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Family Safaris in Africa

A family safari is a great way to expose your kids to nature and wildlife without having to worry about the boredom they may experience on a regular safari tour. Family safaris are tailored to keep the excitement of being on a wildlife and birdlife-spotting safari alive and interactive for everyone.

Family & Kid-Friendly Safaris in Africa Video

How it Works

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Contact us or fill out an enquiry form and one of our travel experts will help you tailor make your perfect safari

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Enjoy an authentic African experience, with peace of mind

Experience our Tailor-made Family & Kid-Friendly Safaris in Africa

What You Need To Know

Getting true value out of your holiday investment means having an itinerary that will keep your kids alert and captivated throughout your family adventure. That’s exactly what we can offer you.

When customising a family safari for kids, we know which activities are best to include and which to exclude in order to combine good wildlife sightings with keeping children interested and entertained.

Safari for kids younger than 5 years old

We don’t recommend taking infants or children younger than 5 years old on a safari. Most establishments aren’t infant or toddler-friendly, and the heat and the dusty game drives may make your baby feel very uncomfortable.

Less is more on a family safari in Africa

When arranging family safaris, we divide the day into two parts. During an early-morning game drive, your guide will focus on wild cats and other interesting larger wildlife to ignite your kids’ imagination. This will give the guide an opportunity to interact with and involve the children during the drive, keeping their attention. To make sure that the youngsters are kept interested and cheerful, we recommend that you keep driving distances as short as possible or at least to break up the day with some interesting stops.

During the second part of the day we introduce an activity that takes place outside the vehicle. A short walk, an animal footprint-identifying session or a game-tracking activity is spot on for sparking interest. Cultural experiences are great safari activities for both kids and parents, and they make a good change of pace.

 

Keeping the kids involved on a family safari

Teach your kids how to use binoculars and give them a chance to look for animals and birds. We provide animal and bird checklists to help the youngsters make lists of what they have seen and what they are still looking for.

Why not combine your wildlife safari with some time on the beach, where the family can swim and play. Africa has a string of wonderful beach options and we can easily customise your family safari to incorporate a trip to the seaside.

Accommodation and dining options for a safari with kids

Accommodation that provides a buffet option is always a family safari favourite, making it easy for kids to eat and drink what they like (and as much of it as they want), and keeping their spirits up and bellies full. A la carte dining is a bit restrictive for children, offering them limited food options.

Every family is different. Speak to us – we’ll design the best possible family safari experience for you and your children.

Make sure you pick a safari camp or lodge which is child friendly and has options for kids to stay with added activities; this will help in avoiding unnecessary disappointment by booking accommodation at lodges or camps which aren’t child friendly.

Diversify your holiday by visiting a beach for a few days after your game viewing, this will enable your children to have a bit more to do then just spending time on safari and many game viewing areas in Africa are not far from world class beaches.

In many regards lodges and guides will not allow children under the age of 2 to go on a game drives; however children above the 2 year mark and beyond are usually allowed on game drives.
Many family oriented lodges will also not allow children under the age of 16 to participate in game walks.

The best time to go on a safari will differ from country to country and it is stated that if you plan your schedule correctly you could go on one almost every month of the year in a different African country.

Although this is a different as you want to make it, so ensure your family has the best time possible in an area where the weather is suitable and the facilities are in line with your families needs.

Dryer cooler conditions are more than likely to suit a family better as the wetter hotter months can become quite taxing with some national parks even closing their facilities as well as certain roads becoming hard to access.
The best idea would be to consult a Discover Africa sales consultant for the best information on when to go on a family safari this will also largely come down to which country you want to visit and what you would like to see.

Bear in mind that many lodges and game parks which you will be visiting may have travel restrictions due to the possibility of having to transfer to a smaller aircraft, you’ll also want to take home a souvenir or two so make sure you pack lightly for this reason.

Many lodges will offer laundry services which will help in packing less clothing; also do some research on the correct attire to wear on a game drive.

Insect repellent and all basic toiletries, certain items in certain areas might not be found or become quite expensive.

Cameras spare batteries, sd and memory cards.

Binoculars

Sunscreen and swimming gear

Medication including anti-malaria if venturing into a high risk malaria area, also bear in mind that children of a certain age will not be able to take certain kinds of malaria medication.

Also consult this article about what to pack on an African safari.

In Southern Africa, the dryer cooler months are a comfortable temperature for the whole family and there will be optimal opportunities to view game during these months.

However it’s deemed that if you wished for an overview for safaris throughout Africa, the best time of year would be September, October, March and April these months also experience cooler temperatures but not too cold.
Summer months can get excruciatingly hot and this can be quite unbearable for little ones, this is definitely something to consider when planning your African safaris with the kids.

Lodges with child friendly amenities such as trampolines, badminton, table tennis or swimming pools will do wonders in ensuring your children have hours of fun after the game drive is over.

Family game drives and nature conservation lessons with top guides (check game parks requirements for age and safety and what their policy is regarding this). You can also;

Visit to local schools

Beginner’s bird watching courses

Game lodges with board games, puzzles, colouring books, babysitters and children’s books.

National Parks all over Africa really do have a world of accommodation facilities to choose from. However ask one of our sales consultants today to find out about the most child friendly options to ensure your trip to Africa is happy and successful.

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Copyright © Discover Africa Safaris | Family & Kid-Friendly Safaris in Africa | Last Updated: 20 Mar 2023