Kids will never forget the elephant encounters on family safaris in Zimbabwe

Family safari holidays in Zimbabwe bring you as close as possible to untamed nature and that was a thrill Siobhan Grogan and her family couldn’t get enough of.

Watching the elephants go by, Linkwasha, Zimbabwe

Family safari holidays in Zimbabwe ban boredom from day one

We’ve been on the ground in Zimbabwe for just five minutes when our safari adventure begins.

We’d flown to a middle-of-nowhere airstrip in Hwange National Park on a bumpy 15-seater charter plane to be met by a rugged open-sided jeep for the transfer to our first camp, Wilderness Linkwasha.

But our ranger, Tongo, has other ideas. Pointing out lion footprints by the jeep he tells us he’s sure they’re still close by, if we don’t mind a detour.

Ten minutes’ later, we’re parked within metres of seven lions, snoozing out of the fierce sun in the shade of a tree. A lioness stands and stares straight at us, letting us know she’s aware we’re there, before stretching and settling back down, cubs gathered around her. And we haven’t even dropped off our suitcases yet.

Wilderness Linkwasha, Hwange, Zimbabwe

Yellow Zebra create family safari holidays tailormade to your dreams

Though family safari holidays offer non-stop wow moments for kids, arranging the ideal safari can be daunting.

Yellow Zebra is a UK-based tour operator who employ former safari guides and camp managers to chat through your needs at length, then plan the best trip for you; arranging everything from camp-to-camp transport to particular drinks your child might prefer once they arrive. They also have immediate access to a medical team on the ground if needed, which is reassuring in remote regions.

Wilderness Ruckomechi, Mana Pools National Park, Zimbabwe

Tents in the wilderness but not a hint of roughing it

Yellow Zebra can suggest camps across Africa to suit requirements, but we’re staying in two owned by Wilderness, a company which focuses on conservation work in Africa, protecting six million acres of land while benefiting local communities.

We spend three days in Wilderness Linkwasha, in Hwange, then fly to Wilderness Ruckomechi in Mana Pools National Park bordering Zambia on the banks of the Zambezi River.

Both have fewer than ten large tented rooms, clustered around a central area where meals are served by a campfire. The main tents also have help-yourself bars, small swimming pools for afternoons cooling off between game drives, and a stash of books and family-friendly board games.

The family tents are enormous, with two separate bedrooms, two ensuite bathrooms, a cosy seating area and a private terrace, all in rustic shades of taupe, beige and rich brown with rattan accessories.

In Linkwasha, the room’s shower overlooks the camp’s own watering hole to spy animals; in Ruckomechi, you can watch the Zambezi River rush by as you shampoo.

Kids loved the billowing mosquito nets over the beds and the excitement of spotting an emergency horn by the bed to summon a ranger if needed.

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Informal mealtimes with delightful, uninvited, guests

Discovering that almost anything goes at mealtimes is another score with children.

Pancakes and bacon sandwiches are served straight from the barbecue at breakfast, and eaten while watching baboons race each other across the plain at Linkwasha.

Lunchtime could be a picnic of sausages, chicken wings and giant juicy oranges, overlooking a watering hole where hippos wallow, just visible above the surface.

Then, as well as snacks galore, we stop the jeep each day for tea in metal mugs and homemade crunchies – African oat bars similar to flapjacks. And afternoon tea in each camp quickly becomes a highlight of our trip, with ever-changing cakes including squidgy brownies and feather-light caramel Swiss roll.

Bush Buddies make for happy, independent kids on family safari holidays

Both camps operate a Bush Buddy programme, where children are paired with a dedicated staff member throughout their stay.

Not only do they get a backpack stuffed with safari-related supplies, including checklists to tick off animals, they can plunder a trunk of arts and crafts goodies or even help out in the kitchen if they fancy.

Unlike even the best kids clubs, there’s no set activity programme. Instead staff devise activities to suit each child, from African drumming to stargazing, and they can collect their young charges from your tent for an early morning hot chocolate if you want a long lie.

Zimbabwe’s large elephant population makes for many sightings

Zimbabwe family safari holidays are unbeatable for elephant encounters 

After its neighbour Botswana, Zimbabwe is home to the world’s second largest elephant population, with more than half of these – around 45,000 – in Hwange National Park alone.

Incredibly, they’re almost everywhere we turn: tearing leaves off trees by the side of the road, drinking from the camp’s swimming pool as we eat lunch, gathered round a watering hole while one tiny calf rolls in the mud on the bank. We even watch one group stood together but fast asleep, their trunks lolling heavily on the ground.

There are plenty of animal sightings to thrill kids

There are twice daily game drives that children can generally join from the age of six and travelling in the dry season, between April and October, makes it even easier to spot animals, as they gather round waterholes to drink.

Two cheetahs slink elegantly past our jeep; warthogs scatter as we drive past; giraffes and zebras graze amongst the trees, surprisingly well concealed by the leaves; a young elephant blocks our path, ears flaring in warning, then lumbers away. We even spot a lioness dropping back from the pride to keep a watchful eye on her cub with an injured paw, struggling to keep up with the rest.

Our astonishingly knowledgeable ranger, Kingsley, points out all the details we’d miss: a hyena’s eyes reflected in our headlights; a porcupine shuffling past; a woodpecker perched high in a tree, its knocking call echoing across the savannah.

Evenings at Wilderness Ruchomechi

You won’t spend all week in a jeep on this family safari holiday

Unlike some destinations for family safari holidays, Zimbabwe has plenty to offer beyond game drives.

At Linkwasha, we visit a local school supported by Wilderness and join a class where the children try – between much laughter – to teach us basic words in the tongue-twisting Ndebele language which features clicking noises.

We also call to a women’s centre, where we’re treated to a joyful dance performance and shown how to weave baskets from palms.

At Ruckomechi, we head out on a walking safari to get a closer look at the remains of a Stone Age village and several towering termite mounds where the queen lays eggs every few seconds. Then later, we take to the Zambezi River to try our hand at fishing.

As the sun sets, we sit silently dangling our rods off the side of the boat, the stillness only broken when a herd of elephants splash into the water and swim steadily across the river in front of us, climbing out on the other side in Zambia.

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