Its nearly a year since our family safari to Kenya. We’ve just loaded a short video I’d made for our friends onto our popular YouTube channel as it gives a read insight into such a holiday. It’s obvious as you watch it that all the children (and adults) were having a great time, something that was evident at the time and upon our return.
To watch our family safari video, just click here.
A year later what can they remember? It’s a consideration many people have when trying to decide when to take the family on a big holiday. The children have to be old enough to enjoy it, young enough to want to be seen with their parents but old enough that they will remember it for longer than the wheels touching the tarmac back in the UK.
We had five kids with us, ranging from 6 to 13. The friends we travelled with were over for a meal last weekend so I took the opportunity to ask them what they remembered as the best bit of the holiday.
The two thirteen year-olds thought about it the most, reminiscing about several things. The boy enjoyed the time spend with our guide. He always sat in the front of the safari vehicle with him, asking him lots of questions and enjoying the conversations they had. In fact they are still in contact via the lodge Facebook page so that his knowledge of the African seasons, flora and fauna had continued to grow. I think we have a safari guide in the making.
The thirteen year old girl had different memories. She’d loved the tents, most of the soaps and small bottles of shampoo ending up in her luggage. She had loved visiting the Sheldrick elephant or phage, especially when we’d been allowed to walk with the babies as they went out to forage. She too had enjoyed the game-viewing, one moment in particular when an old lioness from the Marsh pride had walked past our vehicle, its eyes fixed on her. She remembered how cold and ruthless its eyes were.
Next to be asked was the 10 year old girl. She replied immediately. It was the visit to the school. Its a school that Real Africa helps finance and the children spent an hour with some of the pupils doing a reading lesson in the library. One thing had really surprised her; not all children in Africa are starving or ill. These children, while not at all “rich”, were well fed and happy. Brought up on a diet of Comic Relief campaigns and Children in Need appeals (both worthy causes) her mind had assumed that the images they showed were universal.
The nine year old boy went for something else, the game-drives. He’d loved seeing the leopard kill – what 9yo boy wouldn’t – but he had loved the experience of driving. In a big 4×4, open sided, sliding in the mud (we went at Easter which is the Kenyan wet season). he vividly remembered an afternoon squall that had blown in one canvas side getting everybody drenched.
Last but certainly not least was the 6 year old boy. He informed me that he’d liked the baby zebras and the fact that he could drink as much lemonade as he wanted as it was free. A sensible choice, based on the fact that his father and I both appreciated the fact that the Simba beer was free too… He’d also likes the giraffe centre as their tongues were black.
As you can see, they all remember the trip. As we sat around the table lots of memories were talked about and chuckled about. It was a trip they all enjoyed and will continue to do so, I suspect, for many years to come.