South Africa safari with kids
 

We are planning a family holiday to SA. Kids will be 2 and 9 years old. Is there anyone who has been to Entabeni? If so, what is the game viewing like? Would Madikwe or Kruger be a better option? Also has anyone heard of Thakadu River camp and if so what is that like? Would two days (4 game drives) be enough?

One more question for you experienced travellers, is it safer and easier to book a tailor made itinerary through a travel agent in the UK or contact and book accommmodation directly in SA?

Advice needed please. Thanks

Oops bit too hasty, kids will be 12 and 9, not 2!!

Since I am in the US, I really do not know if it would be less expensive booking through an SA based agent or an UK specialist. I would, if were buying, want to support my local agent....

Thakadu is in the madikwe, charming tented camp operated by the same management as Buffalo Ridge of the same reserve. Both or OK for youngsters, although as far as I can recall neither has a dedicated :kids" program.

I have not been to Entabeni in years: Frankly the last time I was there was when ric Wilmot was running the show and he did a marvellous job. The game up there is great, the landscape even better.
There is a rare mountain rabbit, that you can see and seldom see elsewhere.

Hope that gives you some insight, but I liked all of the mentioned camps and don't think you can go wrong: Oh on a side "wildside camp" of Entabeni can be a little rudimentary for most, its a step up from camping.

Thank you Mkhonzo. It is the wildside camp that I was looking at. Don't mind staying in a tent but would prefer a five star version! What is game viewing like at Thakadu?

Do you think 3 nights, 2 days on safari is enough?

The one thing about the safari experience is: it is never enough!
Thakadu is in the Madikwe, so you'll see some really good stuff such as eland, oryx, black & white rhino, wild dog, brown hyena and of course all the other generally expected species, with leopard potentially being the toughest to find, but NOT impossible

Hello,

If you're interested in finding a lodge with a good children's programme and want a malaria-free safari, take a look at Jaci's in Madikwe and Kwandwe in the Eastern Cape.

http://www.madikwe.com

http://www.kwandwe.com

If you're fine with your kids taking the anti-malaria drugs, then I'd recommend going to the Sabi Sands. Londolozi has always had an excellent children's programme and their Varty Camp is focused on families.

http://www.londolozi.co.za

They have both a 'bush school' for younger kids with a dedicated bush educator and a junior ranger programme for kids aged 6-16. Unfortunately the information doesn't look like it's on their website, but if you email me I'd be happy to send it to you.

Cheers,
Julian

Check out CC Africa's Madikwe Safari Lodge. Well suited for kids in one of the camps they have. Beautiful facilities and fantastic staff, great game drives and much more. You won't be sorry if you stay with them, they offer a lot more than any of the other of the lodges in the park, and the game viewing is great. Madikwe Safari Lodge knows how to do things right - they far exceeded our expectations and the value for money was unbelievable. We will be raving fans of theirs for a very long time and look forward to sharing our experience with others. We met a couple who had just come from another 5 star lodge in the game reserve and they said that Madikwe Safari Lodge far outdid the other one for less money.
Email me if you have any questions.
Cheers!
Viv
WAVE Journey.com
[email protected]

The journey dot com sight was mostly about selling shoes. Odd.

The URL is www.wavejourney.com
And it's mostly about women's travel, adventures & experiences!
Viv
WAVE Journey (.com)

Has anyone had experience at Mala Mala with children? We are taking ours next year(ages 7 and 11)

Hi ellene,

I have had nieces stay with me at MalaMala aged from 11 - 23 and they were fabulous with the kids on gamedrives. The summer schedule is a long and busy day, but with a swim and a nap in the middle of the day, the 11 year old managed very well.

I see no problem with kids that age coming to MalaMala, they will love it!

Kind regards

Kaye

We've decided to go for Thakadu River Camp in Madikwe next April. It sounds great. Has anyone been there?

Hi

I did a safari to Djuma Vuyatela near Kruger park with my wife a couple of years back and that was amazing. I have posted a trip report with some pictures and links on my homepage http://gardkarlsen.com/djuma_vuyatela_safari.htm . We organized things online before we went to Joburg.

Regards
Gard
http://gardkarlsen.com - trip reports and pictures

Kay,
Were there any special activities for the kids during the day?

I took my kids, 9 & 11, to MalaMala in Jun06. They loved it. There weren't any "kids" activities during the day but I set up a camera on a tripod on the patio so they could watch the animals across the riverbed. And we walked around camp and they rested, read books, did word puzzles, etc. The days were full even without kids activities. We had game walks during the morning game drives which let them expend some energy and one morning we took a breakfast for the morning game drive. I wouldn't worry. We had lots of fun.

Thanks, I am mostly concerned for the year old, but we will be there during the summer, so there is always the pool. How did they do on the game drives?

I've never been on a safari game drive with children. Do you mean "real" game drives in open Land Rovers? It is hard to imagine a 2 year old in one having a tantrum, screaming and crying. Certainly could present unique photo opportunities. I would talk with the safari camp you are considering. They may simply say no children under age xx.
It would seem to me that Kruger would be your best choice. Have your own (hired) car and you then have total freedom to cater to your baby's needs. Some activities are simply not appropriate for babys or very young children.
regards -tom

oops, just saw your 12 not 2. But your last message "concerned for the year old" threw me off. Never mind.
regards - tom

ellene, the kids did fine on the game drives. Be sure to have a set of binoculars for each child. My husband has many pairs of very good binocs but we forgot to take any! We rented some at MM. The kids did fall asleep on game drives. I just let them sleep and woke them when we saw something exciting. The 11 yr old had a video camera and the 9 yr old a digital camera. They didn't use them as much as I thought they would.