IT WAS when I saw my city-bred children, brought up to avoid dog mess at all
times, being encouraged to pull apart vast piles of elephant dung (and me
not minding), that I realised we were onto something special.
We were in an open-top Jeep; me, Phoebe, 7, Gabriel, 5, Honey, 2, Lucien, 4
months, and Leila, a friend brought along to stop me going mad. My dear
husband was at home, embroiled in work. So it was just us big girls, the
kids — and the poo. It was 5.45am and the African sun at Kwandwe Game
Reserve in South Africa’s Eastern Cape was already burning the dawn mist
from 20,000 hectares of prime game reserve. “Hop out of the Jeep,” said Tim,
our ranger who was straight out of Boy’s Own. Jumping down from
the vehicle, the kids were handed a huge cake of dung and a lesson in the
differences between rhino and elephant droppings.
Above, something flashed past. Tim barely looked up. “Male goshawk,” he said
casually. His walkie-talkie crackled. “Jump back in,” he said. “There’s a
pride of lion ahead. Let’s say hello to them.”
I was fascinated not just by the game, but how South Africa has changed since
the 1970s when my parents, both doctors, moved us to live in a rural South
African hospital on the high veldt for a year.
They were bad times indeed: “whites only” signs on park benches in Pretoria,
violence in Soweto and desperate conditions in the homelands. The few times
we stayed in hotels, the black presence was embarrassingly subservient.
Thirty years later, black South Africans work alongside whites at the
reception desks, and many hotels have a forward-thinking policy, as we found
when we went to lunch at Hog Hollow, a hotel in Plettenberg Bay. The owner
is white, but his managerial team, all shareholders, is black. President
Thabo Mbeki has dropped in for breakfast, and 10 per cent of guests are also
black. It makes enjoying the astonishing beauty of South Africa much easier
to swallow.
Equally, it has dawned on the country’s tourist industry that the combination
of big game in a malaria-free zone, no jet lag and English as a first
language makes for a great family holiday and a new breed of resort has
arrived.
Even old-fashioned hotels along the Garden Route in Western Cape Province can
see the value of the family market. For example, Hunter’s House Country
Lodge, a genteel warm bath of a resort on Plettenberg Bay, which would
formerly roll its eyes at the thought of toddlers, now lays on babysitters
and delicious, child-friendly meals, and has an excellent play area.
Page 2: Kwande game reserve ()
On a slightly different tack, Kwandwe, a couple of hours up the coast from
Port Elizabeth deliberately encourages parents to holiday with, rather than
apart from, their children. A former farm for mohair goats, Kwandwe is now a
fully-fledged reserve boasting 7,000 head of game, including lion, cheetah,
and elephant. It dismisses the notion that youngsters cannot see dangerous
animals on game drives.
Rangers are not only equipped with radios and rifles, but also guide guests
from the comparative safety of a vehicle. “If a crying child disturbs the
animals,” says Tim, “we just drive away”.
Two out of Kwandwe’s three luxury lodges take children; the one we stayed in,
Uplands Homestead, offers single family units, which meant everyone could
charge around the parquet-floored rooms and jump on the beds unabashed.
Of course, bed-jumping soon took second place to the intrigue of spotting
game. When we arrived after the long and dusty drive, we were greeted by
lemonade and high tea on the veranda; and a special kit for each child with
a bug box, spider soap (don’t ask) and an ecoguide which advised us to do
things like “sniff the air like a warthog,” and tick off animals on a
checklist.
Whether it was ticking off bat-eared foxes, driving alongside three young
cheetah, making a plaster cast of a lion’s pawprint, or eating grilled
marshmallows at sunset, the children were enchanted.
When sunset rides got a bit cold and dark, warm tartan rugs materialised and
Tim would make a walkie-talkie call for bubble baths to be drawn and supper
laid out in the elegant dining room.
The Milky Way was shining in all its glory and the baby was blissfully asleep
in his car chair (firmly attached to the seat) as we sped home over the
bumpy track, the children screaming with excitement.
Late that night, after a gourmet dinner, the adults ventured back outside with
Tim to hear the owls and spot the Magellanic clouds.
Now thoroughly in the swing of things, we continued our African adventure due
north, flying back up to Jo’burg on the South African budget airline Kulula
and travelling up to the Limpopo province for a stint at Ant’s Hill in the
lush Waterberg region. Ant’s Hill and its sister bush home Ant’s Nest are
ideal for the adventurous family. Here, children are encouraged to come to
supper in their dressing-gowns after adventurous outings in the bush seeing
zebra, giraffe and warthog on foot, jeep or horseback.
No child is too young; they once catered for a six-week baby, driving her out
during the day to meet up with the horse-mad mother for alfresco
breastfeeding.
Welcoming and homely, Ant’s Hill also manages the tricky feat of being
completely luxurious at the same time; huge cushion-laden daybeds encourage
you to put up your feet while flipping through a magazine, and the heated
pool complete with waterfall was a perfect thing for someone to be thrown
into (Gabriel) but also for someone else to lounge elegantly beside (Leila).
And just as it all threatened to get a bit too relaxed, our hostess Daleen and
her husband Paul would surprise everyone by laying on a magical dinner
beside an open fire. It’s no wonder the place is popular with honeymooners,
and no wonder that they tend to return later with small new customers.
Page 3: Need to know ()
Need to know
Getting there: Rosie Millard and family travelled with
Bushbaby Travel (020-8780 0363, www.bushbabytravel.com), which specialises
in malaria-free safaris and family holidays to South Africa and Mauritius. A
12-day classic itinerary with B&B stays in four-star character hotels in
Cape Town and the Garden Route, and a two-night all-inclusive safari in the
Eastern Cape, costs £1,499 per adult and £799 per child (under 12, sharing
with parents) including flights and car hire.
She flew with Virgin Atlantic (0870 5747747, www.virginatlantic.com), which
flies non-stop to Cape Town from October to March. Return fares from £699
per adult and £525 per child. Virgin Atlantic flies to Johannesburg
year-round, with onward connections to Cape Town.
Further information: South Africa Tourism (0870 1550044,
www.southafrica.net).
Tips for travel
- If travelling with an infant, bring your own car seat and insist on transfers
in a vehicle with shoulder seatbelts in the back.
- Nights can be cold, so bring jumpers and jackets.
- Wear closed-in shoes or trainers, not sandals.
- The heat, while not tropical, is strong, so don’t forget sunblock.
- Binoculars and swimsuits are essential.
- Drive with locked doors and try to keep your journeys to daytime.
- Keep a good supply of bottled water.
