Choosing the perfect family holiday is a job that should be avoided by those with high blood pressure, heart conditions, pregnant women, and the elderly. If you didn’t start out with any of these conditions prior to launching into family holiday preparation, it’s likely you’ll finish with at least one of these (excluding pregnancy; booking family-friendly accommodation is not recognised as an effective aphrodisiac).
The primary source of headaches is finding a destination that suits everyone’s tastes. Dad likes luxury. Mum can’t get enough of spectacular scenery. The kids want nothing more than to wake up with a giraffe peering into their window.
Safaris
Good news. You can have it all. African safaris may not be the first destination that springs to mind – Disneyland and Wobbies World being the more obvious ‘family’ destinations – but African safaris tailored by companies such as Wild Africa are the stuff that truly memorable family holidays are made of.
Take for example Jock Safari Lodge in Nairobi, Kenya. Children of all ages are permitted, and those over 7 can join in a game drive. Teenagers 16 and over can experience the unique thrills of a walking safari. Jock also offers special kids activities, including a kids-only safari in which the junior members of the family are kitted out in headlights and gum boots before setting out to search for 34 different types of amphibians.
Beach in Africa
If on, the other hand, sun and sand is a top priority, there are a number of great options available to you. With its famously beautiful beaches, incredible offshore islands, fantastic diving and quaintly charming waterside capital, Mozambique is guaranteed to elicit delight in even the most hard-to-please members of the family.
Sun City
Sun City in South Africa is another must do for the pleasure-seeking family. Recognised as the entertainment capital of South Africa, Sun City offers the best of both worlds. Once a decidedly dodgy destination, thanks to its reputation as an apartheid-era haven for wealthy whites, it’s now- thankfully- a multicultural mix of people, all in pursuit of the fun for which Sun City is known. Families can’t go past the fabulous Lost City entertainment complex, replete with pools, sandy beaches, water slides, and amusement park rides without making a spot.
You can contrast these man made delights with a safari through the natural wonders of Pilanesberg National Park, home to cheetahs, jackals, hyenas, white rhinos, giraffes, hippos, zebras, antelopes, and of course, the Big 5. It’s an incredibly scenic 500sq km of parkland sure to take your breath away.
These are just a few of the many fantastic options available should you decide that a safari is, indeed, the perfect choice for your next family holiday.