holiday with teens - Africa?

Dublin_Mom

Hello, I am looking to go somewhere a bit different this year, possibly Africa. We are a sporty family, 2 teen boys of 15 and 16, hate anywhere really touristy like the bigger resorts in Spain, so looking for somewhere a bit off the beaten track and wth lots to do.

Any ideas most welcome. thanks!

biko

South Africa or Morocco. Dune riding, windsurfing, exploring. Both are touristy but not in an "all inclusive" way.

cooperguy

It really depends on your budget. It just so happens I am going to Africa shortly aswell.

One suggestion for you would be South Africa, fly into Cape Town hang around there for a few days, rent a car and travel the garden route (LOADS to do along there), then do a Safari at the end of the Garden Route and fly home.

spank_inferno

If SA is a possibility, would NZ be much more of a stretch?
(Infinite things to do & safer)

cooperguy

spank_inferno wrote: »

If SA is a possibility, would NZ be much more of a stretch?
(Infinite things to do & safer)

SA is safe. The well worn tourist areas are not dangerous. Use common sense and you should have nothing to worry about. Infinite things to do in the area aswell (with the added bonus of a safari)

sarkozy

Namibia would be good, too. Direct flights via Frankfurt, I think (though I went there via Johannesburg) and bussed it back to where I was living.

It's great (if a bit weird and orderly because it's an ex-German colony). The Namib Desert up to Sossusvlei is sublime and you can go dune buggying. Lots of safari, but more a desert vibe. I didn't go there, but the panhandle up north (i.e. Etosha) is meant to be festooned with wildlife. Down south, the Skeleton Coast is meant to be great, but I didn't get there, either. Namibia is vast! Sometimes just a lot of time on the road getting places.

I always recommend Mozambique. Maputo is easy and the city is developed enough and the centre quite safe relative to big South African cities. It's definitely more of a 'developing country' experience. You can swim with whale sharks there and go scuba diving in the world's most southerly coral reefs. The food is amazing and the beaches further up the coast golden.

If it's wildlife, then Swaziland game reserves around Ezulwini (not far outside the capital Mbabane) are very good and you can actually stay in affordable hostels in the park and watch hippos have their breakfast by the river. The monkeys are fine, but steer clear of baboons.

I lived in Lesotho for 18 months and it's an absolutely beautiful country, especially up the mountains, but not much wildlife and not much in the way of pursuits except in Semonkong where you can abseil down southern Africa's highest waterfall, or Afri Ski where you can go skiing (but it wouldn't really be worth that!) and Tsehlanyane National Park has Maliba Lodge if you're willing to shell out a load for a house or posh lodge to chill and do absolutely nothing in a beautiful valley for a day or two, eating good food.

On the South African side, the Drakensberg is nice (essentially the other side of the Lesotho escarpment). Royal Natal Park (where Zulu was shot) is good for hiking and there are some rafting things there, horse trekking. It's very geared for tourism around there.

Easiest is the Cape because Cape Town is easy and there are many, many easily accessible adventurous things to do. But it's not really southern Africa.

Going more in the direction of Kruger National Park or Hluhlue Game Reserve (where you don't have to waste as much time seeing the 'big 5) is good because you can also hit up Swaziland and Mozambique, get a few more stamps on the passport.

One thing I never got to see were the ruins of the Shona in Zimbabwe. I still regret it. Contrary to news reports, Zimbabwe is fine to visit.

Only thing about doing any/all of this is you'd need to rent a car. The whole region is generally safe for driving except your best not to drive at night in Lesotho, Namibia, Mozambique and Zimbabwe. Not for security, just safety, avoiding crashes, etc.

As for the rest of Africa, Tanzania's easy but touristy. Morocco, strangely, still feels exotic even if it's become very touristy now. It's an easy 'adventurous' holiday because it's not an 18 hour flight away but it's still got an edge you'd enjoy - if you stay out of the resorts and immerse yourself in the souks/medinas.

Great region, enjoy.

Dublin_Mom

Thank you so much for all the replies, got some great ideas which I will reserach this weekend.

Thanks one and all for input, much appreciated!

Tipperary animal lover

Have a look at The Gambia was there a good few years ago lovely people food beaches and cheap... Had to fly via uk with direct flights from there.