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Why a safari is the ultimate holiday with your teenager

If your teen is 16, you have two more summers of guaranteed family holidays before they finish school. Two more years before university schedules, internships and independence start to pull them in new directions.

If you’d like to slow down and savour some of this precious time together, one of the best ways we’d recommend is an African family safari.  

Besides the incredible wonder that comes with seeing wild animals from an open game drive vehicle, a safari vacation also naturally pulls you (and them) away from WiFi and into a place where the rhythm of life is dictated by birdsong and distant lion calls, not phone alerts. No matter how resistant they might be to the idea at first, something shifts when you’re together watching elephants cross a river at dusk.

For teenagers, especially those navigating the pressures of exams, social media and the intensity of school life, time in nature can be incredibly restorative.

Research consistently shows that immersion in wild landscapes improves mental well-being, lowers stress, and increases focus. Add to that the thrill of spotting a lion in the wild or walking through the bush on foot, and you’ll have a family holiday that leaves a lasting impression. Getting them into the bush might be the best reset you can give them.

The wonder of Africa for teens
Although you’ll almost certainly take photos and videos on safari, sometimes it’s about the moments that can’t be captured on a screen, but will live on in your teen’s memory long after the trip ends.

Picture witnessing one of nature’s greatest spectacles, the Great Migration across Tanzania and Kenya, together. Thousands of wildebeest and zebra cross the Mara River in a thunderous display. If you add in a hot air balloon ride over the Serengeti at sunrise, it becomes something you’ll talk about for years.

Or, enjoy an alternative to a safari that you’ll also recount around the dinner table for a long time to come. Imagine you’re trekking through the Rwandan rainforest as a family and suddenly your guide stops and points to his right. The forest stills. Just beyond a curtain of vines, a mountain gorilla emerges. He’s watchful, curious and powerful. For a moment, it’s as if time folds in on itself. One of the younger males ambles closer, wide-eyed, stopping just a few metres away. You lean into the foliage, hardly breathing. Then, slowly, he moves on, unbothered and majestic. To meet a gorilla’s gaze like that is not just a sighting; it’s a moment that changes you.

Take them to Southern Africa to see the Big 5 and enjoy other adventures
Southern Africa has no shortage of teen-friendly safari adventures. In South Africa, the Kruger National Park and its private reserves deliver Big Five sightings in style. Seeing lions up close from an open safari vehicle is certainly ‘a flex’. Combine that with a helicopter ride over the Okavango Delta in Botswana or white water rafting on the Zambezi below Victoria Falls, and you’ve got a holiday filled with stories to tell.

Even the journey to or from your safari can be enhanced with activities your teenager will enjoy. Cape Town is one of the perfect pre- or post-safari stops, offering everything from seeing penguins on the beach at Boulders to ziplining through mountain gorges and even shark cage diving in Gansbaai. Cape Town also boasts a trendy food and health food scene, beautiful coastal drives, and numerous photogenic moments. And nearby Hermanus offers the opportunity to watch whales from land between August and November.

A chance to reconnect
While a family trip to a European city has its value, Africa provides the space to reconnect. It’s a place to share laughter, conversations under a starry sky, and make extraordinary memories. It’s the antidote to the over-scheduled, always-on teenage (and often adult) lifestyle. 

At Leopard, we’re African experts. We take care to understand what your family values most and create seamless experiences that are deeply memorable, even life-changing. As a result, we love receiving reviews like this on TrustPilot…

“The team at Leopard were great from our first interaction until the last day of our trip. They helped us plan the perfect trip for our family and were always there to answer our questions and make adjustments (our fault–not theirs!). They even helped me track a lost suitcase so I didn’t have to worry about it. Highly recommend!” – Jill

If you’re curious about how a safari might work for your family, let’s explore the possibilities together. You may even get the chance to watch your teenager light up with real-world awe as they watch a leopard hoist an impala into a tree.

Happy Travelling,

The Leopard Team

P.S. Stay inspired by African travel content by following us on YouTube, Instagram, Facebook or LinkedIn.

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    Jessica Maitland-Stuart
    Brand Identity Designer
    Jessica is an accomplished strategic brand designer known for her typography and concept-led design approach. She used these finely-honed skills to develop Leopard’s branding and continues to design each of our personalised client itineraries.

    Jessica’s design philosophy focuses on collaborating with clients and building successful working relationships with small start-ups that share her drive to make an impact through the work she produces. That means her design doesn’t end with the artwork; extending into production to find ways of reducing both cost and environmental impact in symmetry with the design.

    Jessica is an avid runner, winning multiple marathons and ultras, a wife and mother of two, and she holds a BA degree in Brand Communication. She was recognised by the International Society of Typographic Designers and founded her own studio in 2007. Her company, Garage East (inspired by the ‘garagistes’ of France), is driven by the pursuit of meticulous craftsmanship.
    Hailey-Rose Kirsten
    Social Media
    Hailey-Rose lives in Cape Town and loves the city she grew up in. When she’s not working, she loves trying restaurants in beautiful locations (she has a ‘no eating in a shopping mall’ policy – if she can help it). She loves walking in nature and swimming in the ocean. (You may even find her occasionally taking a dip in the middle of winter).

    Hailey-Rose helps Leopard execute its social media strategy. She gathers relevant images and video content and publishes Leopard’s posts along with catchy audio. She keeps on top of Instagram trends and works with Elise to bring Leopard’s social media to life, keeping it in alignment with the Leopard brand.
    Elise Kirsten
    Digital Strategist
    Elise is passionate about travel and storytelling, like the rest of the Leopard team. She was the former online editor of Getaway magazine, South Africa’s oldest travel publication, and since 2020 has worked as a freelance travel journalist, helping brands and organisations in the travel sector to communicate with clarity and purpose.

    At Leopard, Elise helps to shape the company’s digital strategy and brings her writing expertise to life by alternating with Diana to pen newsletters, social content and website features.

    Married to her straight‑out‑of‑high‑school sweetheart and a proud mother of two adult daughters, Elise loves wide open spaces. When she’s not behind her desk, you’ll find her travelling, hiking, mountain biking or exploring the ocean — always chasing the next remarkable story.
    Caitlin Sidebottom
    Journey Support Specialist
    Growing up in Johannesburg, fondly known as the “City of Gold”, Caitlin was privileged to explore diverse destinations across South Africa, from game reserves to the warm shores of KwaZulu-Natal. She also treasures memories of visiting family in Vumba, Zimbabwe, where she loved being immersed in nature and the sense of freedom it brought. “I was awestruck when I visited both Victoria Falls and the Great Zimbabwe Ruins,” she recalls.

    Married with two small children, Caitlin enjoys spending time in nature, with friends, running, swimming and scuba diving. She describes her career as “meandering and colourful”. With a background in psychology and social development, she has worked as both a researcher and a counsellor. While moving into tourism seemed like a big shift, she soon discovered a clear continuity. "Travel can help people encounter life-giving experiences that reveal what it means to truly thrive and have the potential to influence how you live after returning home," says Caitlin.

    At Leopard, Caitlin supports the sales team to ensure every client enjoys a seamless experience. She also supports travellers while on the road, helps refine systems and processes, plans events, works closely with Leopard’s suppliers and conducts site inspections. Caitlin is passionate about tailoring each experience to fit you perfectly, so you can focus on the stories and memories you’ll take home.
    Pilar Peña
    Travel Designer | Spanish
    Pilar grew up in Marbella, in the south of Spain, known, much like Africa, for its sunshine. She moved to Johannesburg in 2013, and after more than a decade of living in Africa, she says that she feels her heart is half South African.

    When she arrived in South Africa, Pilar worked as a journalist and covered many big news stories for a newspaper and radio station in Spain. She considers it an amazing period of her life in Africa, but she wanted to embrace something different.

    Between working and being dedicated to raising her family, she travelled through southern Africa. During this time, her love for Africa, its sunsets, people, culture and landscapes continued to grow. Pilar wanted to share ‘the preciousness of this country and continent with everyone’. Now, as part of Leopard, she can do that.

    As a Spanish speaker, she works with the Spanish and Latin American markets and feels she is a true ambassador for South Africa. At Leopard, she works with clients to create a bespoke, tailor-made itinerary, where each day in Africa forms part of a perfectly dreamy trip. Pilar says that everyone should get to experience the magic of Africa.
    Helen du Toit
    Finance Manager
    Until the age of three, Helen lived in a little stone cottage in the Kyle Game Reserve, in Zimbabwe until she and her family relocated to the Kariba Dam on the great Zambezi River. Here, Helen’s father managed a Fisheries Research Institute and she grew up immersed in a culture of tourism. She also spent many Sunday afternoons in the bush observing wildlife with her family.

    Helen moved to South Africa in the early ’80s and after leaving school, she entered the travel industry. She travelled to many countries for business research and later became a specialist in travel to South America, which she visited numerous times.

    Her husband’s work required the family to settle in the little town of Mtunzini, a beautiful spot on the north coast of KwaZulu-Natal, where she took a job in the finance department at the local school. This began a chapter in Helen’s life that prepared her for corporate finance. Later, Helen worked as an imports and exports administrator and then as treasurer for a large multinational company in Johannesburg while undertaking post-graduate studies in Corporate Governance and Administration.

    When she and her family moved back to Durban, Helen worked as a bursar of a large private school. She was delighted to be living near the ocean again and couldn’t resist getting her open-water diving certificate, as her son was a scuba diving instructor. Helen’s love of adventure and creation has been a constant theme throughout her life.

    She was delighted to return to the travel industry and joined Leopard in September 2022 as a finance manager.
    Daphnée Filliette
    Senior Travel Designer | French and English
    Daphnée was born in Lille, in the Hauts-de-France region of France. A passionate traveller, she has lived and worked in several countries around the world.

    She first worked in the United States, where she has family, then moved to England to complete a Master’s in International Marketing, and later to Oceania, where she tried “WWOOFing” — working on a farm in exchange for room and board. Along the way, she met a great love in Paris, who would later become her husband, and this brought her back to France to find work and start a family.

    Daphnée began her career in fashion marketing and, in 2012, created her own fashion brand, managing all aspects of building a business.

    In 2016, Daphnée and her family had the wonderful opportunity to live in South Africa. “The question didn’t even arise — let’s go, that was obvious!” she recalls. Since then, they have welcomed three children and are enjoying life in Johannesburg.

    Daphnée has worked in the tourism industry for 10 years, specialising in Africa. Her favourite countries include Kenya and Namibia, though she also fell in love with Madagascar and Botswana. Her next adventure will be to Zambia.
    Diana Granoux
    Founder | Senior Travel Designer
    Diana was born in Zimbabwe and started her life on the banks of the great Lake Kariba. She moved to South Africa when she was a toddler and grew up in Kwa-Zulu Natal. Diana has vivid memories of long winter holidays spent camping in Zimbabwe, Namibia, Botswana and South Africa with her family. Her parents loved the bush and her father started his own tour operating company in 1992. He was an early pioneering specialist in bird watching safaris in South Africa.

    As she grew up, Diana became aware of the big, wide world outside of the African countries she knew so well, and she took her first solo overseas trip at age 14 to London to visit her father’s family. From that moment she became fascinated with experiencing the world beyond what she knew. Diana has since travelled extensively through Africa, Europe, America and Asia.

    Diana is married to a Frenchman and has two young kids, who are simultaneously developing a love for biltong & braai’s, and baguettes & brie. After 16 years gaining valuable experience working for big corporates in South Africa, Diana decided to follow her passion for travel and start Leopard. Diana has had the privilege of planning holidays for American celebrities, European royalty and high-net-worth individuals as well as regular folks who want to do a trip of a lifetime to Africa.

    She wants to create, with Leopard, a company that gives customers something unique: a curated experience of Africa, made especially for them. She says, “From the moment they arrive in Africa, to the moment they depart, I want them to have a seamless experience. I want them to enjoy the best the continent has to offer, leaving with memories that last a lifetime.”