Bushbaby Travel are celebrating 20 years of curating worldwide adventures for families by publishing their ‘Twenty by Twenty‘ list – the 20 long-haul destinations you need to experience with your kids before they hit the big 2-0. They should know: Bushbaby consultants are multi-destination specialists and parents, who undertake destination research personally with their children in order to offer the best tailor-made packages for families around the globe.
Watching giraffes on safari at Ants Nest, Waterberg, South Africa
Bushbaby focuses on building long-term relationships with their clients, which in the competitive world of travel is no mean feat. They appreciate how precious family holidays are and give unbiased advice to secure the best trip for individual family needs. Young travellers are nurtured and encouraged in their love of the natural world, in the hope that they will become the passionate conservationists of the future. You will also be travelling with a fully bonded tour operator, for complete peace of mind. Here’s a snapshot below of some of their most popular wildlife and beach itineraries, a great combination whatever the ages of your children!
Family jeep safari in Mala Mala Game Reserve, South Africa
Worldwide adventures for families in the bush and on the beach: try a malaria-free safari
If you want to safari without anti-malaria medication, and then enjoy a lush few days of an island paradise, Bushbaby are experts in designing Bush & Beach trips to reserves in the North West, or Eastern Cape of South Africa combined with Mauritius. With 3 nights Big 5 safari followed by 7 nights of glorious beach, you can achieve the perfect fusion of excitement vs relaxation.
Alternatively you can opt for reserves that are still family-friendly but require malaria tablets, such as Kruger National Park.
In South Africa, the thrills of big game spotting are followed by game walks, where your kids can get to know the Little 5. All topped off with a week in the sunny Indian Ocean, where your family can try their hand at diving, snorkelling, or big game fishing. And, as with all Bushbaby holidays, you can make adjustments to suit your family’s needs, like extra nights in Johannesburg, a wide choice of accommodation on every leg, the chance to add in Cape Town, or even swap Mauritius for the Seychelles.
Kids playing on beach, Mauritius
For more bush than beach, the beautiful Kwa Zulu Natal region in South Africa is where your family trip combines the Big 5 of worldwide adventures – ie mountains, scenery, wildlife, history and beach. Highlights of the Bushbaby itinerary include mountain horseback riding in the Drakenburg Mountains, the chance to spot the shy Black Rhino on your safari, and ending with 4 nights downtime on the North Kwa Zulu Coast.
Kids on safari
All continents and age groups covered with Bushbaby Travel
You’ll find the same level of bespoke, authentic and enriching experiences across all Bushbaby destinations, so you don’t need to stick to the same continent to use the same consultant. You’ll also find a focus on travel sustainability, meaning you don’t need to stress about your footprint.
Bushbaby understands that organising travel adventures for families takes great skill and care – they take away the stress of planning, and know what kids of all ages will appreciate.
Orangutan in the Borneo jungle
Wild About Borneo is a worldwide family adventure you’ll remember forever
Borneo…it’s not just orangutans, but if you’re lucky you will spot them, alongside adorable pygmy elephants. You’ll be accompanied by a guide through the the pristine rainforests, before cooling off with a snorkel in warm waters teeming with marine life. Then it’s time to kick back on glorious golden beaches. Wild About Borneo is the ideal summer trip, due to July and August’s most favourable weather.
With more time you can head deeper into the rainforest and stay in the Danum Valley, on nature trails and treetop canopy walks, or taking a tube ride downriver. Another extra is factoring in Singapore, a place beloved by Bushbaby consultants for its raft of family-friendly activities.
Copacabana Beach, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
For world class family adventures, the diverse Brazilian landscape has everything and more
Bushbaby’s Big Cats and Beaches of Brazil ‘tasting menu’ will help your family sample a bit of everything in this huge and awe-inspiring country.
Wild Jaguar swimming, Pantanal, Brazil
Beginning with Rio de Janeiro, and its famous beaches, through to the unspoilt beauty and biodiversity of the Pantanal region, and the amazing Iguacu Falls. Your kids will be rapt if (and the odds are good) you spot jaguars in the wild, and you’ll still have the relaxing beach time to complete your trip.
Sea lion, boy, beach; Galápagos Islands
Ecuador and the Galápagos Islands for the bucket list trip to beat
It’s hard to find enough superlatives to describe enchanting Ecuador and the mythical Galapagos Islands, and Bushbaby’s Ecuadorian Expedition is truly a once in a lifetime family travel adventure. From vibrant colonial streets and markets to majestic snow-topped volcanos, the Andes, and the incredible wildlife and scenery of the Galapagos – where you can sunbathe with sea lions and snorkel with turtles: peak family memory maker.
Optional Ecuador extras include a stay at the Mashpi Lodge hidden deep in the cloud forest or even a flight to the remote Amazon rainforest for an eco-lodge adventure.
Sri Lanka elephant orphanage
Sri Lanka, a land to capture the hearts of family travellers
A blend of palm-fringed beaches, lush tea estates, numerous game parks and wildlife: Sri Lanka always delivers. Spend a week exploring its cultural treasures and wildlife-rich national parks on before hopping over to The Maldives for a week on a stunning tropical island. Sri Lanka & The Maldives? Perfection!
Handy Bushbaby tip: take your hungry teens to an all-inclusive resort in the Maldives so they can eat what they like, when they like and you can stick to budget.
Kayaking in the Canadian wilderness
Canadian Frontiers: it’s not just the tropics at Bushbaby Travel
Canada does pristine wilderness, towering mountains, mighty rivers, ancient forests and turquoise lakes. It also offers an incredible range of outdoor pursuits, alongside the First Nations culture, and of course, the bears.
Bushbaby’s Canadian Frontiers self-drive adventure is best enjoyed during the warmer summer months, which are best for bear and whale watching. And your kids will want to do both!
Camel Tours around Uluru, Central Australia
Down Under with Bushbaby: a worldwide family travel experience for the ages
Organising a family trip to Australia may test even the most savvy family traveller, but Bushbaby does the hard work, so you don’t have to.
A camel trip around Uluru near Alice Springs in the red centre of the outback is just one of the highlights of the Bushbaby Australian itinerary. You’ll also meet the indigenous wildlife in Kakadu National Park, explore Daintree rainforest, and snorkel the Great Barrier Reef.
Choose an Australia Summer Adventure to fit the longest school holiday of the year, or think about the Australia Christmas Explorer, perfect for a winter sun break as it takes in Sydney and the Sunshine Coast, as well as the gorgeous Whitsunday Islands.