Taking Young Children on a Family Safari in Uganda
When are Children old enough to take on an African Wildlife Safari?
We have had children of all ages on a Family Safari in kid-friendly Uganda. You may have taken them to a Zoo, but there is nothing like them seeing animals in the African Wilderness. Nothing can replicate seeing animals in their habitat in parks such as Murchison Falls National Park, Kidepo Valley Park, or Queen Elizabeth Park.
Even Preschoolers and Toddlers love an Authentic African Safari. They love staying in the wilderness at a kid-friendly lodge with a just right menu for them.
Most of our Family Safaris have been with children under eight. Young children love to venture into Wildlife Parks and see Lions, Leopards, Rhinos, Elephants, Buffaloes, Giraffes, Antelopes, Gazelles, hippos, hippos, and crocodiles.
Young Children on a family Safari may have been in a Zoo, but there is nothing like seeing them in the Wild of Africa, Uganda, or Rwanda. Murchison Falls Park is the best Park for a Kid – Friendly Family Safari. Preschoolers and Toddlers love an Authentic Safari, staying at a lodge or tented lodge, and enjoying the tropical sun with their parents on Safari.
Uganda is Family Friendly, and that includes young children. Children under five years old have no daily park entrances and receive discounts, especially when sleeping in the same room or cottage with parents.
Our Kid-Friendly Safaris are not just what Children Love – The Parents love them too.
Young Children on a Family Safari in Uganda
Practical Information for Parents taking Children on Safari in the Pearl of Africa
My Children are too young – they will not gain anything from an African Safari:
Sit down and see what you are children are watching on TV – Diego – go-go and Laura the Explorer, who take them to faraway places, including Africa, triggering your children’s imagination – you just might be surprised as to how many children’s programs take your children to Africa on a safari via the television screen.
Children are some of our most excited guests on Safari – they absorb Africa and become immersed in it, taking in the sights, sounds, and smells in a way that most adults cannot.
A family safari in Uganda is a time of discovery and learning, unlike any classroom in your home country. A family safari is a learning experience and cultural encounter with children their age as they discover the irresistible Pearl of Africa – Uganda.
Africa is no place to take a Family with Children on Vacation:
Wherever you are – wherever you go – you need to take safety precautions and do so on a family safari in Uganda or Rwanda. I have always said and written -have “the safest place to be in Uganda is on a Safari.”
The reality is that Uganda and Rwanda are two of the safest and most secure countries in Africa. The lodges and Tented Camps you might stay in a while on Safari are guarded 24 hours per day. In the parks of Uganda, there are not only the Uganda Wildlife Rangers but the Tourist Police and even the Army – visitors have encountered no security-related issues on a family safari.
Your driver-guide will also take all measures to ensure your Family’s wellbeing and safety. As far as danger from wildlife – we never had a client be injured- attacked by wildlife while on Safari. Our Guides are not mere drivers but guides skilled with children, customer service orientated – and will take care of every need your Family may have.
Preparing your Children for an African Safari in Uganda:
It is time to get your children excited for a Kid Friendly Safari in the heart of Africa. This is quickly done by parents having to watch their children “Dora the Explorer” on the Nickelodeon Channel, the “Lion King” part one, National Geographic Channel, reading them story books about a safari and more.
Avoid the color blue, except for jeans; they are fine, stick to neutral colors, and they are best for avoiding flies and mosquitoes.
Take them shopping for the Family Safari and buy them a few outfits, including a safari hat, long trousers, a long-sleeved shirt, a light rain jacket, and some light hiking boots. If they are old enough, include a simple camera and binoculars for children.
My Children are going to get bored, and we probably will too: 
Africa is too excited to be bored. You and your children something new at every turn of the road. The activities we will prepare for your Family take your interests, hobbies, and activities in mind and create a time in Africa you will enjoy.
Our Safari Guides will teach your children how to track animals and even some bush survival tips (depending on age).
There are the school visits, dance, drumming lessons, holidays with the traditional healer, horseback riding on a Somali Pony on a private sandy beach island, or taking a family float down the River Nile.
No matter their age, most children cannot wait to go on the next game drive or boat safari – they are too excited to be bored.
An African Safari means roughing it – plus a lot of strange Bugs:
An African Family Safari is certainly not like in the days of old. There is no roughing it – unlike going camping in a National Park in North America – today’s family safaris are filled with all the comforts of home plus more.
You do not have to cook, do your children’s laundry, use sleeping bags and sleep on the ground. Even if you are sleeping in a tent – a furnished tented cottage on a wooden platform with a deck – equipped – with a bathroom attached in the back, and some of those tents are simply excellent – luxurious comfort beyond compare. All Lodging on Family Safaris comes with the en-suite bath.
All beds will have mosquito netting. We recommend that you wear long trousers and socks to protect your ankles, avoid the color blue and black, and stick to neutral colors. Wear long-sleeved shirts and use insect repellent – if you can order (internet) the Australian RID, you will find that it gives you complete protection against insects while on Safari. (A children’s formula is available)
What about my Children when we go Gorilla or Chimpanzee Tracking?
Once again, this is something we anticipate and have a plan for. At Kibale Forest, while you go Chimpanzee tracking.
Our Kid Friendly Tour Guide takes your children on an alternate forest exploration with the Uganda Wildlife Authority, which teaches the children about the forest, monkeys, birds, and butterflies found here in abundance.
At Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, our Family Tour Guide will take your children on a village walk and a visit to the local school when in session-basket making, drumming, dance, and activities of all kinds for the children.
For younger children, we engage Nanny services while you are gorilla tracking or chimpanzee tracking.
Our Driver Guides are not mere Drivers but Guides first:
Our Driver-Guides bring more than at least five years of experience leading safaris with families and children. They have the experience, are child-friendly, and have taken parents with their grandchildren and multi-generational families on a safari in the Pearl of Africa.
Only Tour-Guides, including special children skills, are chosen for our Family with children safaris. All Driver-Guides who take Families on Safaris have previous experiences with children with families on Safari.
Our driver guides know what children like on a safari and what they do not like. They are often quite educated, some of them have University Degrees, and most of all, they know how to deal with children and parents who are concerned for their children.
What about Lodges – don’t they have age requirements?
We pick Family, Child-Friendly Safari Lodges where your children can enjoy themselves. Up-Market Lodges provide the best settings for a family safari since they often have a swimming pool to enjoy, have more activities, and often there may be other children.
Chobe Safari Lodge, located along the River Nile, has turned out to be one of the favorite lodges for children, and so has Mihingo Safari Lodge in Lake Mburo, where children take special Bush-Craft courses.
Up-Market tented camps provide a unique setting for children, and many of them have a swimming pool available for the Family – larger lodges have a children’s pool where the children can enjoy themselves. Most of all, we pick clubs with kid-friendly menus.
Family Safaris with Young Kids – One of our Specialties:
Kid-Friendly Safaris are one of our specialties, something we excel in since we are all Kids at heart. We see a family through the eyes of both the parents and the children.
We take your wishes and weave them into a Kid-Friendly Safari in Uganda or Rwanda. For Family Safaris with young children, we recommend using up-market, kid-friendly lodges that can adequately meet your Family’s needs.
We want you to enjoy your time as a family in Uganda or Rwanda, a time of bonding and learning and experiencing new cultures, including children.
We will do our best to create a memorable Family Safari with young Kids in mind, and it all begins with experienced Kid-Friendly Driver Guides. They know how to deal with children on a Wildlife Safari in Uganda.
Please contact us if you are interested in a Family Safari with young children.
