When I was a young girl, my parents took our family to the Kruger National Park in South Africa for our holidays. These times spent in nature, looking for wildlife and appreciating nature’s beauty have become etched in my mind and are some of my happiest memories. These beautiful wild spaces hold endless magic for young children and adults alike and are, more often than not, places to celebrate special occasions and milestones. My love for wild places has stayed with me ever since those early trips. It is why I believe that every family should have a safari experience on their bucket list:
Reconnect
The wild spaces of beautiful game parks are wonderful for families to reconnect not only with one another but also with nature. So often in our busy lives, we get caught up in the rush of living in cities that we forget to spend quality time with the people who are closest to us. Going on a safari allows you the time to appreciate nature as a family. It’s an experience that you can share together and there’s nothing quite like seeing a wild animal such as a leopard, lion, rhino or elephant for the first time.
Escape
The untouched beauty and stillness of the wilderness offers a wonderful escape from the trappings of everyday life. This is especially important for your family and for children who get caught up in modern technology and forget to experience the outdoors. A safari is the ultimate escape from all this. Wake up to a beautiful dawn chorus and immerse yourself in the harmonious sounds of the bushveld. At night once you’ve left the crackle of the campfire for bed, the hoot of an owl or the roars of a lion will be the only alarm calls you’ll hear while you fall asleep. There’s pure relaxation to be found in wild places.
Experience culture
A family safari should be about getting to know the place that you visit. In order to do this you have to indulge in all it has to offer. On safari you get a first-hand look at the beautiful African landscapes, the spectacular wildlife and the tasty local cuisine prepared by some of the finest Chefs in Africa.
Learn from nature
Visiting a game reserve is not only a relaxing and exciting experience. On a safari your guide or ranger will impart knowledge of the bushveld, animals, birds and the small wonders around you. We all know that there is a lot that we can learn from nature. Nature is a wonderful teacher and an especially wonderful place for young children to play and explore.
Capture special moments
A safari is not complete without capturing your special moments on camera or video. Once the adventure is over and the smells, sights and sounds you experienced in Africa have left, you can still remember and look back on your holiday.
There are many photographic opportunities from big game to birds and magnificent landscapes for you to capture while on in the bush.
Photographs by Elsa Young and James Tyrrell.
Rich Laburn is filmmaker, photographer and writer who is based at Londolozi Game Reserve in South Africa. Spending his time capturing scenes of the wild and communicating the beauty of the African bushveld, he runs the Londolozi Blog as a way to entertain and engage people wishing to visit these wild lands.
