There is only one facial expression that a child will make while riding inside a game drive vehicle. Their eyes wandering, their feet jiggling around, and then that small voice in your ear asking, “Are we going back home now?” After just twenty minutes of a three-hour early morning drive. Animals are everywhere; it’s just that your kid is elsewhere, distracted.
This is the most common problem parents face when booking African safari tours. Fortunately, there is an answer to this issue. With the proper tools, proper guide, and proper attitude, the game drive becomes one of those experiences that the children will enjoy and remember forever.
Here are the facts.
- Give Every Child a Job
Children remain attentive if they are made accountable for something. Before the drive begins, give every child a job to do. One child keeps track of the birds they see, another child looks out for any animal tracks on the road, while another counts the number of different animals spotted before breakfast.
This simple formula turns the drive from an observation exercise into an active one. The kids will no longer be waiting for anything to happen, but instead will be watching out for everything. Experienced guides at Vencha Travel know well what needs to be done to keep children occupied during the drive.
If you ever plan to organize African safari tours for families, inquire about the availability of guides who have experience handling children. A guide who can communicate with a nine-year-old child in a way that he/she understands.
- The Impact of Junior Ranger Programs
Junior ranger programs are popular among family-oriented lodges in East and Southern Africa, complementing the main safari tour. On arrival, children get their own backpacks filled with things such as field notebooks, ID cards, worksheets, and even a torch or magnifier. Then, the guides design activities according to what is in the backpack for the rest of the time spent there.
Once back home, children take pride in the junior ranger certificates earned during the safari tour. This gives children motivation to achieve something while making every game drive meaningful. Parents who plan family safaris in Africa via professional tour planners like Vencha Travel can include these programs as part of the package, and they are seamlessly incorporated into the schedule without any extra effort from parents.
The Vencha Travel team carefully chooses the accommodation facilities based on personal experience, guide qualifications, and child-friendly activities.
- Binoculars: One Set for Each Child
Bring one set of binoculars for each child, and not one set to be shared. One set for each child.
Kids who are assigned a pair of binoculars can scan on their own, discover things on their own, and become more interested in the process, much longer than kids who need to wait for their turn to explore through the same binoculars. Spotting an animal high in a tree or even simply a bird makes the sight special.
It is preferable to get binoculars that are lightweight and designed for children. They should fit around a child’s neck and be easy to focus with a child’s small hands. Get one together with a wildlife guidebook that matches the area the family will visit – Kenya, Tanzania, or elsewhere.
- Field Guides and Safari Journals
By carrying a field guidebook to wildlife species, children can do something practical while driving in silence. They go through the pages, match birds’ feathers and animal footprints, and keep an ongoing record of all the flora and fauna observed during the safari. Most kids treasure their list from the second day of the journey.
A field guide is complemented by a simple safari journal in which kids draw animals, write notes about the weather, and compose one sentence regarding the most attractive wildlife creature they saw daily. This method is especially applicable to kids older than seven years of age. Children younger than seven illustrate without writing, and this practice creates priceless memories.
Skilled guides of structured family safaris in Africa take an active part in this activity. They show tracks and demonstrate how zebras walk in positions. Such tales are much more fascinating to children than any silent observations.
- Shorter Drives, More Intuitive Timing
Smaller children, especially those below seven years old, cope much better with shorter morning African safari tours rather than going for a whole three hours. The best lodges ensure that they incorporate some flexibility in their game drive planning by letting children come back to the lodge whenever they get tired, without affecting other guests.
This is where private vehicles become beneficial. When you book a private guide and vehicle, you get the freedom to control your pace of driving, spending extra time at sightings that interest children or coming back earlier whenever you feel like, even having your snacks in between without asking for permission first. This is what Vencha Travel does on all their family safaris.
The Right Guide Matters
Each one of these tools mentioned above functions far more effectively with the right guide behind the wheel. The guide who listens to a child, answers them with interest, and recognizes when the young person begins to fade out is easily the most precious resource available for any family safari adventure.
That’s why it’s more important to choose the right tour operator. Vencha Travel specializes in creating family safari adventures using experienced guides who know the value of working alongside children.
