Family Holidays With A Difference - Adventures On Safari

With lots of families finding traditional summer holidays a little boring and repetitive and not providing enough entertainment for kids or adults, many are choosing to look elsewhere, away from beaches or camp sites, to satisfy their needs. One such popular alternative is a safari trip.

Family Safari Holidays
Family holidays have, for a long time, been a central part to many family relationships as the highlight of the year, when parents and children alike can leave home behind and get a chance to spend quality time together and really bond whilst also exploring a different area and not worrying about all the troubles of home life. Family holidays in Europe and in the UK itself, have long been popular, partly as a result of cost but also due to convenience and proximity. However, in recent times, many families are finding that lounging on the beach or wandering around towns and cities is not really enough to keep them satisfied and are looking elsewhere.

Safari holidays have been popular since the early 20th century with the exotic flora and fauna of distant nations providing a draw for many wishing to escape the familiarity of home. Now they have become the basis of an enormous commercial enterprise, meaning that there are countless purpose-built parks, resorts and tour companies that operate within the safari holiday market.

The popularity of such trips with families is easy to explain as for the same reason that many parents choose to take their children to the zoo, seeing strange and exciting animals up close is a real thrill. On safari, that excitement is multiplied tenfold, as you get to see the animals in their natural habitat, interacting with other wildlife and free to roam wherever they choose.

Destinations
The most obvious destination for a traditional safari holiday is Africa. It is, of course, a vast continent and there are many different types of safari to try throughout its various landscapes and climate zones. Areas such as the plains of the Serengeti have an incredible level of biodiversity and offer a great chance to see some of the best known African species, including zebras, giraffes and lions. However, elsewhere in Africa, different safari experiences are available, such as in the lush mountain jungles of Uganda, where endangered gorillas can be seen in their native habitat.

Across the world, there are countless other places to take a safari. The Amazon rainforest in South America is home to the largest collection of living plant and animal species on the planet and offers visitors the chance to see jaguars, tapirs and anacondas. A very different type of safari can be enjoyed underwater as destinations such as the Great Barrier Reef off the coast of Australia boast glorious coral formations inhabited by a vast range of sea creatures, providing another, very different, habitat to explore.

Other Benefits
Not only do family safari holidays offer a chance to see exotic wildlife in its natural surroundings, they also have many other advantages. For instance, it is a great way to teach children about the value of conservation and many safari travel providers directly contribute to charitable funds that help preserve the habitats and protect endangered species that reside within. In this way, it is a form of responsible eco-tourism. Also, in many prime safari locations, the local population are directly involved so you are not only supporting their way of life but also getting a rare insight into their unique cultures.

Overall, taking a family safari holiday will almost certainly be a highly memorable experience than normal family holidays in Europe, where everyone is a winner.