African Safari Travel Story: How the Continent Shaped Me

Safari has never been a once-in-a-lifetime experience for me. It has been a thread running quietly, and sometimes wildly, through my life.

Growing Up in Namibia: Childhood Safaris in Etosha National Park

I was lucky enough to live in Namibia when I was about thirteen. During the school holidays, weekends were often spent in Etosha National Park, and over time we began to understand it in a way that only comes from repetition. We learnt which waterholes attracted elephants at certain times of day, where the lions preferred to linger, and when it was worth waiting patiently rather than driving on. We stayed in all the different lodges, and my dad drove us around the park, map on his lap, dust on the windscreen, the rhythm of safari becoming completely normal to us.

Etosha National Park: Safari Built Around Waterholes

Etosha is a place shaped by dryness. Safari there revolves around water — or the lack of it. Animals congregate at waterholes, and your day is built around moving between them, watching life unfold as the heat rises and falls. It’s quiet, stark, and incredibly beautiful.

East Africa Safaris: Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania

As an adult, I later lived in Uganda and went on safari there, as well as in Kenya and Tanzania. It was only then that I truly realised how different safari can be across Africa. East Africa feels almost like another world. Instead of concentrating on waterholes, you find yourself scanning vast open plains, watching herds stretch to the horizon, or spotting animals resting beneath scattered acacia trees. The scale is enormous, the landscapes softer, greener, and more expansive.

How Landscape Shapes Wildlife Across Africa

The wildlife itself reflects these differences. In Namibia, elephants tend to have much smaller tusks, influenced by generations of living in mineral-poor, arid soil. Male lions often lack the thick, dramatic manes so commonly seen in East Africa, where the environment supports heavier growth. These details fascinated me — the same species, shaped quietly and patiently by the land they live on.

Male Lion in Tanzania

Southern Africa and East Africa: Two Very Different Safari Experiences

Looking back, my life has been framed by these African experiences. Southern Africa, with Etosha at its heart, formed my earliest understanding of the natural world. East Africa added contrast, colour, and scale. Together, they gave me a deeper appreciation for how diverse safari truly is — there is no single version, no one ‘right’ way to experience it.

The People of Africa: Lessons Beyond Wildlife

But it wasn’t just the wildlife that stayed with me. If anything, it was the people who made the greatest impact. Across Namibia, Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania, I encountered warmth, generosity, and a sense of joy that seemed untouched by material wealth. People who lived with very little often appeared richer in the ways that matter most. That lesson stayed with me: our material world does not create happiness — connection and experience do.

Safari With Children: Why Experiences Matter More Than Things

That belief shapes how I think about travel now, especially as a parent. Yes, my son has enjoyed some lovely Christmas presents, but it’s the experiences — watching wildlife in the wild, meeting people with different lives and perspectives, understanding the world beyond his own — that will truly shape him. Travel in Africa, alongside other long-haul adventures, will give him memories and lessons that last far longer than anything wrapped under a tree.

Planning a Family Safari in Africa

If safari has been sitting quietly on your family’s bucket list, perhaps now is the time to start thinking about it. Whether you have weeks to travel or just a short window, a generous budget or a careful one, there is always a way to make it work. I’d love to help you plan an experience that fits your family and feels truly special.

Safari isn’t just a holiday. It’s perspective. And once it gets under your skin, it never really leaves.

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