There can’t be a writer who hasn’t been asked “Where do you get your ideas?” and experienced an inward groan. My usual (and truthful) reply is “in the bath”, but at last I am able to cite in this article an actual place on the map: the Madikwe Game Reserve, in South Africa.

One of the perks of going on an overseas book tour is being able to tack a holiday on to the end of it. That’s what I did last year when I was performing stories and signing books in Cape Town and Johannesburg, with my guitar-playing thespian husband, Malcolm, in tow.

As soon as our events had finished, we headed north, towards the Botswanan border, for five days of safari.

There is great joy in seeing a baby rhino - but it's not one of the 'Ugly Five' Credit: ©JohanSwanepoel - stock.adobe.com/By Johan Swanepoel

I’m normally the sort of person who likes climbing stiles and following footpaths, so I wasn’t sure how much I would enjoy sitting in a Jeep for two three-hour expeditions each day. I was also dubious about that 5.30am wake-up call each morning. But when it came to it, I found the whole experience a wonderful mixture of excitement and tranquillity. I loved the enforced leisure and the unpredictability of each journey, and found that three hours was a perfect length of time: if you spotted a wallowing hippo, or a pack of wild dogs, or a male rhino harassing a female one with her baby, or a herd of elephants splashing and drinking and tussling by a pool, you could hang around and see how the situation developed, without thinking: “Oh dear, the time’s nearly up – better move on”.

The animals were mostly very nonchalant about the Jeeps, and sometimes a lion would walk so close that I could have reached out patted its head (which probably wouldn’t have been a good idea). The lions would make eye contact with us individually, but as long as we stayed still and seated, they didn’t seem to feel threatened or want to threaten us.

There were usually between four and six of us in the Jeep, along with Lucky, our ranger, who drove it, and Charlie, the tracker, who perched on a little seat in front and would suddenly point to the left or right, directing our gaze to animals we might never have noticed otherwise. Both were extremely knowledgeable, not just about the four-legged animals but about the birds. And what birds! I was delighted by the colourful ones – glossy blue starlings, carmine-breasted bee-eaters, yellow weaver birds – while Malcolm was more excited by all the different hawks and eagles. I liked the feeling that the birds were truly free, unlike the unwinged creatures who, though allowed to live a natural life, were nevertheless confined within the game park, which was big but fenced.

One of the best moments of each safari was when the vehicle would stop and Charlie would pad around the back and lift a flap to reveal a concealed bar. In the mornings, we drank hot chocolate, laced with a liqueur called Amarula; in the evenings, we would stretch our legs as the sun went down on our G&T sundowners.

There was a certain amount of rivalry at meal times between the passengers of the different Jjeeps: “We got really close to a couple of cheetahs today.” “Oh, really? We saw some lion cubs and a rare kind of mongoose.” Some people were very keen to tick off sightings of the Big Five, a term coined by hunters referring to the most dangerous African animals to track on foot: lion, leopard, rhino, buffalo and elephant.

The warthog, also immortalised in The Lion King, is one of the 'Ugly Five' Credit: The Ugly Five, illustrated by Axel Scheffler

We did have one quite scary elephant encounter. Whereas the females and juveniles go about in herds, the older males are mainly solitary. Usually if we saw one it would be by the side of a path, munching leaves and taking little notice of us. But as we drove along a wide path one early evening, we saw a large beast approaching us in a determined way. Its ears were flapping, which is a sign of aggression.

Lucky went into reverse, but that resulted in the elephant quickening its pace. A change of tactics was called for. Lucky drove forwards once more, and when the creature continued to advance, the two men started to shout and hoot like wild animals themselves, and to thump loudly on the outside of the Jeep. At the last minute, the elephant veered off the path and into the bush.

A hundred yards further on, Charlie got down and scooped some vegetation from the ground. “Elephant testosterone,” he said, and gave it to us to smell (it was reminiscent of a herd of goats: pungent and unpleasant). The animal had been in a state of sexual arousal in which he was trying to establish dominance over possible rivals – and over us, too.

We did see the other members of the Big Five, but they were not the ones to sow the seeds of my story.

The moment of inspiration came the day we saw a herd of wildebeest. My husband remarked that, despite their ungainly proportions, he thought they were rather noble-looking, and Lucky replied, “I’m sorry to tell you this, Malcolm, but the wildebeest is one of the Ugly Five.”

The spotted hyena wins no fans for its beauty Credit: DAI KUROKAWA

The Ugly Five! And who were the others? “The spotted hyena, the lappet-faced vulture, the warthog and the marabou stork.” Immediately, a whole story came into my mind , complete with the twist at the end. This is something that hardly ever happens: usually I have to wrestle with storylines for weeks before I can sit down to write.

We did get to see a splendidly lumpy and muddy warthog rolling about in a watering hole, and we caught a glimpse of a shy hyena. The two ugly birds eluded us, but our laptop confirmed that they were eligible members of the quintet: the bald vulture has wrinkled pink flaps each side of its face, and the Marabou stork is hunched and gangly with a dangling throat pouch.

There was actually time to do some writing on the holiday, as there were seven free hours between the morning and the evening safaris. The weather was so hot that we could only sit out on our private terrace for short spells; most of the time we lounged around in air-conditioned luxury, dozing, sorting out the morning’s photos, reading and – in my case – beginning to write the story of The Ugly Five.

The savannah comes alive with Axel Scheffler's illustrations Credit: The Ugly Five, illustrated by Axel Scheffler

The Ugly Five, a picture book by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler, is available from Alison Green Books (books.telegraph.co.uk; £12.99). Julia is performing in Gruffalos, Ladybirds and Other Beasts at Leicester Square Theatre on Sat 9 and Sun 10 September leicestersquaretheatre.com.

Four great family safaris

Animals and beaches

The private Kwandwe Private Game Reserve in the Eastern Cape is a 5422,000-acre hectare haven for the Big Five –- and its Ecca Lodge has a great programme for kids: family suites come with a plunge pool plus private ranger, tracker and vehicle. The ranger’s “bug hunts” and “pooh patrols” will keep children amused.

Tsala Treetop Lodge is perfectly located for the best of South Africa's Garden Route

Then you’ll head to Tsala Treetop Lodge, one of South Africa’s most spectacular hotels, with treehouse villas and suites high in the Tsitsikamma forest canopy. Just six miles from Plettenberg Bay, Tsala is ideally situated for the Garden Route’s golf, hiking, scuba -diving, cycling and beaches, though the hotel is only suitable for children aged eight and older.

A seven-night family safari and beach adventure over February half-term costs from £4,198 per person based on a family of four. The price includes three nights in a family suite at Kwandwe Ecca Lodge on a fully inclusive basis, four nights in a two-bed villa at Tswalu Treetop Lodge on a B&B basis, all international and domestic flights, private road transfer to Kwandwe and five-day car rental (bestofsouth africatravel.com).

Celebrations

Zambia has luxurious private houses of great charm, which work well as a base for groups with children. You have your own space and guide, set your own schedule, and the lodge fits in around you. Expert Africa will help choose child-focused guides who know how to bring young people into the safari. Start with four nights at Luangwa Safari House, which overlooks a waterhole, where animals comes to drink.

Chongwe makes a great, luxurious base for a three-generation safari

Next, you’ll spend three nights at the stylish Chongwe Safari House, by a gentle river that’s ideal for canoeing – and includes walking safaris, and day and night game drives.

A seven-night trip, including all flights, meals and activities, for four adults and four under-18s, costs from £5,546 per adult and £4,188 per child/teenager. Children under 12 cannot go on walking safaris or canoe trips, though younger children can go on short wanders in the vicinity of camp, searching for tracks (expertafrica.com).

Active

This comprehensive self-drive trip around Namibia, which is ideal for October or June half-term, includes the country’s main highlights but is tailored for families: Namibia works well because the most dangerous animals – elephants and lions – are concentrated in one area, so in most of the country kids can get out and poke around a bit; they can run up sand dunes in Sossusvlei, and go kayaking with seals in the coastal town of Swakopmund on this particularly active fly-drive trip.

Malaria-free Etosha National Park, in Namibia, features many waterholes, around which animals congregate

The final stop is Etosha, where you’ll stay in a fenced rest camp in the heart of the park. There is a large swimming pool and a floodlit waterhole where you can sit and watch the animals.

A 15-day Namibia self-drive family safari costs from £2,955 per person. The price is based on a family of five (with three children under 16) sharing and includes international flights, transfers, car hire, accommodation and some meals (audleytravel.com/namibia)

Low-stress, keenly-priced

Safaris are expensive: there’s no two ways about that. But for families dreaming of taking their children to Africa, this is a relatively budget-conscious way to see animals in the wild. Leave your malaria pills at home when you visit Madikwe, a South African game reserve the size of Lincolnshire.

Base yourself at Lelapa Lodge, in a family suite with its own plunge pool. There is no age limit and children will enjoy the special activities – making pizzas, star gazing and games nights – as much as the thrill of going on game drives to see the Big Five.

A five-night safari for a family of four costs from £1,949 for two adults and two children. The price includes flights and is based on a December 2017 departure (virginholidays.co.uk).

Sally Peck