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There are families who have gone on Etosha safaris for generations, sometimes in family groups that range from pint-sized grandkids to grandads. Instilling a love for the park experience – exciting drives, mammal lists, and searching biscuit-coloured grassland for biscuit-coloured lions – is a delight and a privilege.
Most children love safaris. They’re enormously exciting and kids delight in watching creatures previously only seen in books and on TV walk and trumpet in front of them.
You’re generally advised to take older children on safari in Etosha: eight-to-ten years old and up is perfect. Distances in Namibia are impressive, standard game drives are far too long for wriggly tots, and it gets properly hot, which will wilt the sweetest-natured kid. Also empty landscapes, no matter how beautiful, tend to leave children unmoved.
Family Safari Accommodation Top Tips
- Two bathrooms for families are extremely useful for the early morning rush before game drives or activities.
- A swimming pool is a great boon for children of all ages, especially as it gets so hot in Etosha.
- Upmarket lodges often have games rooms and offer short, safe walks to look at plants and insects, as well as private game drive vehicles and photography hides.
- Rates for children differ, from “under-threes free” to full rates for kids of 12 and up.
Fly-in Safaris
Namibia is huge, and fly-in safaris let you maximise your time at your Etosha safari lodge rather than spending it on the road.
For peace of mind, we design all-inclusive itineraries, so your safari can unfold seamlessly.
For example, the Fly Namibia Desert & Safari Adventure is an 11-day fly-in safari featuring hop-on-off routes. After being mesmerised by the endless desert panoramas in Sossusvlei, you’ll hop on a flight to Swakopmund before a scheduled flight to Twyfelfontein. This tour ends with an Etosha safari.
Namibia Tours Featuring Etosha
Our guided Namibia Highlights Group Tour is 10 days of endless vistas, visiting the Kalahari and Namib deserts, including the Sossusvlei dunes, Swakopmund on the coast, the Twyfelfontein rock engravings, and Etosha National Park.
If you’ve got a little longer, our 13-day Best of Namibia Private Guided Tour starts in Windhoek and heads south into the Kalahari Desert. You also visit the Namib Desert, Damaraland and its Petrified Forest, as well as the San art in Twyfelfontein, before ending at Etosha for some game viewing.
Is Etosha Safe?
Safety is a primary concern when you’re travelling with children, especially if you’re a first-time safari goer.
Etosha is considered low risk for malaria in winter months (May-October), although repellent is always a must, as are long trousers, socks and sleeves at dawn and dusk. In the rainy season (November-April), the malaria risk is considered to be medium.
We advise you to consult a doctor before travelling.
Where to Go In Etosha
All sections of Etosha are suitable for family travel, so the choice of accommodations will decide things. The western region has the fewest options and the game is not as dense. While game densities are lower, this is the only area in the park to spot the rare Hartmann’s mountain zebra.
The central and eastern regions offer more choice and easy access for Etosha safari camps and other top family stays.
Travel Tips for Etosha Family Safaris
- Get your children some binoculars, and teach them how to use them before coming on safari. It’s a skill that adds huge value to the experience, particularly for nascent twitchers.
- Get a species list (they’re usually available at camp shops) for children to tick off, or make your own: most love a treasure hunt for animals.
- Waterholes make Etosha special in the dry winter months: the animals come not only two by two, but at times by the hundred. Much easier to spot elusive critters than when they’re hiding in grass and scrub.
- As tempting as it is for children to run around barefoot when it’s hot, we recommend you insist your kids wear hardy sandals or closed shoes. This will avoid punctures (thorns) and stings (scorpions at worst).
- The sun may be more of a threat than any bug. Smear the kids with high-factor lotion often and make them wear hats.
- WiFi is available at some accommodations (though often slow – warn the teens!)
- Plastic bags are banned in Etosha.
Your Etosha Safari
An Etosha safari combines wide-open wilderness with family connection. Whether you’re watching elephants at a glowing waterhole or sharing stories under Namibia’s starry sky, the experience leaves lasting memories for every generation.
Start planning your Etosha safari – tailor-made for your family adventure.
