Children love animals. You get to know them from picture books long before they can walk or talk, and there’s always a new lovable creature on TV who’s ready to spark the imagination.
My oldest, Rafael, 13, has an unusual ability to catch crickets; Zevi, 11, my other son, is obsessed with the late wildlife expert Steve Irwin, and my daughter Zea, eight, wants to swim with dolphins. But from what age does it make sense to go on safari with the little ones? The answer may depend on when you have enough money – because safaris don’t come cheap.
Arrive at Thanda Game Reserve in South Africa, my people’s faces were glued to the windows as soon as we chanced upon a family of warthogs waddling by. “Pumbaa,” the children called in unison, alluding to the Lion King.
Samantha Simmonds and her family embarked on an “incredible safari adventure” at Thanda Game Reserve in South Africa. Above are elephants in the reserve
On the way to our first 4×4 ride, Zevi asked, “Where are the guns? What do we do if we are attacked by a lion?’ Our guide Vincent explained that no weapons were needed as the jeep could outrun any animal.
After ten minutes our tracker Mbekhi spotted two lions. We were told to be still, sit still and not make any sudden movements, then kept within two meters of the magnificent beasts.
Zea grabbed my arm in a panic. “It’s okay,” I said, while my own stomach did somersaults. We all looked at each other in anxious wonder. I had never before experienced such an adrenaline rush from encountering these fearsome creatures up close.
Above are the villas at Thanda Safari Lodge, each with its own indoor and outdoor shower, private plunge pool and day bed
From Thanda Safari Lodge guests can look down on the lush green canopy where the animals roam free
A lounge area at the family-oriented Thanda Safari Lodge. “The conservation work is unique to Thanda, and seeing the rhino patrol in action gave the children a firsthand sense of the importance of protecting these imposing animals,” says Samantha
The Bush Villa bedroom at Thanda Safari Lodge
Zevi whispered, “Are you sure about the weapons?” But the lions didn’t even acknowledge our presence.
They kept grooming and preening while we took lion selfies.
And by the end of our first drive we had not only sighted lions but also zebras, giraffes, impalas, nyalas, kudus and incredibly a black rhino.
This was before we were shown to our villas, each with its own indoor and outdoor shower, private plunge pool and day bed overlooking the lush green canopy where animals roamed freely around us.
Impala nibbled on the acacia trees while we splashed in the plunge pool.
The next morning at 5 a.m. I heard a scream. “Mom, is that a scorpion?” Zea screeched. I froze and stared where she was pointing.
“Ah, yes, it is.” We looked at each other as the scorpion crawled under the bed and we both tried not to yell, defied him and finished getting dressed.
Over the next three days we saw elephant, black rhino, cheetah and buffalo so incredibly close we could hear them breathing.
During their time at Thanda Game Reserve, Samantha and her family saw elephant, black rhino, cheetah and buffalo so incredibly close we could hear them breathing.
Really wild show: Samantha and Zea’s lion selfie in the Thanda game reserve
But some of the smaller animals and insects were just as great. We watched as a frog built a white foam nest and a giant wasp paralyzed a wolf spider and dragged it away, legs removed, to be eaten alive.
The conservation work is Thanda’s own and seeing the rhino patrol in action gave the children a first-hand taste of the importance of protecting these imposing animals and plenty of photos and information to get them back to school with them.
I’ve never seen my kids so excited. They jumped out of bed at 5am and sat quietly in the jeep, engaged and animated, during each three-hour drive (one of them in the pouring rain).
As our incredible safari adventure came to an end, all three of us asked to come back. “Yes we can,” I said, “but next time you’ll pay.”
In Cape Town, Samantha and her family stayed at the Radisson Blu Waterfront (above) in a ‘fabulous’ family room over the water, from where they could see dolphins playing in the surf
A highlight of the family’s trip to Cape Town was rock jumping and swimming with the penguins of Simon’s Town (pictured).
At the spectacular Cape Point Conservation Area (pictured), Samantha and her family witnessed an army of baboons ambush tourist cars
While Samantha’s sons were dying to try shark cage diving, she gasped. Instead, they opted for a boat trip to the seal colony in Hout Bay (pictured).
Above is a herd of seals at the Hout Bay seal colony
Our holiday didn’t end there as we headed to Cape Town and stayed at the Radisson Blu Waterfront in a fabulous family room on the water. Watching dolphins playing in the surf from our balcony, Zea exclaimed, “Mom, this is the best trip ever.”
While the boys were dying to try shark cage diving, I gave it a go. We opted for a boat trip to the Hout Bay seal colony and then rock jumping and swimming with the penguins at Simon’s Town. Finally, we continued to the spectacular Cape Point Nature Reserve. We approached a whale carcass and a wild ostrich and laughed as an army of baboons ambushed tourist cars.
Sharing this trip as a family was beyond anything we imagined. The kids were the perfect age and we came away with memories to share forever.
