Embarking on an African safari with your children can be one of life’s ultimate travel experiences. It’s a chance to disconnect from daily routines and reconnect with one another through shared moments of wonder. Seeing the majesty of an elephant herd, hearing a lion’s roar echo across the savanna, and watching the sunset paint the sky are memories that will last a lifetime.
But is it really suitable to go on safari with kids? The answer is a resounding yes! Chris Wain of Africa Travel aptly puts it, “The great outdoors is the best classroom of all.” If your children love nature and trips to the zoo, then going on safari in Africa will blow them away. They’ll spot animals from whales and meerkats to dolphins and elephants, and maybe even the stars of The Lion King.
Anita Powell of Small World Marketing, a long-time safari goer with kids, shares, “I have been fortunate to experience many safaris but seeing the bush through the eyes of my own children added a completely new dimension. There is nothing like the amazement on a child’s face when giraffes and zebras are so close that you can smell them.”
What's the Best Age to Bring Kids on Safari?
The jury’s out on this one. On paper, there tends to be a minimum age of six. Most lodges tend to allow children from this age, though some may insist on a private vehicle (a good thing - you won’t have to worry about them disrupting others).
Adriaan Erasmus, Group GM for Cheetah Ridge and The Homestead on Nambiti Reserve in South Africa, suggests eight years and up as a good age. “Before that, they can’t always listen to or take instructions, plus you certainly want them to remember such an expensive holiday.” Henrietta Loyd, founder and director of Cazenove+Loyd, agrees with that. “They are long tiring days on safari, and it is an expensive holiday for the whole family not to benefit. I speak from experience having taken a five-year-old who did one game drive and then spent most of the time in the pool or playing with the manager’s dog.”
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Other experts take the opposite view. “The notion that there’s a specific right age is a great misconception,” says Kyle de Nobrega. It’s not necessarily the memories you need, but what happens inside you that builds character and embeds a spirit that you’ll carry consciously or unconsciously for the rest of your life.
Lisa Johnson, a travel writer who’s tried different ages and stages of safari with children, points out, “If it’s a one-off, I will wait until secondary school when kids can fully process and learn from the experience. Being in such vast, wild environments can be profound and even life-changing for teenagers. Otherwise, it depends on how relaxed the family is being in the wild and entrusting their children’s safety to others - and whether a child is able to be quiet and sit still when told to. At five, my daughter loved interacting with our Maasai hosts: beading with the women, riding on the shoulders of our guide on a walking safari, holding a baby goat on a visit to a local village, and dancing with the Maasai in the firelight. By seven, she was wowed by the immensity of the landscape and the majesty of the big cats and delighted by the monkeys. Now 11, she is a huge Africa fan.”
Which Are the Best Countries for Family Safaris?
The classic picks are the big five habitats, including South Africa, Kenya, Tanzania, Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, and Zambia. If it’s your first rodeo, South Africa is unanimously advised. Anita Powell comments, “Not only does your budget go further, but often the game is more plentiful and relatively easy to spot, meaning no bumping around for hours. You can also easily combine it with Cape Town, the Winelands, and the coast.”
Stick to the Great Kruger Area, where “most private reserves have children’s programmes,” advises Greg Fox, Co-founder and Director of Mahlatini Luxury Africa Safaris. He suggests that “South Africa’s Eastern Cape includes a few more budget options and is malaria-free.” Chris Wain of Africa Travel also advises the malaria-free spots, listing several options in Namibia and South Africa.
Top 10 Best African Safari Destinations For Families (CINEMATIC)
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For teenagers and second-timers, Kenya comes up trumps. Kyle de Norbrega suggests: “Kenya is extraordinary for older children in their teens. You can explore some extremely remote areas in the north and interact with tribes like the Samburu, an amazing way to show young minds the planet’s cultural diversity.”
Anita Powell seconds this: “I always think Kenya is perfect for second-timers. I love the human cultural element of Kenya. Meeting the tribes and learning about their lives is so fascinating for kids.” For third-timers, she says, “Zambia and the Lower Zambezi is unbeatable due to the variety of activities on offer. There’s fishing daily, walking safaris, canoeing, river lunches on a sandbar in the middle of the Zambezi - the game viewing is phenomenal whether from a boat or from land.”
Here’s a table summarizing the best destinations based on experience level:
| Experience Level | Recommended Destinations | Reasons |
|---|---|---|
| First-Timers | South Africa | Affordable, plentiful game, easy to spot, can be combined with other attractions. |
| Second-Timers/Teenagers | Kenya | Remote areas, cultural interaction with tribes like the Samburu. |
| Third-Timers | Zambia, Lower Zambezi | Variety of activities like fishing, walking safaris, and canoeing. |
Accommodation Options for a Family Safari
Built lodges or tented camps under canvas are common, though mobile tented camps and pop-up tents on walking safaris led by private guides and trackers are also gaining in popularity for the adventurous.
When choosing between lodges, Kyle de Nobrega suggests opting for those “that cater for families and have spacious family room setups, preferably with a pool, to enjoy those midday hours between activities.”
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Alice Gully, owner of Aardvark Safaris, notes, “There are also plenty of camps and lodges with interconnected family rooms.”
Will Bolsover of Natural World Safaris advises, “Make sure the lodge has flexible dinner times and menus for children. A head’s up to the lodge on dietary or meal preferences for kids is very helpful for them.” Think about picky eaters.
Lodges with open spaces where kids can run around freely without the constant threat of predators are a dream, and a lodge with a kids’ programme is ideal. Walking, swimming in rock pools, sleep-outs under the stars, fly-camping, quad-biking, tracking on foot with a guide and breaking up the days works better than constant game drives. Most of the major players take families into account.
- Wilderness has planned programmes for six- to twelve-year-olds, with activities from treasure hunts and Masaai football to drumming and walking safaris.
- Great Plains offers the Young Explorers Programme at camps where specially trained guides teach younger guests about tracking wildlife, creating local dishes and African jewellery, basic survival in the wild skills and more.
- Ker & Downey has the Young Explorers Programme in Botswana - each family group is hosted by a specialist family guide with a specially-designed programme.
Exclusive-Use Safaris with Kids
Private safari villas are on the rise for those for whom privacy and creature comforts are the focus. This means safari villas with their own guides, vehicles, chefs and sometimes spas, which will almost always be separate from, but associated with, a wider lodge. With these setups, it may be possible to flout the minimum age policy. House in the Wild in Kenya was a pioneer, and Nomad’s Mkombe’s House in the Serengeti was designed for families with young children.
Journeys by Design suggests Sirkoi cottage in the Laikipia or Laragai House. Singita Milele offers five private suites in Tanzania’s Grumeti Reserve, and Melote House in South Africa’s Lapalala Reserve is a magnificent new private option.
Chris Wain adds, “Private family safaris are also very possible in Zambia. Luangwa Safari House, Chongwe House and Tangala House all come fully loaded with private guides, staff and vehicles.”
Can Safari Teach Kids About Conservation?
The top lodges have amazing guides and trackers who know how to bring the experience alive for kids. Cottar’s 1920s Camp in Kenya’s Masai Mara has zoned in on kids with their “Budding Conservationist” project, which “trains” kids to be guides, teaming them up with patrollers, teaching them how to identify species and showing them the lodge-sponsored projects that benefit local communities.
How to Pack for Kids on Safari
Refer to a comprehensive safari packing list. Beyond the essentials, pack light. Safari lodges tend not to wash underwear, but their laundry services are efficient. More than on any other holiday, safaris are a good time to take the materials for a scrapbook, as these are memories worth setting down.
Anita Powell recommends walkie-talkies. “Normally the rooms will have phones in them, but sometimes, if it’s a bush camp, the rooms can be located quite separately, and it's useful for the kids to communicate...especially if they hear a lion roar late close to their room.”
Chris Wain suggests “an old-fashioned species identification book - it’s always a winner with a pair of binoculars and basic camera bound to keep the young occupied.” He also advises taking gifts for local school children - “stationery, books, games, sporting equipment, discarded iPads and laptops will always be appreciated and will allow children to engage with their African peers in the local schools.”
More Tips for Taking Children on Safari
- A private vehicle is ideal for flexibility (and the freedom to behave in a relaxed manner). Lodges may also insist upon it.
- If you want a malaria-free destination, refer to the NHS’s Fit For Travel web pages to check the malaria maps of each country. Malaria is a shifting scenario region by region so ask the lodge, rather than the operator, for advice, and take responsibility for your own decisions.
- Adriaan Erasmus, Group GM for Cheetah Ridge and The Homestead on Nambiti Reserve in South Africa, suggests that longer stays in each destination with kids might be more relaxing rather than packing and moving every few days.
- Nicky Coenen, Last Word Managing Director, says: “Encourage your children to watch a wildlife documentary or two or look through wildlife photography books so they can have a taste of what they will be seeing in person.”
- Chris Wain suggests, “Children need to know that some species are harder to spot. Giraffes, zebras and springboks are easy, but lions, leopards and cheetahs are harder work.” But “limit their expectations”, too.
- Kyle de Norbrega advises, “Travel with an open mind, and don’t be scared to show your kids, of any age, the place we all came from."
Nowhere else in the world will you be able to come so close to the largest animals in their natural habitats. Be sure to involve them in making a safari packing list, tell them about the weather, alert them to any visas or vaccines you need, arrange your flights, and give you everything in a neat little package.
