East Africa Family Safari

Family Trips All Intrepid Family trips are accompanied by one of our group leaders. The aim of the group leader is to assist your family take the hassle out of your travels and to help you have the best trip possible. Your leader will provide information on the places you are travelling through, offer suggestions for fun things to do and see- for both kids and parents, recommend great local eating venues that will even get the kids trying new things, and introduce you to our local friends. While not being guides in the traditional sense you can expect them to have a broad general knowledge of the countries visited on the trip, including historical, cultural, religious and social aspects. Our leaders are not babysitters on this trip - we leave that to you (the experts), but they will make sure that group members of all ages are able to explore their destination safely and with as much fun as possible. Our group leaders are not responsible for looking after children at any time and children must be accompanied by a parent or guardian at all times throughout this itinerary. OUR DRAGOMAN CREW & GUIDES Our crew are passionate about travel and are always up for adventure. It takes someone special to become a Dragoman leader. Our crew undergo the most intensive training program of all the overland companies, spending 8 weeks learning the ropes at our base in Suffolk, UK, and then up to 6 months on the road as a trainee. Our crew are trained to manage and operate the trip safely and efficiently and their duties include: planning the trip according to the itinerary, driving and maintaining the truck, securing services of local guides, general logistics, health and safety, liaising with bureaucracy, dealing with issues where needed and offering advice and support to our customers. In addition they have a basic knowledge of the places visited and will be able to offer suggestions of things to do and see. Dragoman endeavours to provide the services of experienced crew, however, due to the seasonality of travel, situations may arise where your tour leader is new to a particular region or training other crew, new to the area. On all Dragoman overlanding trips, we usually have 2 western crew. However on our trips in East and Southern Africa we either have 2 western crew or 1 western crew and 1 local driver. On trips south of Nairobi in East and Southern Africa we will also have an African camp master/cook who is in charge of running the camp and organising all of the meals. Their knowledge of the local produce makes shopping at the markets great fun and you will learn how to prepare and cook some unusual dishes. In most other areas of Africa, the Americas, India and Turkey, in addition to our crew we will employ local guides in specific locations of interest (for just a few hours up to a few days). On the majority of our trips in Ethiopia, Sudan, Central Asia, China and South East Asia, in addition to our crew we will have a local guide on board who will travel with us for the entire duration of our time within one country. In these cases, the local guide becomes a third crew member and is able to offer their local knowledge as well as an insight into their country and the lives of the local people. Your crew have a duty of care to all members of the group and therefore they have the authority to ask you to leave the trip if you require serious medical assistance, you are behaving in an anti-social manner or refuse to comply with local laws and customs. In all matters relating to the trip, the leader's decision will be final and we appreciate your respect of this. DRAGOMAN OVERLAND

DRAGOMAN TRANSPORT SAFETY • Our own vehicles have fully fitted seat belts; make sure you always belt up. • If you find a safety belt inoperable or missing on one of our vehicles, please inform the crew immediately. • Unfortunately, we cannot guarantee that other vehicles we may use or recommend in some countries will be fitted with seat belts on every seat as it is not a legal requirement in much of the world. • Please remain seated on board vehicles at all times when the vehicle is in motion • Never place luggage in the aisles or foot wells • Ensure you know where your nearest Emergency exit is; this may be a designated emergency exit, a window or a roof hatch. • Check the location of the fire extinguisher and first aid kit. • Follow any safety instructions provided by the crew/driver • Our vehicles are fitted with roof seats which can be used in certain conditions, such as when driving at low speeds, off main tarmac roads, etc. They can only be used with the express permission of the crew and you must never sit in them without seat belts. DRAGOMAN SAFETY HOTELS: • Ensure you know where your nearest fire exit is and check to ensure that it is operative. • Check the location of the nearest fire extinguisher. • Study the fire instructions in your room if available. • Identify how to raise the alarm if a fire occurs. • If a fire occurs, leave immediately; do not stop to collect your effects. • Proceed to an assembly point well away from the building. • Electrics in hotels in many of the places that we visit will not be up to the same standards as at home. Please ensure that you check rooms, especially bathrooms and are aware of any issues that look unsafe. If in doubt inform the crew who will endeavor to sort the situation out. • Staircases and stairwells are often built to a very different design than under Western building standards. There may be no guard rails, be excessively steep, etc. At all times be aware and take appropriate and prudent care. • We often stay in homestays and farmstays. These may range from a traditional yurt through to a tree house or a town house. As these are traditional homes they may well not adhere to our western standards of safety and so it is important that you make yourself aware of potential risks. • If in doubt please inform the crew of any safety issues with the hotels/hostels or home stays CAMPSITE FIRE SAFETY: • Ensure you know where the nearest source of water or fire extinguisher is. • Know how to raise the alarm. • Extinguish all camping fires fully before retiring to bed. • Observe any regulations regarding fires and bushfires in dry conditions. • Proceed to an assembly point away from the tented accommodation/affected campsite. OTHER CAMPSITE SAFETY • Familiarise yourself with the campsite and any known hazards. • Group tents around our vehicle wherever possible. • No open flames, smoking or flammable liquids in or near the tents. • Ensure cooking area is well away from the tents. • Ensure all water for cooking and drinking is purified first. • Ensure any soil toilets are min 50m away from tents & cooking area. • All food waste should be burnt or buried – min 100m away from the site. • Ensure local advice is followed concerning any wildlife. • Keep valuables locked in the vehicle. • Be aware of any local security issues that might be important. • Do not set out tents close to perimeter fences which may be a security risk. • Be aware of the security arrangements and local guards for campsite and if in doubt ask them where and where not to pitch tents. • If in doubt please inform the crew of any safety issues with campsite. • When wild camping, ensure that you do not wander away from the camp alone. If you do leave camp ensure that you have notified the leader or other members of the group. FOOD SAFETY • We prepare many meals during the tour and our crew are hygiene trained; however, some general tips can help in order to avoid the possibility of stomach upsets; • Make sure your food has been thoroughly cooked. • Hot food should be hot, cold food should be cold. • Avoid any uncooked food, except fruit and vegetables, (notably those you can peel or shell yourself). • In many countries you should only drink bottled water or purified water and ensure any seal is intact when purchasing bottles. • On the Dragoman vehicles we have a tank of drinking water that is kept purified by the crew. • Avoid ice in drinks as this can cause upset stomachs in hot climates. • Make sure you wash your hands in antibacterial product when preparing and/or eating food. • Restaurant Food: This is grassroots travel and many of the restaurants that you will eat in, either as a group or as individuals, will NOT have the same standards of food hygiene as we have in the Western World. Unfortunately this is part of travel in these regions. Therefore think carefully about what food you order and be aware of the risks. DRAGOMAN PERSONAL SAFETY: One of the real advantages of overland travel is that the vehicle provides a very real level of security when travelling. There is no doubt that a properly equipped overland vehicle, with safes, fully lockable doors and windows is an obvious advantage when travelling in much of the world. We recommend the use of a neck wallet or money belt whilst travelling for the safe-keeping of your passport, air tickets, cash and other valuable items (although most of these can be locked in the safe whilst you are on the trip) and advise you to leave any valuable jewellery, watches, etc, at home. Generally speaking, you will not be travelling on local public transport and will have the added security of travelling in a group with experienced crew on hand to offer advice. We have come up with a few pointers that we recommend you follow: • Follow the crew’s specific safety advice in each destination. • Be aware, stay away from situations where you do not feel comfortable. • Avoid carrying too much money. • Use of a money belt / neck wallet or is encouraged at all times while travelling for the safe-keeping of your passport, air tickets, cash and other valuable items. • Avoid walking in poorly lit areas. • Ensure your valuables are left secure when you go out. • In any hostels/hotels, place all valuables in a safety deposit box, where available or with reception or locked away by the crew. • Do not take any valuable jewellery/watches etc. away with you. • If possible avoid walking around on your own; it is always safer to explore with others.

No age restrictions

intrepid-YDFA