When I heard a strange sound while lying in bed at night it was comforting knowing that our kids were literally next door, and if I wanted to check on them I would not need to leave my tent.
A family tent on safari is a tent or room configuration that consists of two adjoining normal tents with a connecting area that allows the parents or children to communicate or even visit the other room at night without leaving the structure.
In essence a family tent is actually two tents, but they are not separated and can only be booked as a whole unit.
Usually one of the two tents that make up a family tent has a double bed, and the other a twin bed arrangement which in some camps can fit a third bed. They usually accommodate four or five people and almost always require that at least one person be an adult.
Family tent designs and the number available vary from one camp to another.
Some family tent arrangements are formed by simply having two normal tents adjoining each other. Some structures share a bathroom area, although it is more common that each has their own bathroom. Some have a an extra space such as a lounge area with a couch in the part that connects the two sections. Some opulent camps may have an additional room or space in the adjoining area with a lounge, library and a plunge pool. There are almost as many versions as there are camps.
Some small camps only have one family tent, which can easily be booked a year in advance, and some camps that have a family focus may have several family tent arrangements.
Until the late 1990s there were no family tents and despite this people with kids enjoyed amazing safaris. Families with kids from about eight years old or more would be in separate tents that were near each other. However, the kids would either need to be old enough to be able to stay in their tent all night, or one parent would be accommodated with a child.
The introduction of family tents was a better arrangement for many families, especially those with young kids, and as a result this is now an option in many camps.
