Memories of a lifetime
Africa trumps all other continents when it comes to wildlife experiences, and yet the safaris are only one part of the picture. Take a family holiday on this legendary continent and find yourselves jumping for joy with Maasai tribespeople or pondering a never-ending cinema reel of beautiful rollicking landscapes. It’s a dream destination for children. What could be more exciting than seeing a real-life Simba, snorkelling and Finding Nemo or exploring crystal-clear rock pools on Indian Ocean beaches? Any child, and then not even speaking about the parents, can get their kicks too, perhaps kayaking on the mighty Zambezi, sand boarding, walking safaris, horse riding to name but a few…
South Africa is mostly malaria-free, so the risk of catching the disease is minimal. Namibia is completely malaria-free and safe to travel. Other malaria free destinations are the islands of Mauritius, Seychelles and the Maldives. How to choose where to go? There are of course worse dilemmas than deciding which patch of Indian-Ocean-lapped sand you want to laze beside. But, at first glance, Mauritius, the Maldives and the Seychelles can seem indistinguishable. Look past the beach, though, and you don’t have a collection of identical islands. I’ve run through each destination to highlight what sets it apart and help you choose your ideal slice of the Indian Ocean. You can watch giant tortoises plod by on the Seychelles’ Bird Island, while on Mauritius you could spend days exploring tea estates, plantation homes and botanical gardens. And, over on the Maldives, you could eschew all activity and laze in desert-island seclusion. None of the islands Kids are in danger of catching the ‘Africa bug’, however – an incurable compulsion to keep returning.
