After several family safari holidays with the Rugrats in Tanzania and Kenya, I’m here to offer inspiration and maybe a cautionary tale or two.

In the right conditions, a safari holiday with small children can be the awe-inspiring experience of a lifetime. Or it can be a soul-crushing expedition that will make you vow never to leave your house with your kids again. Or both! Either way, you’ll create family memories that will last forever.

Without further ado, here are eight questions, inspired by our own misadventures, to help you decide if an African safari is right for your family, and how to prepare for this adventure.

1. Do your kids love wildlife more than life itself?

Family safari holidays give you the incredible, life-changing experience of getting up very close to wild animals in their natural habitat. For animal lovers like the Rugrats, and probably most children, this is such a special experience. The Rugrats have always loved a good zoo. But now that they’ve watched lion cubs splashing playfully at a watering hole in the Serengeti, zoos might be ruined for us forever.

There are no guarantees of what you will see—more on that below. But we have seen mind-blowing sights on each of the game drives and walks we have done in national parks in Tanzania and Kenya.

That being said, you will see animals, and then you will see more animals… and at some point around the 12,000th gazelle, it might all start to blur together. So pack some safari-themed coloring and activity books to minimize the whining!

2. Do your kids get airsick or carsick? (And if so, can you be counted on to remember to bring motion sickness meds?)

We’ve experienced our fair share of the pukes during our family safari holidays. Rugrat#1 is chronically motion sick. It’s been an issue ever since he vomited Ella’s mango puree all over our van in Lombok, Indonesia. He was a year and a half. He has been sick a few times in safari cars during particularly long drives. The worst episode, though, was that God-forsaken tiny plane from Arusha, Tanzania into the Serengeti. I had forgotten the Dramamine. It was only two puddle-jump flights of thirty and then ten minutes. Sadly, that was about thirty-five minutes longer than Rugrat#1 could handle. The lesson: Never forget the meds. (When I’m not neglecting my duties as a parent, I bring children’s Dramamine or motion sickness lollipops, and a few empty plastic bags that have been thoroughly inspected for holes.)

Safaris can involve hours in a safari vehicle—for the drive to/from the national park, and for the game drive inside the park, where the road is normally unpaved and uneven. An alternative for some routes is to fly directly into the national park like we did into the Serengeti. However, this flight is going to be on a tiny plane where you feel every movement. So—while the trip will be shorter—it will be significantly worse than a drive for those who get motion sickness. The upside is that your safari car will probably have the roof up and/or windows open, giving lots of fresh air; and the game drives themselves are normally slow, with frequent stops to watch the animals.

3. Do your kids have the capacity to refrain from shrieking when they see a leopard or lion outside your window?

It turns out that kids do not naturally remain calm and keep their voices down when they see a (super exciting) predator in the wild.

Obviously, this can be dangerous: you don’t want to spook or upset these wild animals. You can always choose to close the windows and roof, though. So don’t let your little angels’ uncontained enthusiasm deter you from taking family safari holidays!!

4. Are your kids responsive to instructions like “keep your limbs inside the car” and “do not swing from the roof”?

5. Do your kids get cranky when it’s too hot? too dusty? too many tsetse flies? too boring?

If your little darlings are anything like mine, they are horrible company when they’re uncomfortable. Rugrat#1—particularly sensitive to sensory challenges—cut short our walk along the Mara River to spot hippos and crocodiles because he was so hot that he couldn’t keep himself from wailing. The tsetse flies in some national parks are extremely annoying at certain times of the day. Also, their bites can cause serious illness (rare, but still)! And the game drives can get long and boring for the Rugrats, especially after the first day, and especially when a chunk of time passes between animal sightings.

This is why family safari holidays, like everything in parenthood, should be approached with flexibility. Do a private safari (your family will need the whole car anyway). Talk to your tour company about your kids’ scheduling needs and sensitivities. If you’re staying inside a park, plan game drives for early morning and later in the afternoon. Then go back to the lodge to rest in the heat of the day! Ask about the flies and have the driver close the roof when you get to the part of the park where they frequent. Arrange some non-car activities to break up the game drives. For example, you could visit a Masai boma (village of huts made of mud and cow dung). Or try a walking safari or nature walk.

If a long drive is unavoidable (like if you’re driving between parks), ask about places to stop along the way to stretch all the little legs. And pack entertainment for long stretches with no interesting animals. There are so many ways for a safari to be tailored to your family, to ensure that you have a wonderful experience. (Even if it’s not the same trip you would have done without the kids.)

6. Do your kids (and you) have a strong stomach?

Traveler’s diarrhea is a very real thing for people traveling to a new place and eating new kinds of food. And it is not something you want to experience while driving around the bush surrounded by wild animals. The Rugrats have been ok—probably because we live in Tanzania, so our digestive systems have acclimated. But the Rugrats’ friend was suffering during our trip around Masai Mara national reserve in Kenya. The poor thing was not impressed by the “bush toilet” (hole in the ground inside a wooden shack) that the park rangers directed him to.

To avoid this tragedy, make sure you only drink bottled water, use bottled water to brush your teeth, and avoid drinks with ice or added water (like some fresh fruit juices), or raw fruits and vegetables that might have been washed with contaminated water. This is a great excuse for the Rugrats not to eat their salad during family safari holidays. But there’s no excuse for cooked veggies!

And always always always travel with insurance during family safari holidays, just in case! SafetyWing offers inexpensive travel insurance (including medical) and covers two children under ten per family free of charge.

7. Do your kids have amazing bladder control and/or like to pee and poo in the wild?

Game drives typically start early and can go for hours, and—especially if it’s hot—everyone needs to stay hydrated. Buuut with excellent hydration comes the need for toilet breaks. Except that actual toilets in the safari parks are few and far between! When the kids (or you…) need to go, the guide will find you a spot that’s safe from the animals and the elements. For the Rugrats, this is part of the adventure—they love to go in the great outdoors (even when there’s a toilet nearby, to my great dismay).

Apparently not all kids are comfortable with this! When their friend from New York City joined us on safari, he freaked out when nature called and this was the only option. We had to turn the car around and zoom to the nearest rest area, which was miles away. If this sounds like your kids, prepare them in advance, or plan your hydration accordingly! For littles, a portable potty seat is handy to minimize mess and keep little bums away from leaves and dirt.

8. Can your kids (and you) handle disappointment if you don’t end up seeing what you paid a zillion dollars to see?

Safaris are, by their very nature, unpredictable. There is no guarantee that you will see the animals on your list, the “Big Five”, or that you will see them in large quantities or favorable conditions. In early August 2022, we set out on safari in Kenya’s Masai Mara to watch part of the Great Migration. We were supposed to see herds of wildebeests and other animals storm across the Mara River by the hundreds. Except that the week we were there, not a single animal crossed. Not one! (At least that’s what our guide told us…)

Were the Rugrats disappointed? Yes!

Did they go into full meltdowns? They sure did!

But did they calm down after I acknowledged their feelings and soothingly redirected them to all the amazing creatures we DID get to see? Nope!

That being said, an experienced guide can be all the difference. One of our guides, Moody, had an uncanny knack for spotting the most camouflaged animals, no matter how far away. He expertly maneuvered the safari car through all kinds of terrain. This got us up close and personal with lion cubs, a hyena family, hippos, a cheetah.

Safari njema!

Even with all the ups and downs, caveats, and considerations, I wholeheartedly recommend a family safari holiday. It’s a family adventure unlike anything else, which your kids will never forget. It might not be for the faint of heart; but you are not the faint of heart.

For more inspiration, stay tuned for posts about my favorite Tanzania and Kenya safari itinerary options and reviews of the lodges we love. Now go book your safari, pack up your kid safari essentials—including those motions sickness meds—and find your adventure!

Safari njema – safe travels!