The worrying bit
Health and safety, without the hand-waving
None of this is a reason not to come. All of it is a reason to plan rather than hope.
This page is not medical advice
Take your itinerary to a travel clinic or your GP six to eight weeks before you fly. They will advise on your specific children, their ages and weights, and the specific areas you are visiting. We will give you that detail in writing so the conversation is accurate.
Malaria
Most Kenyan safari areas are malarial, and antimalarial medication is the norm for adults and children alike. Paediatric formulations exist and dosing is by weight rather than age, which is a conversation for a doctor.
Altitude matters. Laikipia sits mostly between 1,700 and 2,000 metres, and risk there is lower than in low-lying parks like Tsavo and Samburu. If malaria prophylaxis is a significant worry for your family, say so — it is a legitimate reason to shape an itinerary around the highlands, and we will do it.
Sun and heat
Stronger than it feels, because you are on the equator, often at altitude, and usually in a moving vehicle with a breeze. Children burn in an open vehicle without noticing.
- Wide-brimmed hats, not caps — ears and necks burn
- Long sleeves in light fabric beat sunscreen on a dusty day
- Reapply sunscreen after every game drive, not once in the morning
- Water constantly. Camps provide it; make them drink it.
Insurance
Must cover medical evacuation for every member of the family. Remote airstrips are a long way from a hospital and an evacuation is expensive. This is not the place to economise, and we will ask whether you have it.
Around animals
- Stay in the vehicle unless the guide says otherwise. Animals read a vehicle as one large object; a standing child breaks that.
- Quiet voices and no sudden movements — easier said than done with a six-year-old, and worth rehearsing before you go.
- Take the escort to your tent after dark. Always.
- Zip tents fully, including in the day. Baboons and vervets are quick and completely unsentimental about a child’s snack.
Food and water
Camps cater for children willingly and are good at it — plain food is always available, and they will feed children earlier than the adults if you want. Tell us about allergies and dietary requirements at the enquiry stage, not on arrival, because some camps fly their supplies in.
Drink only bottled or filtered water. Every camp provides it.
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