Going on a Family Safari is one the best ways of spending quality time with your children whilst on holiday. Not only will your children return home bubbling with enthusiasm, with a healthy glow and some nice photographs, but they will have formed unique memories and developed an understanding of a rich culture and a diverse environment. Being able to appreciate their own existence and to contrast it to other cultures provides children with a real sense of being and their place in the world.
The learning process starts as soon as children walk into the arrivals hall. Their new surroundings affront their senses immediately. Different looking people are milling around, with a different style of dress and previously unheard languages can be heard.
Everything looks different, smells different and feels different to what children are used to at home and this alone can sharpen their awareness immediately. What better way to open up a young mind than to offer completely new experiences and a glimpse into the alternate ways in which the human race lives.
Usually, children will learn the most whilst out on safari with their family. Many lodges and camps offer special “children on safari” programmes, which are designed to hold a child’s interest and to teach them about the African bush.
With a special ‘Children’s guide’, whilst on safari children are taught about the different animals and plants that they might see during their safari and how different parts of animals or plants might be used by local tribes for medical or food purposes. Children are also encouraged to learn about tracking animals from footprints and other clues along the pathway.
During tribal village visits the demonstrations of starting a fire with sticks, making tribal adornments and food are often the delight of many children as they have a chance to try for themselves and really become involved. This whole experience teaches children about diversity which provides these young ‘soon to be adults’ with a very grounded approach to our ever evolving multi-cultural city populations.
Additionally there is of course the history of Africa to find out about. Tribes have developed and moved through countries, cities have changed immensely, and animals have adapted to changes in the landscape that have affected their migration routes. 
This rich all-encompassing story of Africa and how it’s cycles and cause and effect relationships is imparted to you bit by bit so that at the end of a family safari in Africa, you will all feel a sense of empathy with this miraculous continent.
Not only does a long haul trip to Africa, teach children about animals and culture but also of a very different topography. Simply being able to envisage the sight of an African landscape when identifying Africa on a map in school is a fantastic way of broadening a child’s understanding of the immense scope of possibility beyond the school gates. Dreams extend from local surroundings and the world becomes their oyster.
Photo Credits: Loisaba Wilderness
Renee Blodgett is the Founder and Managing Editor of We Blog the World, a global travel, culture and lifestyle publication exploring the world through the lens of meaningful experiences, human connection and cultural depth. Having lived in 10 countries and traveled to 95, Renee has spent much of her life immersed in the people, traditions, landscapes and ideas that shape how we experience the world.
Since launching We Blog the World in 2007, she has written and produced extensive editorial coverage spanning boutique and luxury travel, culinary experiences, arts and culture, wellness, adventure, technology, spiritual traditions and transformative travel. Her work is rooted in the belief that travel is about more than where we go—it is also about what a place, culture or encounter awakens within us.
Renee brings more than three decades of experience across journalism, photography, media, brand strategy, technology, wellness and global storytelling. She has worked with companies and organizations around the world on brand positioning, communications, product launches, media strategy, speaker positioning and storytelling. Through Blue Soul Media, she works with authors, entrepreneurs, thought leaders and purpose-driven brands to clarify their message and expand their impact, which includes speaker coaching/training for high-profile stages such as TED and bringing authors’ work to market while retaining authors rights.
She is also the co-founder of Blue Soul Earth, an educational platform exploring consciousness, ancient wisdom, spirituality, healing and the intersection between science and the nature of reality. Renee is the producer and host of the award-winning Blue Soul CHATS, a conversational series bringing together leading voices in science, technology, consciousness, wellness and spirituality.
Her growing body of work also includes Blue Soul Living, which extends her interest in consciousness and well-being into the spaces we inhabit, exploring how intentional design, energy and environment can support greater harmony and connection.
Renee is the award-winning co-author of the bestselling Magdalene’s Journey and founder of the Magdalene Collection, inspired by women’s voices, stories and wisdom across cultures and generations.
A longtime photographer and storyteller, Renee has documented people, places and cultures around the world and produced photographic collections focused on destinations including the Galápagos Islands, London, South Africa, Rome and Ecuador. She also co-founded Traveling Geeks, an international initiative that brought entrepreneurs, journalists, creators and technology leaders together with their counterparts in other countries to exchange ideas and explore innovation across cultures.
Renee’s work has been recognized by Forbes, the United Nations and others for her influence in media and social storytelling. Across her work in travel, media, consciousness and culture, a common thread remains: curiosity about the world, the stories that connect us and the ways meaningful experiences can change how we see ourselves and one another.
