 Great Plains, the tourism conservation organization founded by National Geographic filmmakers and explorers-in-residence Dereck and Beverly Joubert, is delighted to present its most fabulous family safari offering, the Young Explorers Program, available across its camps in Botswana, Kenya, and Zimbabwe.From gliding along the Okavango Delta on a traditional Botswanan mokoro and meeting Maasai warriors in Kenya, to discovering the wonders of Zimbabwe’s Victoria Falls, the explorers of tomorrow will be treated to a family holiday of a lifetime with Great Plains. “The Young Explorers Program at Great Plains is very dear to my heart”, said Great Plains CEO and co-founder Dereck Joubert. “We can all remember the liberating freedom, as kids, when we could run about outside all day long, making stuff from sticks, catching tadpoles, and climbing trees. As children, we explore, we discover, we get lost in our adventures, but we always return wiser and more enlightened. Safaris with kids are much the same, and with our Young Explorer program, we hope to ignite what will become a lifelong passion for wildlife, conservation and – above all – adventure!” The Great Plains adventure for young explorers age six and up begins at check in, where Young Explorers receive an ‘exploring essentials’ kit including a ‘beginner’s guide to the bush’ educational booklet, an explorer’s floppy hat/cap, buff, stickers, quizzes, certificate, and a journal in which to capture memories of a lifetime. “We aim to develop new naturalists, to encourage those that have already started on this journey and to provide a safe place for that outdoor experience that is unavailable to so many today. At the same time, for every family we host, we set aside some money to host local children in our Conservation Camps, so this naturalist journey is shared locally. The bonds that are re-established on safari, in nature, go far beyond those we have at home. These regenerative moments make a lifetime of new family memories together, and Great Plains would like to facilitate these memories for you,” said Dereck Joubert.Botswana  Great Plains’ seven Botswanan camps offer an unparalleled opportunity for the whole family to soak up the sights of the bush in true explorer style, spotting incredible wildlife and experiencing the country’s distinctive landscape. Home to the world’s only inland delta, the Okavango Delta and the Selinda Spillway, an array of unique water-based experiences abound.Aquatic adventures at Great Plains’ water-based camps, Duba Explorers Camp, Duba Plains Camp and Sitatunga Private Island, include authentic mokoro boat rides, based on seasonal water levels. Children ages 6 and up and teenagers will pick up a paddle and glide along the serene waters in a traditional Botswanan canoe, while their expert safari guide teaches them all about the various species they spot along the way. From the mokoro, little ones will delight in pointing out the occasional hippo or crocodile swimming in the distance and identifying the amazing Botswana birdlife, such as the carmine bee-eater. Families can also participate in a fishing adventure, learning this ancient skill surrounded by stunning scenery. Aspiring chefs will adore the chance to join the kitchen brigade with several cooking experiences, ranging from cookie baking to pasta and pizza making, while the starry-eyed can embark on a star-gazing experience, learning about the various constellations as they stare up into the clearest of night skies. Back at camp, families can enjoy a range of tech-free games and activities including basket weaving, football and rounds of the traditional Morabaraba board game, cards and Monopoly. Guides are on hand to teach essential tracking skills, which can be put into practice on a series of game drives and bird-watching excursions, a teen favourite. Young guests at the Réserve-level camps – Selinda Camp, Zarafa Camp, Duba Plains Camp and Sitatunga Private Island – can enjoy an additional range of activities and excursions. These include photography lessons with a private guide and a very special interactive cooking experience, which sees the youngest in the brood don aprons and cook up a feast for their parents with the expert guidance of the camps’ Relais & Châteaux-trained chefs. The Great Plains’ Botswana portfolio also includes Okavango Explorers Camp and Selinda Explorers Camp, which along with Duba Explorers Camp offers the quintessential tented safari experience – where families can sleep under canvas as they listen to the sounds of the bush all around, just like the explorers of yesteryear.  From the sounds of horses’ on the grassy plains and afternoons spent elephant spotting at a Maasai Mara watering hole to game drives with a view of Mount Kilimanjaro, there’s nowhere quite like Kenya for a Great Plains family safari of a lifetime. With five camps to choose from including the brand new Mara Toto Tree Camp, Mara Expedition Camp, Mara Plains Camp, Mara Nyika Camp and ol Donyo Lodge, endless adventure awaits for the youngest of explorers age 6 and up. Alongside game drives, lessons in animal tracking and ‘little bug safaris’, little ones can truly immerse themselves in Kenyan culture and history, with the chance to meet the famous Maasai warriors and can even ‘join the tribe’ by dressing up in their very own colourful mini-Maasai shuka, included in all Young Explorer packs. Crafting opportunities include bow and arrow-making, followed by target practice, and kids can even learn to make traditional Kenyan meals with Great Plains’ award-winning chefs. At ol Donyo Lodge, families with teens age 12 years and up can swap engines for horseback as they embark on a once-in-a-lifetime horse safari, with the opportunity to experience a bucket-list breakfast out in the bush sure to create memories to treasure. Here, they can also enjoy photography lessons and painting in the camp hide, ride e-bikes and spot chameleons on early evening safari drives. The lodge has recently also installed a new brass pizza oven – perfect for a pizza-making lesson – and offers some of the best stargazing with its state-of-the-art telescope. At Mara Expedition Camp, kids can swim in one of the world’s most unique pools, built into a WWII-era truck, and bake for their parents in the camp’s interactive kitchen. Family-friendly accommodation is available in all camps, with the Mara Expedition family suite and the 2-bedroom Sambuk Suite at Mara Nyika along with the family suite at ol Donyo Lodge – complete with private entrance and infinity pool – both providing excellent options.  Great Plains owns and operates two camps in Zimbabwe – Tembo Plains Camp and Mpala Jena Camp – offering families the perfect twin-centre adventure combining classic safari with the magic of Victoria Falls.Suitable for families with children aged six and up, Tembo Plains Camp is tucked away into a thick riverine forest on the edge of the Zambezi River, in the private 128,000-hectare Sapi Private Reserve, east of Zimbabwe’s Mana Pools National Park. An exquisite two-bedroom family unit has been designed and decorated by Dereck and Beverly Joubert. Sleeping two adults and two children in two tented bedrooms with shared lounge, dining area and pool, it provides luxurious accommodation for little adventurers to recharge their batteries after a day spent exploring the bush. Activities on offer as part of Great Plains’ Young Explorer Program include guided bush walks to find the smaller local creatures and learn all about plants, bugs and more while seeking out tracks and decoding the daily behaviour and routines of wild animals. Creative types will adore the chance to learn the art of spoor making, pizza and cookie making with the chef or hone their photography skills with a private lesson. Active adventurers will revel in the opportunity to canoe down the Zambezi – spotting wildlife as they go – embark on a guided fishing experience or indulge in a spot of archery on the flood plain. Back at camp, a world of entertainment awaits, from Young Explorers massages, manis and pedis at the Bush Spa, and traditional bead and bracelet making to cooking-in-the-bush lessons. When it comes to dining, even the tiniest of palates will be tantalised with an array of specially tailored menus featuring little ones’ favourites, and of course plenty of snacks, mocktails and other refreshments throughout the day! For wildlife-loving families wishing to extend their Zimbabwe adventure, Great Plains’ Mpala Jena Camp offers the perfect base for soaking up the iconic Victoria Falls, one of the seven natural wonders of the world. An intimate safari camp positioned along the beautiful tree-lined banks of the mighty Zambezi River, Mpala Jena is set within the 138,000-acre Zambezi National Park, which has a healthy and ever-increasing number of wildlife species, with higher concentrations of buffalo and elephants from June through to October. The Zambezi National Park, within easy driving access from Victoria Falls, has become an absolute gem of a reserve with some of the highest lions per density than any other Zimbabwean park. A magnet for wildlife, there are guaranteed sightings of massive crocodiles and hippos which make their presence seen and heard throughout the day and night. The Great Plains Young Explorers Program The Great Plains Young Explorers Program aims to educate and inspire the next generation of Conservation Ambassadors. The program encourages children to become their most adventurous selves by stepping away from traditional everyday life, so they return home with an entirely new perspective as Great Plains Conservation Ambassador graduates. Upon arrival at camp, children will receive a Great Plains Young Explorers pack, including a safari cap and neck buff, wild stickers, an activity book bursting with games, diary entries and more. The specially created activity book is filled with exciting information and games, animal tracks, a safari journal, facts on flora, fauna and the night sky constellations of the southern hemisphere. Young guests are paired with an exceptionally trained guide who will host, teach and care for them with their families throughout their stay. To learn more about Great Plains’ Young Explorer Program, visit https://greatplainsconservation.com/kids-on-safari/ |
