Taking a safari holiday with the family can be eye-wateringly expensive and deciding on the activities you want to include in your holiday can be bewildering so are there ways to get that amazing holiday at a bargain without compromising on the quality of the experience and the safety of your family?

The good news is that yes if you are willing to take the time to shop around for the best deals there are some bargains to be found.

South Africa with its direct flights from the UK and the well-maintained roads provides an attractive destination for your family safari holiday. Going as a family group, safety is going to be vital and so a guided tour element may be your best option. The travel company will provide an itinerary which will include stops for food and overnight stays if necessary, thereby reducing the worry you may experience. A popular destination for a first-time safari experience is the Kruger Park and surrounding reserves. It is possible to self-drive in some areas which will save money and give your family a more personal experience.

Booking your holiday online rather than through a travel agent will save money and even think about booking flights and accommodation separately to get a real bargain.

For older travellers who still want the excitement of a new challenge but who also want to relax and enjoy their holiday, a safari provides an ideal opportunity to fulfil their dream. For younger travellers taking an early morning African safari where they will be tracking African wildlife during the day and night and then in the evening enjoying the local nightlife is no problem but for those wanting a more sedate safari experience there are plenty of opportunities for relaxation that are available. Many safari locations have luxurious spa hotels where treatments can be booked, and facilities can be enjoyed.

When on an African safari the day usually starts with an early morning game drive as this is usually the ideal time to spot the magnificent wildlife on the reserve. After a late breakfast there is usually time to relax in the comfortable surroundings of your chosen safari holiday accommodation either in your own room or in the well-appointed lounge areas. Another game drive is often offered in the afternoon for those who want another chance to see the wildlife.

The majority of the evenings in the safari accommodation are spent socialising with other guests over dinner and possibly enjoying a game of cards if this is something you enjoy.

Taking a once in a lifetime safari holiday should be an amazing and exciting adventure so do not let a little thing like a mosquito spoil it for you. As some mosquitos carry malaria it is important that you are prepared and take as much care as possible to avoid getting bitten and making your dream holiday turn into a nightmare.

If you are travelling to parts of Africa that has a mosquito problem you will probably need to get vaccinated and so it is worth checking with travel company and your doctor a few months before you travel. There are however a number of safari camps located in malaria-free zones and if travelling with children, you should definitely select one of these resorts to be safe.

The main pointers to avoid getting bitten are to make sure that you cover up as much of your skin as possible, making it a lot harder for the mosquito to bite you. Mosquito repellent should be worn but be sure to buy one that is a DEET or picaridin based repellent as these will offer the best protection from the awful bites. It is worth asking the locals what they use when you arrive as often from experience they have found something that works.

The holiday accommodation will probably have mosquito nets around the beds for visitors to use and when used with plugin repellents in the room the mosquitos should stay away.

Although a holiday to South Africa does not strike you at first as synonymous with bird watching for many travellers the opportunity to see exotic species of bird in the wild is what drives them to embark on a visit to this amazing place. Said to be one of the best countries for bird watching in the world, South Africa is home to a flock of great birding spots where nearly a thousand species of birds are waiting for you to spot them through your binoculars.

The best time for South Africa bird watching in South Africa is from September to March. During this time, it is spring to late summer. Peak viewing happens between December and January which is midsummer.

One of the best places to visit is Kruger National Park as out of over five hundred bird species swooping around the park, different species of eagle command the sky. Smaller, colourful species like Bee-Eaters, Kingfishers, Weavers and Starlings also share the park’s air space with these magnificent eagles. The lush riverbanks and waterholes are where you will have the best chance of seeing water birds like Grey Louries and Hornbills. Many holiday companies offer guided birdwatching tours so that you can be assured of getting the most from your holiday and seeing a good selection of wildlife.

When going on holiday whether it be for relaxing, a safari or a beach holiday, you need to consider what type of accommodation you want to stay in. Often this may be depended on price.

South Africa is the southernmost country within the continent of Africa. It is a very popular destination for tourists and especially for safari holidays, offering one of the best safari experiences you can expect due to the ideal climate and density of the animal population. Because it is so popular for safari holidays, they have lots of different types of accommodation on offer as they know that not everyone will be looking for the same thing.

Prices range drastically from staying in a simple hostel to a five start resort with spas, swimming pools and excellent food. You can tailor make your holiday to be whatever you want it to be. If you are a student then you may visit South Africa as part of a Gap year. IF this is the case then you probably are looking to stay in low cost accommodation such as a hostel. IF you are wanting to go n a once in a lifetime safari trip then a luxury lodge may be more your thing.

So many of us are desperate to go on a holiday abroad, but it is likely that holidays to South Africa may be off the cards for a little while. South Africa is currently on the red list for travel and therefore it is advised against. If you do have to travel to South Africa (this should only be for certain medical reasons etc) then you must have a negative test within the previous 72hrs of departure. You must also isolate for two weeks upon your return in an isolation hotel and take two further Covid tests. You will also need to pay for all of these tests which can be around £85 each and the hotel which can cost in excess of £1000. This is in addition to the costs of the safari holiday which are usually not cheap to start with but well worth the expense.

If you are keen to get away on a safari trip to South Africa, but cannot afford the extra time off work or costs then why not book one for later on next year when hopefully rules and regulations will be a lot more relaxed than they are now.

If you love photography and wildlife then why not combined the two. Many safari destinations offer photography trips where you will go out with an expert photographer and improve your skills whilst embarking on a safari trio. What better way to learn than on a safari where you will get to see and capture some magnificent animals in their own environment.

Learn about angles, aperture, shutter speeds, ISO, lighting (including night time photography) and more on location. After you day out in the wilderness you can head back to the lodge where the photographer can go through and critique your images and also provide lessons in editing, should you request them. This stage of photography can make a huge difference to the quality of your images and you can take away tips from the lessons that will hep you in the future.

If you don’t have your own equipment or don’t want to take it with you, you can often hire the photography equipment to use when you are there.

This is an amazing opportunity for anyone with an interest in photography. It will also look great in a portfolio if you are looking in to a career in photography later on down the line.

Safari holidays are often a once in a lifetime opportunity and something that you want to ensure you get the most out of. They often cost a lot of money so you want to ensure that everything goes as smoothly as possible. We all love a good holiday but often the planning and preparation (not to mention the cost) of a holiday can seem a little stressful at times.

In order to make your holiday stress free you need to do some planning. Booking a safari holiday in advance will give you more time to prepare for it. You need to make sure that you do your research and find out where is most suitable for you to go. South Africa is by far one of the most popular choices, but if travelling with children you do need to make sure you to go to an area that is within a malaria free zone. If you are worried about the money, then often places will allow you to spread the cost out of the holiday, making affordable monthly payments instead.

Packing is often one of the most stressful jobs to do and for this reason many of us leave it until the last minute. Ideally get your suitcases out a week or two before you go and start to plan your outfits you want to take. With a safari holiday you may need to take different clothing to what you would usually wear so you need to give yourself time to get all of this.

With all but essential travel out of the UK, safari holidays to South Africa are still very much on hold. Many tour operators are hoping that holidays to South Africa and other parts of the world will be able to resume later on this year, but there is no exact date as of yet. We also don’t know what the rules are likely to be around trave in the UK or indeed the country you wish to travel too at present. It may be that certain countries will require proof that you have had the Covid vaccine before allowing you to enter or that you will have to isolate upon your return to the UK. For this reason, many people have put off booking holidays abroad until there is a bit more certainty.

If you want to book a safari holiday, you may well want to book it a year in advance anyway to allow time to save up for the trip or prepare. Many travel operators are now taking bookings for 2022 and booking early may often secure you a great deal. Many safari resorts in South Africa have struggled due to the lack of tourism and may only survive if people start to return to the area as soon as they are able to.

Are safari holidays safe for children and would they enjoy them? As a parent, this is a question you will have to ask yourself if you are thinking of going on a family safari holiday.

Family safari holidays in Africa can be a great way for children to get to grips with nature and encounter many different cultures. They can often learn a lot from seeing animals in their natural habitat, much more than they would from seeing them in a zoo or in a safari park. It allows them to understand why it is so important to look after the animals and their habitat.  It is important that when booking your family safari trip, you find a place that not only allows children but is set up to accommodate them.  You will need to make sure that you are going to a malaria free area as this is very important.

Not all safari trips will be suitable for children. Some types of trips may be a bit boring or may not fit in with your schedule, but there certainly are trips that are perfect for kids. Often going on for a shorter period of time is the best option for children. Self drive safari holidays can be perfect for safari trips with children as you can decide how long you go out for an what time of the day