Africa with kids

[Ridgerunner]

For those who have taken your family to Africa on safari what age do you consider a good age to take? And how young is too young? I'm debating a trip but my youngest will be almost six when I'm thinking of going. Oldest will be 14, I'm thinking this is a good age range but wanted to hear from guys who have done it.

 

[Adrian]

My daughter came when she was 13.
I would've done it if she was younger.
Take them and enjoy it.
Let them enjoy it.
It's never too young to learn and encourage them to be interested in wildlife, hunting, ethics, conservation.

 

[billc]

My son was 12 when he went the first time. The 14 year old you have will have the time of his life. For a 6 year old you may need to plan some stuff for him so he does not get bored because at that age just watching others doing stuff will not be so much fun over a week or more. There is plenty for a 6 year old to do but making a good plan would help for full enjoyment. I would not let that stop me from taking them all though.

 

[TOM]

Following this post.

 

[Mekaniks]

I took my 13 year old son last year with Pawprint and he had a blast. He took a blesbuck, blue wildebeest and springbok. Super good time! He used a .243 supplied by the outfitter.

 

[huntinlabs]

I am planning to take my 6 year old and my 5 year old with me and my wife in 18 with @Pawprint Safaris . Pieter and @billc made me feel extremely comfortable with the situation and like they wanted me to bring my kids and is going to set up an elephant ride for them and us to do one day to give them a break from hunting.

 

[billc]

I am planning to take my 6 year old and my 5 year old with me and my wife in 18 with @Pawprint Safaris . Pieter and @billc made me feel extremely comfortable with the situation and like they wanted me to bring my kids and is going to set up an elephant ride for them and us to do one day to give them a break from hunting.

I think we have a good plan in place to so your whole family enjoys the trip. Plus Pieter is great with kids on hunts and all the ph's we have know how to handle hunts with kids. Your family is going to have a blast in SA

 

[Mekaniks]

For those who have taken your family to Africa on safari what age do you consider a good age to take? And how young is too young? I'm debating a trip but my youngest will be almost six when I'm thinking of going. Oldest will be 14, I'm thinking this is a good age range but wanted to hear from guys who have done it.

My son had very little hunting experience before we left for SA. One thing I did with him and it worked out well, was I tried really hard not to get him all excited before we left. As far as he was concerened he was going to go follow me around in Africa and get out of school for a week. When we got there Pieter had a plan and my son still had no idea until it was actually time to go get it done. It was perfect because he didn't have time to get in his head and get all worked up before time.

 

[MMAL]

I took my whole family with four kids ages 4, 7, 13, 15. Pick the right place and they are not bored and will have a great trip. my 13 son took a zebra, warthog and a gemsbok, my 15 took a springbok and gemsbok. The younger ones did not go hunting everyday with me or for a full day. Need another adult with the young kids.

 

[BenH2016]

I live in "Africa" so have been taking my kids into the bush from a very early age. Only 3 months after my daughter was born my wife and I decided to sell up all our stuff and headed off on a road trip around Zambia. We rough camped for most of that trip.

I took them all on their first hunting trip last year, 2 sons aged 8 and 11 and daughter aged 4. We had a great time. The boys both shot guinea fowl and my oldest son took a big spurwing goose.

My daughter on seeing the first impala I shot promptly announced she was only going to be eating "normal" stuff.

All the kids were weary and fractious by the end of a long day hunting but were all up before dawn drinking cups of tea by the fire and eagerly anticipating the days adventures.

I'd say don't hesitate to take your kids. There are few moments as special as zipping up a small dome tent with all my kids in it and settling down for a night in the wild listening to hyenas and lions calling out into the darkness.

 

[gizmo]

My kids were 13 and 15 when I took them and they had the greatest experience of their lives. SA is perfectly safe for the family IMO. As far as what age is the best? That's a question that only a father can answer. Will your 6 y/o handle a 20 hour flight, time difference, all the travel, strange foods/places, and will he/she be able to hang out while you hunt without a problem or will other arrangements need to be made. That's questions only you and your family can answer.