"We must use time wisely and forever realize that the time is always ripe to do right"
...Nelson Mandela
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This ‘is a specially designed safari offering families the opportunity to discover the wonders of the African wilderness together.Code KD One of the special attractions of this programme is its exclusivity. Each family safari has the use of a private six-bedded camp, two professional guides, personal chef, waiter, housekeeper and mokoro (dug-out canoe) guides. We are quite literally there to explore the bush at our leisure, while never losing sight of the fact that being in the wilderness is also about having fun! Your experienced guides will ensure that our young guests are never bored....it is a jungle out there after all! Tracking big game, identifying birds and animals and the signs they leave around us, learning the bush skills that allow us to survive in the wilderness, while learning to understand and respect all the inhabitants of this environment. Activities, whether on a walk, game drive or mokoro are simply about ‘following one’s nose!’ An interesting smell, the distant roar of the lion or the alarm call of a wary francolin will lead us on our explorations. Young Explorers Facts at a glance:
• Family minimum size is 3 and maximum is 6, rates vary accordingly
• Minimum age is 7 but special considerations may be made on application
• Available from 1st March - 30th November
• Subject to full camp availability
• The guides are experienced in Environmental Education for children
• Activities are tailored around the children's ages
• Each child receives a Young Explorer's gift and a Young Explorer's Certificate on successfully completing the safari
• All meals, beverages, laundry service and medical evacuation are included The programme is designed for the family and while emphasis is on the younger members of the tribe, you can be sure that Mum and Dad will also find they come away with some newfound skills!! The kids will be given a Young Explorers Bush Journal, including safety tips, a checklist of mammals, birds, reptiles and insects, some common tracks and star constellations. On completion of the safari, they will be presented with a certificate, confirming membership of the Young Explorers. Members can keep up to date on the goings on in the bush through monthly newsletters on the internet. The young explorers and the rest of the family can extend their adventure by flying on, (with their personal guide if they wish), to the ‘Sable Conservancy’ in the Kalahari Desert, where the family will be amazed at the bush skills of the original inhabitants of Africa, the San Bushmen! From these gentle people, you will learn new skills and identify many birds and animals unique to the desert, listen to ancient San stories and learn traditional dances around the campfire. Young Explorers will then qualify for a Kalahari Desert certificate to add to their Okavango Delta qualification! SAMPLE ITINERARY FOR YOUNG EXPLORERS (This itinerary is meant to provide an example of how a family safari may unfold. By its nature, a safari is an informal and spontaneous affair, and the exact way that the trip develops is dependant upon the individual desires and interests of the guests. The itinerary is for a 3 night stay which is the normal stay for our guests though there are no actual limits on the length of the safari) OKAVANGO DELTA DAY 1 PM Your two guides meet you at the end of an exciting 25-minute flight in a 6-seater aircraft from Maun. Following a short drive in a 4x4 vehicle, the rest of the staff awaits your arrival in camp. Over a cold drink and light lunch, you are briefed on activities and safety during your stay, and then it is time for large people to relax as the day cools, letting the tranquillity of the Okavango wash over you. For the intrepid explorers it is time to become acquainted with the camp and your guides and to check your equipment is ready for the adventures ahead! Be ready to start identifying birds and animals, they are all around…..even in camp!! Later in the afternoon, it is time to begin your first lesson in bush craft and some rules regarding animal behaviour and respect for all the inhabitants of the wilderness. After this short introduction over tea and cake, it is time to set out on a short walk, allowing you to become accustomed to some of the sights, sounds and smells that make up the language of the African bush. On return to camp it’s time for a piping hot, bucket shower under the stars, followed by a tasty dinner. We discuss the lessons of the day, and learn more about Botswana and the history of the country and its people. After dinner we begin to examine some of the stars found in the skies over Africa, and then it’s off to bed as we have an early start and much to see and do on the morrow!! DAY 2 The day begins before sunrise with coffee around the fire, and a light breakfast before heading out to see what the bush has in store for us. Following the water’s edge gives us the chance to examine some of the tracks left by overnight visitors, as well as identifying some of the multitude of animals, birds and insects that inhabit the forests. Lets follow the honeyguide bird, and see if it will lead us to a honey nest! Following another delicious lunch prepared on charcoal by our talented chef, parents are left to a lazy afternoon napping or reading while their young cubs are watched over by their guides, recording the morning’s observations and discoveries in our Bush Journals, learning some traditional bush skills, such as basket weaving or carving the seed of the palm nut into a necklace for Mum! After no time at all, we are off out again, this time in the mokoro (dugout canoe) and if we are lucky we may spot the sitatunga, one of the world’s most unusual and secretive antelope, while your guides teach you some of the ways to survive in this vast wetland wilderness. Ever thought of how you get a drink of cold water from your mokoro while not disturbing the crocodiles? In the evening its off to the bush kitchen and be astounded as you learn how the mouth-watering fare is produced on the fire and fresh bread and cakes in the amazing bush oven. Who needs electricity anyway? Day 3 With the sunrise comes an introduction to driving large 4x4 vehicles, which are vital out here in the bush. Any idea how to change a tyre on a 4x4? While out and about we are sure to bump into some of the many species of large mammals that inhabit the Okavango Delta including wild dogs, elephants, lion, buffalo, cheetah, wildebeest and impala. Spending time quietly observing these mammals will give you an insight into the structure of their society and how we may understand them through their body language. That afternoon while your Dad’s snores echo around camp you will learn some of the rules and skills required in order to handle a rifle safely. This is an important tool in our world is not a toy, and should be respected at all times! Under your guides experienced and watchful eyes you can learn to shoot our pellet gun on our own bush range! Later, you may wish to try your angling skills Okavango style, either along the banks of lagoons and channels or, for the more adventurous from the mokoro! Here you will learn how to catch, handle and release a fish correctly ensuring you do it no harm, though we may wish to keep a couple for dinner!! The final dinner is cause for celebration though the safari draws to an end, toasting new friends, reminiscing over unique experiences and lifelong memories. The grown ups would like to drift off to sleep with the ever-present chorus of the hippos and the tinkle of the reed frogs. But for the trainee bushrangers it is the perfect opportunity to head off with a spotlight to try and identify some of the many species that wake up as the sun sets!! Day 4 AM Another clear fresh morning in Africa, as we arise with the sun, leisurely sipping coffee and laughing over breakfast. The morning is spent discussing your stay and your guides will ask you to identify several tracks, birds and animals, and to explain some of the skills that you might use to survive in the bush. After this informal bush evaluation you will then be awarded your Okavango Delta certificate and shirt making you an official member of a truly select group of bushrangers. A short drive back to the airstrip and it is time for farewells to your guides, before taking off to your next destination, leaving you pondering a final thought…How many dishes are you going to have to wash up before your parents let you come back?
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