have lunch and afternoon tea before heading out on another game drive in the afternoon for maybe two and a half hours.” As your little ones get older, you can kick the adventure up a notch and enjoy a more off-the-grid, experiential holiday. Teenagers are more likely to be tolerant of longer transfers and lengthier safaris that in turn, benefit you with a more adrenaline-filled safari experience. Tanzania is a magnificent choice for families with teens, as is Kenya. We can also limit transfer times and arrange a safari on par with the Serengeti in Tarangire National Park, much nearer to the airport, avoiding more time spent on the road. WHAT MAKE OROKO TAILORED SAFARIS SO SPECIAL? At OROKO, the first and most important thing when constructing a safari itinerary is exceptionally good logistics, really looking hard at how we place the route together to make sure that there isn't excessive time spent travelling in a four-wheel drive or too many early starts or internal flights. Secondly, we need to understand the customer’s preferred experiences, past adventures and what appealed to them and what didn’t. Then, it’s about tailoring a route and accommodations to best suit them, and to ensure that they’re embarking on an exclusive experience, away from the crowds. The way OROKO successfully ticks all of these boxes is simply down to our personalised approach, proven expertise and magnificent relationships with local providers and guides. Brendan speaks fondly of our partners on the ground; “We make a huge effort to partner with the very best providers in every area that we work in Africa. It's hugely important to have that kind of heritage and reliability.” From our partners in Namibia, a four-generation family who've been operating tourism before Namibia became an independent country in 1990, to our partner office in Tanzania, run by our dear friend who set up her first safari camp in Tanzania in 1983, the depth of knowledge and experience is unmatched. We take great pride in our loyal guides who take our customers on sensational journeys. For example, George, one of our Tanzania-based guides is an incred- ibly obliging, welcoming, and deeply knowledgeable guide. Aisling, our Senior Travel Specialist, shares that “Our customers just love having him with them. We know all of our guides personally and can guarantee that they will enhance the holiday experience.” Mary says that one of the most important parts of safari planning is choosing the right accommodation to fit your needs. Some of us would love to be lodging right in the middle of the action, excited at the prospect of a wild animal brushing against the luxury tent. Others want bricks and mortar for that added level of luxury and security. Our Travel Specialists will tailor both the routes and accommodations best suited to your idea of the ideal adventure, as well as give you insight on what to expect. Mary says, “I always advise people to bring earplugs because lions don't operate from nine to five. They can roar, and they can roar all night. It's not quiet. And it literally is the roar of the jungle and the wild.”
WHAT IS YOUR BEST SAFARI MEMORY? Mary shares a beautiful moment while on safari with her two children in Tanzania, an excellent destination for families with teens. She recalls sitting in the open-air safari vehicle while they spotted a rare black rhino with her baby. “I was in awe of this incredible animal, mother and son. But also, I was there as a mother with my son. On some primal level, we can all identify with the sort of maternal or paternal care that you see so openly from the different animals.” For Aisling, it was witnessing a beautiful moment between a mother lion and her cubs. “I was in the middle of the Serengeti. There was a mother and her three male cubs. She climbed up the tree first like a pro. And then each of them in turn tried to be as agile as her climbing up the tree. The first two sons got up, a bit wobbly, but they got up there. And then the third one had about four attempts getting up the tree. When he eventually got up, he fell out the other side. And it was great. You just heard the “thunk”. That's something quite memorable that will stick with you as long as you live.” For our Travel Specialist, Conor, his favourite memory took place in Shamwari Private Game Reserve in South Africa’s Eastern Cape. “I recall our last game drive when the ranger asked if there was an animal we had not seen yet. We told him that we had not seen a cheetah. He put the word out to all other rangers in the reserve and as we were returning to camp, he got a call on his radio that there was a sighting of two cheetahs. Next thing, we were face to face with two cheetahs looking down over the savannah from an elevated position as the sun set, an amazing end to a spectacular experience.” Brendan’s favourite memory is one most of us will probably only witness on our television screens, coming face-to-face with gorillas in Uganda. “It's hard to put how I felt into words. I mean it really is. Their mannerisms, their care for each other, and the maternal instinct between the mother and baby is just incredibly similar to the human instinct. The ferocity and the power of them is noticeable very quickly. You just get the sense that you would be utterly powerless if the gorilla decided he didn't like you. You just want to sit there in silence. It's like the famous David Attenborough encounter.”
I always advise people to bring earplugs because lions don't operate from nine to five. They can roar, and they can roar all night. It's not quiet. And it literally is the roar of the jungle and the wild.
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