewer animals there. South Africa is famous for the Big 5. Botswana absolutely likely to be more expensive simply because it's more exclusive and luxury but that's not to say there isn't plenty in SA too.

Having said that, I am sure you'd have an amazing time in Botswana if you went that route. Just don't exclude SA for the wrong reasons.

We used go2Africa when we went with my 13yo & animal mad 7yo. Had a fab time.

We bounced back and forward with them re itinerary until we had something we were happy with. We didn't know what we wanted until we saw their first suggestion and knew what we liked and didn't.

That said there was a 6yo on our truck for part of the time and he was bored and a pain.
There is another thread running on this board about Safaris where I have said more.

I've no experience of a safari with children but did do an adults only one with Intrepid to Tanzania a few years ago and I think Intrepid do family safaris too (no idea what lower age limit is).

Things to consider/compare companies on include the amount of travel each day and type of vehicles (vehicle types for travelling round the country, and vehicle types when you are on the Safari itself). If you decide on a tour, would strongly recommend getting a fully detailed itinerary from any company you are considering (i.e. not just 'day 3 - Serengeti' but rather 'day 3- up at 6am, 1 hour drive to national park, 2 hour safari, BBQ lunch,etc etc). I would say some of our days would not have been suitable for young children due to the amount of travelling involved (but our trip was more than just a safari).

Completely agree with @Rickrollme that there is a lot of patience and quiet waiting required. And sometimes that patience is rewarded with something breathtaking, other times nothing happens! But overall, one of my best holidays ever - memories that will last a lifetime.

I am from South Africa originally and my family used to do Safari holidays a lot as my parents were huge fans! As younger children and teenagers we went to Kruger mostly, and stayed in lovely timeshare accommodation (resort style) and usually had a few nights in Kruger itself in chalets.

Later my parents spent more time at Bakubang (near Sun City) as they would usually do a few days at Sun City and a few days in the park. It was more convenient for them too because it's much closer to Johannesburg and easier to drive to. They don't live in SA any more but if they were to visit I am certain they'd make time for a safari!

@TeenPlusCat I've just seen that thread, will head over there, thanks. The 2 that will be 6 this summer are animal mad and very quiet, I wouldn't want to ruin someone's safari with the 4 year old tbh. He's a moany little thing. Ill have a look at go2africa as well.
@Triffid1 thank you. Will have a look.
@Nw22 I don't feel comfortable sharing, sorry. It's pretty healthy though. We can afford to do some private drives but I just want to research it really well so I'm getting value for money.
@Fujidai we are in touch with intrepid, just waiting for them to reply after bank holiday. They look the most promising tbh. I hear you about the waiting. The morning one they'll all be super quiet as they're tired but not sure about the second drive. I've also noticed quite a few camps dont allowed under 6s on the main drive at all so we'd have to book something private anyway.

@TiredButDancing sounds like an amazing childhood!

The 3 hour game drives might be a lot for the youngest. Particularly at point when absolute stillness/silence is required - yelling at a pride of lions while in an open sided jeep could be interesting….

There were certainly a lot of lion, hippo, rhino and leopard sightings, yes! I was always particularly partial to a giraffe and had a weird obsession with zebras!

We did mostly go from when I was about 10 or 11, but I don't think a 6 year old will struggle if you pick the right accommodation etc. You don't view all day anyway - mostly early in the morning or late evening.

@Meadowbreeze fair enough. It’s harder to recommend places without a budget but you can find somewhere for about 2000 a night I’d think

@crumpet

We took DDs at 7 and 10. Any younger isn’t worthwhile in mg view if you are talking about proper safari holidays and not just an up market zoo.

Expert Africa is a really good resource. They have reviews of lots of properties. There are also family covid yes like Families Worldwide has lots of Africa options. They are linked to Wildlife Worldwide and they really know their safari destinations and should be able to help.

There are lodges that welcome children but some do not. Some have a activities for DC. You heed to ask specialist companies with knowledge and make sure your DC won’t annoy others. At any time. They must engage with what they are doing. My DDs were excellent spotters. DD2 spotted a serval cat before the guide did.

You need more than one base. Ask what a reserve is famous for. Is there a pool at a lodge? What do you really want to see? We never took much notice of the Big 5 from hunting days. However rhino are more difficult to see. Buffalo, lions, cheetahs and leopards are around but numbers are not great in some reserves. So you need to think about what interests you. Elephants are always good value. So are lion cubs and anything rare!