The Educational Value of a Safari

Children are most receptive to learning when they are engaged. The excitement of being close to animals that they have only seen on tv and in zoos, engages their full attention. They will fire endless questions to your guide about the animals, birds and insects. On a walk in Botswana with a San Bushman, they can reach out to touch and learn how people use ingenuity to thrive in the wilds.

On the savannahs of Laikipia, Kenya they can meet Samburu children and glimpse a way of life utterly different to their own. Yet they might discover that the Samburu boy they have met is an avid supporter of the same Premier League football team. When you stay at remote, exclusive safari lodges, this kind of interaction is natural and non-commercial.

Poaching, a growing population and climate change are related issues which threaten fragile habitats and wildlife. Elephant, rhinoceros and other animals have seen dramatic declines in population in recent decades. Yet high quality safari lodges across Africa are pioneering conservation initiatives, often in partnership with local communities. Your children can see this work in action, witnessing how responsible tourism can be key to people and wildlife living in harmony.

Your children will return from their family safari with their eyes opened. They will have a greater understanding of some of the major challenges facing their generation. They will have seen new ways of life and possibly be surprised at how much they have in common with children from a radically different culture and situation. They may fall in love with Africa.