East Africa Safari - youngest age kids will enjoy it

some great replies to this in the africa branch
http://www.lonelyplanet.com/thorntree/thread.jspa?threadID=2313452&messageID=20805980#20805980

Edited by: therandompenguin

look, young kids enjoy anything. When my daughter was one i used to joke that she would enjoy standing in front of a traffic light- all those changing colours!

For sure your kid would enjoy going to a zoo more than going on safari. More animals, closer up, and less hassle.

My 4 year old would enjoy seeing the animals but my experience with safaris is that they involve a lot of waiting and sitting in vehicles which the little may not enjoy.

Also, they are going to be far less likely to be impressed- they don;t know yet that it's unusual to see animals in the wild- heck, they see them on tv, in their books- what's the big deal?

I am not saying you shouldn't go. We have taken my daughter to some unsual places. But don;t use his enjoyment as a major criterion.

thanks for the advice MTL, from the other posts I think we will wait at least a few years, and then see what kind of person he is. If he is likely to love going on safari when older, perhaps it would be worth waiting, but if he is less interested, then sooner!

I agree with MTL. Safaris tend not to be exciting for young kids, although it may depend a lot on the personality of your child. My older child would move around zoo animals really quickly (i.e., seen that, lets move on), while my younger one will sit and enjoy them for a while. We took them on safari in India (when they were about 5 and 2) and they enjoyed the jeep ride, and the stops and seeing lots of elephants (but not really seeing everything else). We parked at one time to try and glimpse a tiger, and the 2 year old just wouldn't keep quiet, so we never did get to see the tiger! I've also taken them into tropical forest (where I work), and I notice they are more fascinated by the small stuff (bugs, snakes etc) that the bigger animals.They do enjoy more hands on experiences with the animals -and there will be places away from the safaris where you can do these. So, you can probably still give them some special memories (or photos, if they are too young to remember).

Thanks Api, that gives a clear idea of what it is like to look at wildlife with little ones.
Very much appreciate all the advice

a lot of places in Africa won't allow anyone under 12 on the safari. safety concerns. You'll need to check directly with whatever place you choose before booking.

thanks griffihuni, thats good to know. I think if he was 7-10 ish, I may try and find a family one, so he would have other kids to play with.