What It's Like Taking the Family on a 'Young Explorers' Safari With Great Plains Conservation

Picture this: At a sublime tented camp set amid expanses of bush, shrub, grasslands and flowing waterways — deep within Botswana’s Okavango Delta — languid days revolve around early-morning and late-afternoon game drives, with perfectly coordinated meals, sundowners and leisure time sprinkled between.

Tuck into bed exhausted but exhilarated, wake before the sun rises, and repeat.

Add a family of three, four, five or more into the mix and some of that safari magic disappears if each day becomes more of a moving target, trying to keep up with the itinerary. Which is why, when conceptualizing its Young Explorers Family Safari program — a complimentary add-on program for kids as young as 6 years old — Great Plains Conservation prioritized one feature above all else.

“The Great Plains signature for family safaris is flexibility,” said Sharon Unwin, operations manager for Botswana for Great Plains Conservation.

Bookings for two-bedroom family suites at Great Plains Reserve Camps — which in Botswana include Duba Plains Suite, Zarafa Dhow Suite, Selinda Suite, and Sitatunga Private Island Suite, opening July 2023 — include a private chef, a dedicated camp team and manager, as well as a private guide, who will tailor each day entirely to the family’s needs.

“Even if the day's plans are in place, we are flexible for any changes, which can often happen with kids,” Unwin said. “Mealtimes are also entirely flexible.”

Whether families book a two-bedroom suite or adjoining accommodations within Great Plains’ collection of conservation-focused camps and lodges across Botswana, Kenya and Zimbabwe, that vision for a stress-free family holiday underscores every family safari experience. Booking a dedicated family guide further guarantees a truly intimate family safari and total flexibility for departure times (and durations) of daily game drives.

Young Explorers Program Activities at Camp

With the roll-out of its Young Explorers program, Great Plains developed a robust lineup of camp- and bush-focused activities to excite and inspire its youngest guests.

Upon arrival, each child receives a Young Explorers pack, which includes (among other goodies) an official hat and a youth-focused activity book, to hone in on their nature spotting and animal tracking skills.

“The pack itself gets kids excited from the moment they receive it — I think, in a way, it opens up a whole new world of discovery to them,” said Bujos Muabi, camp manager at Great Plains Botswana at Selinda Camp, which recently hosted a family of six, including 9-year-old twins who were “energetic, smart, adventurous and eager to learn it all.”

Daily Young Explorers adventures include everything from fishing and boating in the same waterways where hippos roam at Botswana’s Duba Plains Camp and Zimbabwe’s Tembo Plains Camp, to family mountain biking excursions on the plains or horseback riding at Kenya’s Ol Donyo Lodge. At all Great Plains locations, budding naturalists have the chance to study fresh animal tracks on bush walks around camp, which are led by a family-trained guide who shares bushcraft knowledge and bush survival skills, too.

Midday activities might include making pizzas with a chef for lunch, or baking cookies to share with the family on a game drive. Learning how to play traditional games is always a hit.

“At Selinda Camp, we have the traditional wooden morabaraba/mancala board, so it takes the experience and excitement to a whole other level,” Muabi said.

Local cultural activities — including lessons in small handicraft, as well as traditional song and dance — are offered, as well.

Older kids (and the adults, too) can try out their nature photography skills around camp and on game drives using a pro camera — which is included on every family safari, plus a thumb drive of the photos taken. Of course, a family movie night under the stars is a hit with kids of all ages.

Travel Advisor Tips for Planning a Successful Family Safari

For all the ways Great Plains goes out of its way to provide families with maximum flexibility while on safari, it takes plenty of advance planning — as well as full understanding of, and communication regarding, your client’s expectations, desires and family dynamic — to lay the groundwork for this exceptional family holiday.

“It’s important, at a reservations level, to have as much information about the family's interests and expectations for the Young Explorer's program as possible,” Unwin said. “Our main aim for family safaris is that everyone enjoys a relaxed and exciting safari without the need for parents to coordinate logistics.

Our main aim for family safaris is that everyone enjoys a relaxed and exciting safari without the need for parents to coordinate logistics.

Travel advisors can help set Great Plains up for success by gathering details including the specific names and ages of each child; special interests they have (e.g. adventure/sport, creative activities, cooking, favorite animals); food allergies and dietary restrictions for the entire family; as well as favorite foods (or major dislikes) for the kids, so the team can plan family meals to everyone’s preferences.

It’s also essential to inquire about, and convey to Great Plains, to what degree your clients  may (or may not) take part in the Young Explorers activities offered on-site — they may want the kids to experience everything Young Explorers offers, or they might prefer to have more low-key family time to themselves, lounging and splashing around in their private plunge pool on warm afternoons without designated activities planned.

Your clients may also want to decide on specific activities and make plans for the family in advance, or they may prefer to let the camp prepare a plan to discuss upon arrival. Perhaps they would enjoy a little grown-up downtime while the Great Plains team organizes Young Explorers activities for the kids separately — or perhaps they want to participate in some (or all) of the activities, too.

It’s this level of attention to detail while planning your clients’ family safari with Great Plains —dialing into their desires and expectations, and understanding their family dynamic — that puts the wheels in motion for an incredible family safari they’ll talk about for years to come.