I did my first Africa trip to RSA in May of 2023. My son at the time wasn't even 1 and stayed home with my wife. Came back, showed the wife all the pics, and she said she wanted to go. Naturally, my dream at this point is to return with my wife and son. My son is now almost 2 and absolutely fascinated by all things animals. He is especially fond of giraffes, zebra, lions and elephants.
What age are you typically seeing kids enjoying the full experience in Africa? I recently just read something on here about bringing a 7 year old. For contrast, our outfitter prefers 15 and older.
Any experiences from forum members on bringing kids on the younger side? Maybe like 7-10 years old? Or is that too young?
I brought my son on Safari starting at age 10 for plains game and age 11 for dangerous game hunting. The first safari he was spot and stalk hunting with his bow, and also using his smallbore rifle. His second safari he was hunting DG with a 375HH.
Would I bring a young child or infant to Africa? Absolutely not. Nutrition, disease, access to urgent care, a fragile immune system, and lack of approved pharmaceuticals that are safe for children that young to treat potential ailments....all these things preclude bringing a small child to Africa. (e.g. a little kid cannot receive Doxycycline, an antibiotic that may be required for serious bacterial infections)
So now that we've established what is certainly too young and why, lets discuss the milestones that would indicate a minor is ready for a safari. This resume matters, because discipline/judgment/experience is not gifted to humans magically at a particular age, for that reason, there are many 50 year olds that I do not believe should be going on a safari as well.
What it took for
me to bring a kid to Africa:
1.) I had been to the country on safari many times previously. I knew the risks at face value.
2.) I knew the geography, locations of airports, hospitals, road safety, etc.
3.) I knew the operators/PHs very well, I had seen their equipment, their credentials, and their ability to manage crisis on a daily basis.
4.) I knew the staff and believed them to be of good character.
What it took
my son to convince me he was ready for Africa:
1.) He was emotionally stable, never prone to outbursts or hysterics when faced with disappointment. He had never thrown a weapon, a fishing rod, or had other signs he lacked self control in a sporting setting.
2.) He first attended hunter safety at age 6, he retook the class at age 7 to "sharpen up", and he was a junior instructor at that age.
3.) From age 7-8 he took several big game animals competently with a rifle that fit him. He studied shot angles, organ locations, and could shoot acceptable groups at reasonable distances off sticks, rests, and benches. He had the physical strength to carry his weapon, load/unload/fire the weapon, and clean the weapon proficiently.
4.) From age 8-10 he demonstrated expertise with a bow, taking deer, bear, and turkey. Over a similar age he demonstrated expertise with rifle shooting deer, pronghorn, and oryx in the USA under wild conditions.
5.) He exhibited propriety at all times with adults under all settings. He dresses himself correctly for all types of hunting and weather conditions, he determines proper attire for banquets, fundraisers, gun club settings, and other environments frequented by 99% adults. He demonstrated his ability to speak politely, maintain eye contact with adults, converse in complex terms with understanding on relevant topics in the field and before/after the hunt. Bottom line, he's a snot-nosed, unwelcome interloper in adult settings until he can earn his right to be in these settings by the unanimous agreement of all adults in the room. There is no point going to an SCI banquet or a hunting lodge with a child if they are pissing off the hosts/guests adjacent to him/her.
6.) He exhibited good competence at the field identification of legal and illegal game and could explain why. He could accurately determine which shot distances and presentations were unacceptable.
7.) He had a broad palette, willing to eat any food presented to him with grace and enthusiasm, anywhere in the world. He eats all the food presented on his plate, praising the chef, and politely requesting more of his preferred foods only after he has consumed all of his portion. Going on a hunting trip isn't the time to discover a child is inflexible, unwilling to eat organ meat, unusual salad dressings, or different spices. There is only so much emotional intelligence in a human and you need 100% of it to deal with the failures and frustrations of what is happening in the bush, there is no arguing or room for disagreement on whether the child is going to eat impala liver, braised bear, foie gras, elk roast, or an eland colon sausage.
8.) He could range game effectively and understood the drop of his firearm, and its loss of energy at those distances. He could range game effectively and 100% of the time before drawing back on his bow. He demonstrated the habit of drawing back his bow and letting down when the shot was unacceptable rather than "sending it".
9.) He was able to service his bow himself, regulate his necessary practice, hunt from a stand or blind alone, track his own spoor and blood, and recover his big game without adult intervention. (fortunately, this is a gift of his, he has journeyman level tracking skills and has bested outfitters a couple of times)
10.) He demonstrated independence, and was completely at ease hunting with or without his parent. He was able to analyze what decisions were logically able to yield the best hunting results and often requested to hunt with his PH 1:1 with fewer parents/trackers/scouts present if that was advantageous to his hunt.
11.) He was physically fit and not a cry baby. He'd smile with blood pouring down his arms from jess thorns he hadn't noticed on his stalks. He broke in his boots so he never whined about sore feet. He had his own knife and could cut out a thorn, or serve himself his own biltong without the lunch-lady having to tend to him like an infant.
That's my criteria I needed to see to feel comfortable taking a 9-10 year old kid on safari. Your values and expectations may differ, but those were mine.
I remind my children of the truth of the world that nobody tells kids these days: the world hates you by default, your politeness, competence, good manners, verbal skills, and conduct are what opens doors of opportunity. You will succeed at nothing if people don't like you and its an uphill climb. This advice is especially important if you're taking a kid on a safari.
