Kid-Friendly Itinerary For Kenyan Wildlife Safari

After spending 5 days in the Savannah, enjoying some straight out of Nat Geo scenes, that got my little animal lover to sit up and pull out her bincoluars to observe the wildlife more closely, I woud say no kid is too young to go on an African wildlife safari. We were staying in a luxury tented accomodation and that itself was a thrilling experience for my little girl (think no lights from 12pm to 6 am, you can hear the animal calls when a lion or a cheetah comes to drink water at the lake, right outside our tent!) Day 2: We went on our first full day safari ride inside the Maasai Mara National Park and my little one was so excited she was wide awake at 6 am to spot her animals. But the best part of the day was stopping in the middle of the Savannah to enjoy a picnic lunch and all the while my girl kept thinking what if a cheetah comes and takes away my sandwich:) After the picnic, we went back to the hotel to enjoy a swim in the pool and play some childhood games with my little one. 7) While finding child-friendly food is not an issue at all in Kenya – you must carry your child’s favourite snacks along, you will need this while travelling in the car all day with kids. 8) Kenya has many wildlife reserves and you can include other parks closer to Maasai Mara as well, however we felt that going on a safari everyday can get boring for kids after doing it continously for 4 days.
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 Africa! The Land Of the Lion King!

After wasting multiple weekends on searching for the best palces to travel with kids the husband & I decided it had to be Africa this time – a destination that was always on our bucket list. After spending 5 days in the Savannah, enjoying some straight out of Nat Geo scenes,  that got my little animal lover to sit up and pull out her bincoluars to observe the wildlife more closely, I woud say no kid is too young to go on an African wildlife safari. 

Here is what our itinerary looked like:

Fly from Mumbai to Nairobi- Next day head to Maasai Mara – Spend 3 nights at Maasai Mara National Reserve – Back to Nairobi for our return journey.

Must do before travelling to Africa:

1) Take the Polio and Yellow Fever vaccination shots. You will spend half a day getting this done, so plan your day accordingly. In Mumbai you can get it done at the Airport Health Organisation, Sahar road.

2) If you are travelling to Nairobi, Kenya,  apply for an e-visa (kids below 16 yrs don't need one), so you dont have to do any paper work after a long tiring flight. 

3) If you are going to see the wilderbeest migration – the best time is mid June when the animals make their onward journey to Maasai Mara. Another time in the year you can see them is in October when the wilderbeest return to Tanzania.

4) Kenya enjoys 2 seasons i.e dry or wet – the mornings and nights are chilly, while it can get really hot in the afternoons. So remember to pack wollens for your self and the kids. 

Our Kid-Friendly Itinerary to Africa

Day 0: A visit to Narobi's KICC (Kenyatta International Convention Centre) for a rooftop view of the city from the helipad situated on 28th floor! We got to meet some lovely school kids who loved taking selfies with tourists.

Day 1: We left early for Maasai Mara after enjoying some delicious breakfast that included animal shaped waffles. TIP: Throughout our stay in Kenya we never had a problem looking for child friendly food, Pizzas, pastas, daal, roti all are easily available – we never missed home made food at all.

On the way we got we got to see the Great Rift Valley that starts from Mosambique and goes all the way up to Israel! It wasn't appreciated by my 5-year-old too much but we found ways to keep her busy on the drive. TIP: Remember to pack a few toys to keep kids entertained while you drive along the valley. 

We reaches Maasai Mara by early evening, but not without doing some trinket shopping from the locals on our way. We were staying in a luxury tented accomodation and that itself was a thrilling experience for my little girl (think no lights from 12pm to 6 am, you can hear the animal calls when a lion or a cheetah comes to drink water at the lake, right outside our tent!)

Day 2: We went on our first full day safari ride inside the Maasai Mara National Park and my little one was so excited she was wide awake at 6 am to spot her animals. The animals that she has had only seen on National Geographic before!

Right away we got to see Zebra crossing – a wow moment not just for my girl but for me too! 

We chose to go on an early morning game drive to see lots of animals, but the best was this Giraffe that stood all alone watching us from far. First time my girl had seen a giraffe!

Day 3: We headed for an early morning game drive and saw a lion hunting with a lioness, while the lion king lay asleep. But the best part of the day was stopping in the middle of the Savannah to enjoy a picnic lunch and all the while my girl kept thinking what if a cheetah comes and takes away my sandwich:)

After the picnic, we went back to the hotel to enjoy a swim in the pool and play some childhood games with my little one. This is the best thing about travelling with kids- you get to revisit your favourite childhood games! 

We headed for a late afternoon game drive again. TIP: Travelling all day in the car can get tiring for young children, so make sure you hire a comfortable vehicle that has reclining seats so the kids can enjoy a nap if need be. The roads inside the reserve can get bumpy in certain patches, this is when having a big sturdy vehicle really helps.

Day 4: We started our return journey to Nairobi and got a special goodbye from this really cute Eland, who was waiting right at the gate of Maasai Mara! That's how animals and the Maasai tribe coexist in the reserve.

TIP: We carried some stationery items from India to distribute to the underprivileged village children. They kept running behind our car asking for 'stuff' and they were so thrilled when we handed these things out to them! You could give them chocolates, money, fruits or just wave goodbye! 

My daughter spent the long 9-hour return car journey colouring the birds we saw in Africa and playing the name your favourite animal game! I was not surprised to see that she could recall all the names of the animals we saw and got to learn so much about the exotic wildlife from Africa. 

Before booking our trip there was news about the plague and floods in Africa which had us in two minds till the day we started our trip. But we got positive news from our tour operator-  kichaka tours and travel who helped us in booking the transport and accomodation and was always available to resolve our travel queries.

How to plan your trip:

1) When travelling to Kenya it is recommended that you go via a tour operator who can help you with the bookings.

2) People in Africa speak impeccable english and are extremely friendly. You will hear them say Karibu (meaning welcome) everytime they see you. 

2) Choose a stay inside your reserve, the entry gates to the reseve close at 6:30 pm so if you are staying outside you will be in a rush to get closer to the gate and you might feel rushed and miss a great sighting.

3) Remember this is a natural reserve and does not offer any touristy must visit sights, everything is controlled by nature and you get to see whatever comes your way. 

4) Keep your expectations low, while you might want to order the Lion or a Cheetah on the Safari menu, remember this is not a zoo and the rule of right place, right time applies here all the time.

5) In case you happen to witness a great sighting, stay there a while longer – don't be in a rush to leave the spot and go looking for some other sighting. Turn down the engine, find a comfortable spot to quietly observe the wildlife and take lots of pictures to post on your Instagram page!

5) Your tour operator will book a driver and a vehicle for you, who will take you around through various routes of the reserve. The best thing is that all the drivers use a radio to connect with other vehicles who are in the park, so if there is an interesting sighting of any big predators like a Lion, Leopard or Cheetah, you can reach that spot too.

6) Trust your driver to do his job, he knows the reserve better than you and will make every attempt to ensure you get to see all the Big Fives ( Lion, Rhino, Lepoard, Buffalo and Elephant).

7) While finding child-friendly food is not an issue at all in Kenya – you must carry your child's favourite snacks along, you will need this while travelling in the car all day with kids.

8) Kenya has many wildlife reserves and you can include other parks closer to Maasai Mara as well, however we felt that going on a safari everyday can get boring for kids after doing it continously for 4 days. Hence we decided to just do one park and felt that 3 days are more than enough.

9) The Maasai people are very conservative and while it is natural to want to capture them in their vibrant traditional attire and jewellery, respect their privacy and take their permission before clicking their pictures. 

10) Last but not the least, Africa is where all the animals are, so go there with kids only if you know that your child is an animal lover.

 

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