Whether it is sitting out on the verandah, drinking tea, and eating rusks after a busy morning on the beach, or waking up early to a delicious mug of hot chocolate before going out on a sunrise game drive through the Kruger National Park, we all have precious holiday traditions and memories of our own.
Holiday rituals make family escapes memorable, and your kids will treasure these for the rest of their lives. They will probably even continue it with their own kids one day.
Safaris are such amazing and magical experiences for children to have. Children have so much energy, and they absolutely love being bundled up into the car in their pyjamas so that they can catch an early morning game drive. There’s such excitement and anticipation involved in peering out the vehicle and spotting all the animals that are up bright and early to enjoy the fresh, cool morning air.
Kids love spending the afternoons at the pool when it’s far too hot to be out searching for animals. They can enjoy refreshing ice-creams by the poolside, and they will surely be amused by hippos grunting lazily in the distance. Whether it’s listening to stories from the morning’s drive, drawing pictures in the sand or watching the mischievous monkeys frolicking around the lodge – they will never be at a loss for entertainment!
When the sun starts going down in the late afternoon, you head off on the afternoon drive where you can sit at the waterhole to watch the elephants splash around. Of course, it’s a necessity to have biltong readily available – kids love a good snack on safari.
Perhaps the most essential tradition for any safari-goer is to look out for the Big Five. Give your kids a checklist so that they can tick off each animal when they come across them. It keeps them entertained and excited. To help them spot animals, you should get each of them their own special pair of binoculars so that they can feel the true feeling of being a ‘professional’ animal-spotter. And, if your kiddies are old enough, hand them a camera—they will absolutely love to take photographs of the wildlife for you. Photos are another essential tradition for any safari-goer. When kids get home, they will spend hours poring over their photos while they remember, and dream of their time spent in the game park.
For help planning your next family safari, click here.