Our Guide to the Best Family Safari Destinations

By Tracey Davies 

Forget the ropey safari parks of your childhood, where lions mated lazily and bored baboons gnawed at windscreen washers. There’s only one real way to see wildlife and bring The Jungle Book to life, and that’s on safari. 

Choosing a good tour operator is the key to a successful family safari holiday – we will find the right one for you from among the fantastic family-friendly partners we work closely with. Together with these partners, we'll make sure you pick the right safari for you, tailoring an itinerary to suit the needs and wishes of your family – call us now on 020 3633 0653 or message us via our enquiry form and one of our family travel experts will talk you through the many options.

South Africa Versus Kenya for Safari Holidays

South Africa is the place for a more flexible (and usually malaria-free) safari experience, and hence great for families with younger children. Many of the best game reserves in South Africa are close enough to ‘civilisation’ that you can go safari-lite and enjoy day expeditions too. 

Or you might, for instance, combine a trip to Madikwe, a malaria-free game reserve in the North West Province, with a week by the beach in Cape Town.

Kenya is a great year-round safari destination, with temperatures hovering around the mid to high 20°Cs. August is generally more expensive as it coincides with the Great Migration. Try a hot-air balloon ride over the Masai Mara for an experience you'll never forget.

Best Safaris With Kids of Different Ages

For safaris with very young kids, we generally recommend Kenya - perhaps the glorious Amboseli National Park, in the shadow of Mount Kilimanjaro, then Lake Naivasha and finally the Masai Mara. 

A short itinerary jam-packed with lively game-drives and bush walks is a great way for young families to experience the best of Kenya and its wildlife.

However, eight and up is really the best age to take the kids on safari. For the best safaris with older kids, ask us about booking you a lodge offering a variety of safari experiences, from walking, canoeing and boating to the more usual driving safaris, plus a childcare service if you grown-ups want to game-spot alone. 

Tips for Safari Holidays with Kids

• Supply kids with their own camera and/or pair of binoculars.

• Make a checklist or animal bingo card with animals and birds to tick off.

• Choose a family-friendly lodge that offers alternatives to game drives.

• Stay somewhere with a pool so kids can cool off from the African sun.

• Book a two-centre holiday and combine a safari with a beach holiday. Tanzania and Zanzibar is an easy combination, but other suggestions are Kenya and the Seychelles, and South Africa and Mauritius.

Find out more about family holidays in Africa or contact us on 020 3633 0653 or via our enquiry form for bookings.