African Monarch Lodges
Kids on Safari | Junior Ranger Course
Looking at the wonders of nature through the eyes of a child is the most remarkable way to go on safari as a family. It is for this reason that African Monarch Lodges love hosting young ones at its Nambwa Tented Lodge where children with their moms and dads are accommodated at a Peter Pan Treetop Style lodge.
We run a Junior Ranger Family Retreat during scheduled dates, for the balance of the year we offer a ‘Kids on Safari’ package.
BOAT CRUISE TO NAMBWA TENTED LODGE
The late afternoon sun’s rays will reflect off the water’s edge, the soothing sound of the water as it is gently broken by the bow of the boat cutting through the water’s surface as you and your family are transferred to your home for the next 3 nights. Our guides steer the boats past varied landscapes of papyrus islands and reed floodplains and get within respectful distances of hippos, crocodiles, other mammals, and the varied bird species this area is known for. Your Junior Ranger Guide will teach you all about the aquatic birds and wildlife species that you will encounter along the way.
ARRIVAL AT NAMBWA TENTED LODGE
Once you settle into your suite, you will receive your guide pack which contains a Treasure Map of all the goodies you need to find to help keep you entertained and to educate you about the African Bush. Then you will be whisked away by the Junior Ranger Guide for the famous Nambwa Treasure Hunt, which will help you familiarize yourself with the bush around Nambwa, while you go in search of all the treasures. There is so much to discover around this massive Peter-Pan style treehouse.
AFTER DINNER WITH YOUR FOLKS
You will once again be whisked away to a private bonfire on the ground where the wildlife seek sanctuary in the night. You will be entertained with tales from the African bush and some pertinent anecdotes for your ranger journey ahead.
BUSHWALK INSIDE THE WORLD’S LARGEST CONSERVATION AREA FOR WILDLIFE
You get to explore on foot with the Junior Ranger Guide and one of our Local Guides the wanders of Mother Nature. They will teach you their tracking skills and share with you their ancestral repertoire of medicinal uses of the flora along the way and their tales of the wild and their upbringing in this area.
It is an experience, which connects and grounds any participant to our Earth. You will be taught survival skills in the bush which is home to lion, buffalo, elephants, leopard, and other wildlife roaming these plains freely. You will get to tick off many species on your checklist. Perhaps even have a competition with the adults on who spotted more.
You will be prepared for your bush quiz which awaits you back in camp! After breakfast, you will be making your own bedroll for the evening using the indigenous Papyrus reeds which grow in abundance along the Kwando River.
BOAT CRUISE ALONG THE KWANDO RIVER
Late afternoon you can all explore the riverways and you get to continue your African bush school as you meander along these exceptional rivers with your Junior Ranger Guide. Who knows how much can be learned during these magical hours as time tends to stand still when in awe of Africa? Your family could try their hand at fishing for the energetic Tiger Fish or continue the "Who identifies more" on your checklist. By the end of your trip you will know all the collective nouns, main characteristics and tracks for the wildlife you encounter and you will be able to identify these by sound or sight. You are after all an apprentice as a Junior Ranger!
CAMPING UNDER THE AFRICAN SKY ON A PRIVATE ISLAND
Once back at Nambwa, you will say good night to Mom and Dad. You will then board a boat and drift down the river on a majestical quest with your Junior Ranger Guide. You will arrive on a private island where camp has been prepared for an adventurous night under the symphony of stars. The reed mats you made earlier will be laid out with a mosquito net overhead, so you get to soak in the starlit skies once ready to curl into bed. As your private Chef cooks your dinner straight on the fire, you get to be inspired by the tales of your guide as hyenas giggle, frogs croak, with crazy creatures and amazing animals all around you.
THE SIJWA PROJECT EXPERIENCE
The Sijwa host and the Junior Ranger Guide will meet you and your parents and guide you through the project which was established by African Monarch Lodges as part of its endeavor to be sustainable and give back to the community and conservation by protecting the natural resources and developing the local community through a biodiverse economy.
It is here where you will be entertained and be enriched with local culture as you partake in a visit to the cultural village. A walk through the permaculture plants, recycling workshops where waste such as plastic, glass and cans are turned into beautiful artifacts. You will try your hand at polishing recycled beads and then you will get to design your very own bracelet. You will also be given a piece of paper onto which you will write your private wish and you get to watch this melt into a special mold which will be used to create your personal lucky glass bead. You will only see your bead again during your Junior Ranger Award Certification.
AFTERNOON GAMEDRIVE WITH A SUNDOWNER PICNIC AT HORSESHOE BEND
As the afternoon shadows lengthen your game drive departs to discover the unknown behind every bend within the Bwabwata National Park. Your classroom in your own private game viewer with the bush at large.
You will arrive at the place where a large troop of baboons call home. While Mom and Dad get to enjoy a delightful sundowner on their picnic blanket you will be entertained by the Baboons antics while you too could be entertaining them with silly bush games such as spitting buck poop.
JUNIOR RANGER CERTIFICATION
Then for the grand finale you get to celebrate your exploration in the Bwabwata National Park as a Junior Ranger and will be awarded your Junior Ranger Certificate and the special Rangers Gift (hmmm, remember the glass bead with your special wish you made at The Sijwa Project?
KIDS ON SAFARI PACKAGE
Our Kids on Safari Package can be Booked during the Reservation Process.
The KIDS ON SAFARI Supplement will Include:
- All meals including tailor-made child-friendly menus plus chocolate smors around the fire before bedtime.
- Arrival welcome gift
- A treasure hunt to collect the treasures for their guide backpack to keep them entertained and to educate
them about the African Bush;
- Safari walks around the Lodge to spot birds, insects, and many other creatures;
- Junior Ranger training whilst on game drives and boat cruises
- Fishing on the Kwando River in a private boat with a private guide. Dads can join for a fun family adventure;
- The art of jewelry making and wish embedding at The Sijwa Project;
- Making of a traditional reed bed for their camping quest
- Dinner & camping on a private island in the bush
- Tales around the fire
- Junior Ranger Certification & Gift
We have game drive vehicles that can accommodate a young family of four for private game viewing with a private guide without having to pay exclusive use of the vehicle.
African Monarch Lodges, P.O. Box 5072, Windhoek, Namibia
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