Africa safaris for families

Yes, African safaris can be wonderfully suitable for families with young children, but careful planning is essential. Some lodges have age restrictions or do not permit children. We highly recommend choosing family units or safari villas that can accommodate the whole family, allowing parents to keep a close eye on their little ones. Lodges with perimeter fences often provide more freedom for children to roam, while unfenced camps require stricter supervision within living areas and bedrooms due to wildlife presence.

Many lodges offer a variety of fun and educational experiences tailored for kids, such as shorter game drives and exploratory walks near the lodge, boat rides, art classes, baking lessons, making bows and arrows, animal tracking, and tree identification.

For teenagers, adventure-based experiences like white-water rafting and bungee jumping at Victoria Falls, sandboarding and quad biking in Namibia’s Sossusvlei, or hot-air ballooning in Kenya's Maasai Mara are popular. Coastal and inland beaches offer kayaking, sailing, and snorkelling. Older children can also engage in adult activities like gorilla trekking (minimum age 15) and witnessing the Great Wildebeest Migration.

Yes, certain activities have age restrictions to ensure safety and preserve the wildlife experience. Gorilla trekking typically requires a minimum age of 15 years. Some game lodges may have an age restriction of 12 years for game drives, unless a private vehicle is hired, and 16 years for bush walks. Our safari expert will provide specific advice based on your family's dynamic.

For families, safari villas or dedicated family units are often the best choice. Luxury villas, ideal for multi-generational families or groups of friends (typically six to eight people), offer a completely personalised and private holiday experience. They come with all the conveniences and services of a "home-from-home," including private use of vehicles and driver guides, a dedicated chef, butler, and room attendants, as well as features like private pools and children's areas.

An African safari is an incredibly safe experience for families when planned and executed with expert guidance. We adhere to stringent safety protocols to ensure peace of mind for all guests.

• Wildlife Interactions: While wild animals are undeniably majestic, they are also dangerous and must be treated with utmost respect and caution. Our experienced guides are trained to read animal behaviour and ensure safe viewing distances.

• Unfenced camps: Many safari camps are unfenced, meaning dangerous animals such as buffaloes, lions, hippos, and elephants can (and do) wander through, particularly at night. It is crucial to always follow the instructions of camp staff and guides and never wander off on your own, even to your room after dark. Walking along riverbanks should be avoided due to the presence of crocodiles and hippos.

• Children and predators: It's vital never to leave young children unattended. Noisy children can irritate other guests, and to predators like leopards, their distress calls might sound like prey. Erratic movements from young children can trigger an attack even from smaller animals. For these reasons, some lodges have age restrictions for game drives (unless a private vehicle is hired) or may not permit young children in certain areas of the lodge. Children should be encouraged to be quiet during outdoor activities as animals are triggered by noise.

• Accommodation safety: We recommend lodges and villas that best suit family needs.

• Fenced vs. unfenced: Lodges with perimeter fences provide more freedom for children to roam, while unfenced lodges require their movements to be restricted to living areas and bedrooms for safety. Many lodges also have uncovered pools, necessitating constant supervision of young children.

• Safari Villas: For ultimate privacy and control, private safari villas are ideal for families, offering dedicated staff, private use of vehicles and driver-guides, a chef, butler, and typically include children's areas

We have been handcrafting experiential safaris since 1991. Travel in Africa is about knowing when and where to go, and with whom. A few weeks too early/late or a few kilometres off course, and you could miss the greatest show on Earth. And wouldn’t that be a pity?

Booking through a respected tour operator with many years of experience means that all you need to focus on is helping us design your safari and then having a superb vacation. The rest - all the nitty-gritty detail and admin is done while you relax. Our 24/7 concierges take care of problems such as flight changes and missed flights, last-minute road transfer and lodge changes due to unexpected events and itinerary changes requested by you.

Remember that you will not save money by attempting to book and manage your own safari, but you will inherit mistakes and problems that arise.

The "best" time for a family safari in Africa is highly adaptable, depending on your family's specific interests, the ages of your children, and your budget. However, generally, the dry seasons in Southern Africa (May to October) and East Africa (January to March, and June to October) offer prime wildlife viewing due to sparse vegetation and animals congregating at water sources. For families with younger children, the wet seasons (e.g., green season in Botswana from January to April, or short rains in East Africa from November to December) can be ideal, offering lower prices, fewer crowds, and the delightful spectacle of newborn animals.

Yes, your money is safe. Your payments go into a third-party TRUST ACCOUNT - protecting them in the unlikely event of a financial setback on our part. Also, we are members of SATSA who attest to our integrity, legal compliance and financial stability. See what travellers say about us.

By booking your safari with Africa Geographic, you make a significant difference because:

• We donate a portion of every safari sold to selected conservation efforts at ground level

• Your safari supports our conservation publishing efforts, which educate the world about Africa's incredible biodiversity and the local people who protect it

• Our chosen lodges support local community initiatives, ensuring that tourism benefits the nearby villages directly. They also adhere to strict environmental practices, such as limited vehicle numbers and sustainable camp operations, which help protect the ecosystem.

YOUR safari choice does make a difference - thank you!