In all this wondrous world, it’s hard to find an experience as fascinating for the entire family as an African safari, and staying in one of the best family-friendly safari lodges in Africa is crucial to a successful trip. This is where children’s storybooks come to life – not from behind fences or glass but with only the cleanest air possible between them and the animals. Fresh off a Kenyan safari that included my entire family, from my infant niece to my own two- and five-year-olds to my octogenarian mother, I’m reminded again that it’s not only the fantastical presence of towering giraffes, dazzling zebras, funny-looking rhinos, impressive elephants – though it’s undoubtedly their wrinkly babies who are the cutest animal around – and fearsome yet cuddly lions who make the magic. It’s the striking environment, the elements and all the questions that bubble to the surface as a result of simply being there.
Tswalu Kalahari Reserve, South Africa
Kwessi Dunes, Namibia
I was a safari nut before having children, having journeyed through seven African countries in search of spectacular wildlife, and I couldn’t wait to take my husband and our firstborn on their inaugural experience when she was not even a year old. Of course, I was under no disillusion that she would remember any of it. But babies actually make great safari-goers. Many love to bump around in a stroller or are lulled to sleep in a car, and the open-air Land Cruisers are a great combination of both. (Prepare to change diapers on a bench seat, and bring an air-tight bag for disposing of them, though!) When safari-ing with children, it’s always necessary to have a private vehicle and guide, and thus the timing of drives is generally flexible to work with little ones’ sleep times. Childcare is also often a part of the offering at the most family friendly safari lodges. On our first as a threesome, my husband and I opted to do a night drive sans baby, so I nursed and put her down before leaving; when we returned she was sleepy-eyed and tied to the babysitter’s back with a cloth, local style, having not slept a wink but spent most of the time playing with her sweet minder.
Segera Retreat, Kenya
Kathryn Romeyn
Sabi Sabi Bush Lodge, South Africa
The real fun starts once little ones can talk, or at least communicate what they’re seeing. I’ve found two to three years to be the most thrilling time where they are engaged and absolutely delighted by every single animal. As they get older and opinions form, it’s wildly entertaining. And our five year old hilariously now requests certain species as if she could order them off a menu, though she also savours the scavenger hunt-like search for them or the discovery of even the tiniest critter that, as only the best guides (often fathers or mothers themselves) can do, becomes something completely captivating. Yes, it’s one of the most adventurous things you could ever do as a family, but it’s also one of the most worthwhile – especially at one of the properties that embraces kids. Whether you’re toting along babies or preteens, these are the 13 best family friendly safari lodges in Africa.
In this article
Editor's picks
- Best for seeing the Big Five: Sabi Sabi Bush Lodge, South Africa
- Best for those unsure about safari with kids: Sweetwaters Serena Camp, Kenya
- Best for big groups: Jock Safari Lodge, South Africa
- Best for a unique landscape: Kwessi Dunes, Namibia
Tswalu Kalahari Reserve, South Africa
Segera Retreat, Kenya
Andrew Morgan
Tswalu Kalahari Reserve, South Africa
Best for: a tailored experience; children under 12
For our first family safari, the ultra-knowledgeable team from Extraordinary Journeys (led by a mom) advised we start at Tswalu, famously child-friendly, super luxurious, and in a no-malaria zone of South Africa’s remote Northern Cape reached only by their charter plane from Cape Town or Johannesburg. It absolutely floored us, twice, not only the animals but the expanses of saturated jaw-dropping desert. As the largest privately owned game reserve in the country – 1,110 square kilometres, the same size as Hong Kong – it has space on its side, which means the experience of watching wildlife is completely pure and private, no jockeying for position amongst dozens of other vehicles like in the most popular game parks. I’ve found with kids, especially, this is ultra valuable and amps up the enchantment considerably.
When travelling with our two daughters, we took up temporary residence in one of the gobsmackingly beautiful standalone Loapi safari homes, which comes with a private chef, house manager, guide and vehicle. Our own child minder, too, who had looked after our eldest as a baby and immediately revived their close connection. It felt like pretty much anything we needed could be accomplished with a smile and thus our game drives started at just the right early-morning hour for us and included stops for hot chocolate and treats or sundowners and sand play. Meals were tailored to our exacting preferences and the discriminating tastes of our girls (adult food for us, healthful kid-friendly food for them), and we enjoyed dipping in the plunge pool, playing games and colouring in the living space, learning inside our own conservation room, and watching birds and tiny antelope from our wooden deck.
There are no elephants in the reserve – it’s not their kind of environment! – but there are so many other species that prove enthralling. African wild dogs or painted wolves were playful and adorable and exciting, and Tswalu’s habituated mobs of meerkats were as curious about kids as the humans are about them. We had an absolute ball observing the tiny animals’ behavior while sitting on the red Kalahari sand. Our daughter even got to help make a cast of a cheetah print as a special keepsake, one of many activities included in the Junior Ranger Programme designed for little ones under 12 years.
Price: From about £2,100 per night.
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Courtesy andBeyond
andBeyond Phinda Private Game Reserve, South Africa
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Best for: private guides
Located in northern KwaZulu-Natal in a private game reserve in Zululand that encompasses a rare dry sand forest, this lodge some three-and-a-half hours by car from Durban offers a unique experience of its own for every age. It’s one of the properties where children five and younger can only join game drives – during which they might marvel at the Big Five species as well as suni and red duiker antelopes – if it’s in a private vehicle, otherwise ages six and above may join the standard outings (as long as the manager deems it OK).
Nature walks are for older kids of 12 and up, however the WILDchild programme is a great thing to tap into when adults want a quieter or more peaceful wildlife experience – it involves professional child minders and little ones can play bush survival games, go fishing, try bug tracking and learn traditional skills. They also receive a welcome backpack with a scrapbook they can fill in with memories from the adventure. For the whole family, however, boat cruises and Zulu community visits leave behind memories, while there’s also the opportunity, seasonally, to see sea turtles on the Indian Ocean coastline.
Price: From about £1000 per night.
Zannier Hotels
Zannier Omaanda, Namibia
Best for: an unobvious safari destination that still delivers
In my experience, Namibia is not the obvious first safari destination, but that didn’t stop us from going after South Africa for an outrageously memorable family journey. Virtually everywhere in the gently populated country feels remote and far from civilization, which is lovely but makes it a bit more appropriate for families with slightly older children. This gorgeous and sumptuous property in a 22,000-acre private reserve not far from the capital of Windhoek – and just about half an hour by car to the airport, with transfers included in the rate – accepts children starting at age six for safety reasons. For walking and tracking excursions the minimum age is 16.
Beautiful round thatched-roof huts with two bedrooms spanning about 120 square metres can comfortably fit two adults and two kids, and are absolutely divine, as is the abundant cuisine, which can be tailored to meet kids’ needs. Safari drives can be privatized and specialised with a tracker equipped to seek particular species including elephants, rhinos and feline carnivores. Just next door, the N/a'an ku sê Foundation is a conservation-minded sanctuary where it’s possible to take tours and meet orphaned and rescued animals close up, with several activities open to youngsters including a carnivore feeding, hunting with San bushmen and ancient San stories under the stars.
Price: From about £530 per night.
Adrian Houston
Four Seasons Safari Lodge Serengeti, Tanzania
Best for: kids age 2 and up, or 7 and up for the Hot Air Balloon safari
In the famed Serengeti, this plush safari lodge accepts families and offers free stays and meals to children 10 and under when sharing with an adult. The property’s minimum age requirement is two years, making it inappropriate for those travelling with babies and young toddlers. Still, for those two and up it’s impressively well suited, with the Kijana Club accepting even toddlers (with a guardian present) and, daily from 10am to 6pm offering supervised play and programs that include African drumming, Swahili lessons, animal cookie decorating and bead making. Little VIPs get an activity booklet that helps them learn about the wildlife they’re spotting on safaris, and in the onsite museum and research space that hosts cultural talks (more appropriate for older teens) and features intriguing specimens.
As far as those drives that produce spectacularly large prides of lions – even around the lodge watering hole – as well as big memories of elephants, giraffes, buffalo, warthogs and, during the annual Great Migration, jaw-dropping herds of zebras and wildebeest, all guests are allowed, though private vehicles are strongly recommended when it comes to the youngest kids. And they’ll need to be at least seven years old to go on an unforgettable hot-air balloon safari and see the grassy savanna, watering holes and plains from the perspective of a bird. Since the entire property is connected via elevated walkways, it’s also possible for kids to do their own spotting on a smaller scale, and plenty can be seen from the infinity pool. Additional peace of mind is offered in the form of a doctor on call 24 hours a day.
Price: From about £1,400 per night.
Sweetwaters Serena Camp, Kenya
Best for: those unsure about safari with kids
If your children are small people lacking patience, who don’t love being in cars or may not be equipped to handle hours of driving through the bush, Sweetwaters Serena Camp is probably the perfect fit for your family. The camp with 56 ensuite canvas tents is oriented around a main watering hole and fenced enclosure, which in effect makes for fantastic wildlife viewing without going anywhere at all. There may be rhinos drinking in the morning, warthogs at midday, elephants splashing after that and, as sundowners are being poured, giraffes spreading their legs wide in order to dip their heads and sip quickly without passing out or getting attacked by predators (it’s a fascinating thing to observe, I promise!). Observant kids may also see animals outside the restaurant during a meal, which involves early dinners as needed plus special children’s meals.
Situated in the 360-square-kilometre Ol Pejeta Conservancy in Laikipia, which is absolutely teeming with rhinos quite literally everywhere, its amenities include a heated swimming pool, recreational area with games including archery, a kids club but more than that easy access to Sweetwaters Chimpanzee Sanctuary, which is the only place in the country where it’s possible to see chimps up close and personal during their feeding times. During a visit to the conservancy, my daughters enjoyed the sanctuary’s educational room where they tried playing games given to the chimpanzees to test their skills and dexterity.
Price: From about £254 per night.
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Kwandwe Ecca Lodge, South Africa
Best for: babies and toddlers (the kit is all provided)
Situated along the East Cape’s stunning Garden Route, Kwandwe Ecca Lodge in the Kwandwe Private Game Reserve is an amazing malaria-free option for families, where first aid–trained child minders are on hand for complimentary babysitting, and all the kid essentials such as cots with mosquito nets, pool safety nets and high chairs are offered, too. As a welcome gift, littles from three years and up are greeted with a safari bag containing their very own water bottle, bug viewer, Big Five puzzle, and activity book with pencils – the smallest guests get a cosy blanket. Here it’s essential to book a suite with a private vehicle for the most flexibility in taking along children on drives, since those under 12 aren’t allowed on standard shared game drives.
The particular suites are designed for families and can sleep up to two adults and two children, and come with the private vehicle plus their own dedicated ranger and tracker – who are virtually guaranteed to enjoy kids and be open to all their incessant questions. The property’s Blue Crane Conservation Club is a highlight for children since it offers opportunities to go on fishing trips, try bean and sand art, explore scats and go spoor tracking, and play eco board games.
Price: From about £1,000 per night.
Kwessi Dunes, Namibia
Best for: unique landscape
Tucked near the awe-inspiring Sossusvlei sand dunes and sitting atop the eye-popping orange sand, this camp with chalet accommodations provides guests both big and small with indelible encounters and experiences. All ages are welcome, and our nearly toddling daughter was in heaven in this singular environment, so stunningly different from anything she’d ever known, watching wildlife such as zebras and oryx (the national animal of Namibia) hang out by the swimming pool in great numbers and spying a mama and baby elephant in the hushed expanses of sand on a quiet game drive with not another soul for miles. Booking a private safari vehicle is essential, and the guides will adapt timings to your schedule.
The malaria-free NamibRand Nature Reserve in which it sits is designated as an International Dark Sky Reserve, and though we were unlucky enough to have rain at night, the accommodations each open to an entirely outdoor bedroom where I know kiddos of a certain age would adore sleeping (even if there’s not much actual sleep happening). Hot air balloon safaris are an option for those six and older, while kids 16 and up can horseback ride and try quad biking. But for the littlest, like my daughter was, nature and bushmen walks, game drives and day trips to Sossusvlei are enchanting enough, thanks in part to the friendly, accommodating team. Helicopter flights are also open to all.
Price: From about £490 per night.
Crookes And Jackson
Segera Retreat, Kenya
Best for: An ultra-private getaway
Set on a rewilded, malaria-free 50,000-acre conservancy northwest of Mount Kenya in Laikipia, Kenya, this eco-safari lodge is a fantasyland for all ages – they even welcomed my Nairobi-born niece mere weeks after her birth, where she became their youngest-ever guest. The entire staff is absolutely stunning with kids. They’re so caring, engaged and fun that you’ll find yourself not worried in the least about where your child is, because you know someone whisked them off to the kitchen for a scoop of ice cream or to the garden to pull up carrots, or maybe they’re helping them make beaded bracelets or smoothies with the freshest local ingredients.
With just 10 villas and private houses, the experience feels beautifully private, and it’s as tailored and customised as can be. They’ll make recommendations, of course, but whatever time you wish to go on a game drive, they’ll make it work. Ditto for mealtimes and other activities. Because the Segera way is to make every meal for every group essentially private, there’s no stress about unruly little ones disrupting other guests. And if they’re particularly rowdy, there’s always a wonderful villa attendant (essentially your private butler or host) to take them back to the accommodation for some playtime or a nap. As blissful as the property (and its cuisine!) is – encircled by an electric fence so there’s no chance of wildlife sneaking in at night – the wildlife is, of course, the main event. The elephant on Segera’s logo indicates one of the most magnificent populations on the reserve, and we witnessed perhaps 40 of them at one time, a true spectacle that stunned us all. Lions are also quite abundant, yet guides are very responsive to the adults’ appetite for proximity and are the consummate professionals when it comes to tracking and also answering a stream of excited questions.
Price: From about £1,480 per night.
SimonSkafar
Fairmont Mara Safari Club, Kenya
Best for: location
It’s location, location, location that, in part, helps make this family-friendly camp within the Olchoro Oirowua Conservancy in Kenya’s Maasai Mara Game Reserve just so special. It sits right on the banks of the Mara River, and children will have a wonderful time simply sitting on the deck of their luxurious tented room and counting how many hippos and crocodiles pop their eyes above the surface. Extra points for those gravity-defying jaw-splitting yawns. Little hippopotamus aficionados can plant themselves at Hippo Corner, too, and enjoy the show. There’s security 24/7, as is de rigueur at a high-end safari lodge, and babysitters are on hand to hire, too.
The property excels at making kid-friendly food for even picky eaters, and the river provides a through line that extends to meals, too, letting the safari experience seep into every aspect of the day. Game drive times are arranged around rest periods (even adults crave naps on safari) and there’s a stunning pool from which wildlife can also be spotted, most wonderfully while having cocktails and a bite and splashing in the sun with one’s kids. Additional options include visits to Maasai villages and, by night, storytelling and traditional performances incorporating music and dance around a roaring campfire under a blanket of stars.
Price: From about £390 per night.
Boshoff Steenekamp
Jock Safari Lodge, South Africa
Best for: big groups
This beloved safari camp on a 6,000-hectare private concession offers families the bounty of the southern Kruger National Park and its iconic Big Five populations with far fewer people around. Intimate and Old World–style gracious, Jock delivers a quintessential safari experience that includes starlit night walks and bush drive sightings of the Little Five, too – elephant shrew, rhinoceros beetle, antlion, leopard tortoise, buffalo weaver. For larger families, crews with very young children, or those wishing for seclusion, there’s an exclusive-use three-suite villa called Fitzpatrick’s, with its own ranger, chef, vehicle and swimming pool for hot afternoons. All ages are accommodated there, whereas the main lodge has a minimum age of six years, and itineraries and daily happenings are entirely customized around the family occupying it.
Kids are each gifted a safari pack of gifts, some of which come in handy when exploring with the guide and going frogging or insect catching. And there’s a Kids on Safari Programme comprising arts and crafts, puzzles, books and games for the times when a drive isn’t in the cards – or when the parents want a quiet moment in the spa. One word of caution, since Kruger is not a malaria-free destination: the most risky time of year is October through May and primarily February through May, and the worst time of day begins at dusk and ends at dawn.
Price: From about £1,700 per night.
Ngorongoro Lodge by Melia Collection, Tanzania
Best for: a safari in a volcanic crater
A magnificent location on the rim of the Ngorongoro Crater – the largest volcanic caldera that’s still intact in the world– in northern Tanzania makes this property stand out, but it’s also incredibly appealing when travelling as a family, including as a multi-generational crew. There are quite a lot of multi-bedroom configurations including family rooms and two-to-four bedroom suites and littles under four stay free, while there’s a reduced rate for kids from four to 11 who share a suite with an adult. Even without a traditional kids’ club it proves itself worthy of the smallest, often most discerning travellers.
It may go without saying that close supervision (at every safari property anywhere) is essential when there are children around, but the open rim setting could be especially precarious without keeping little ones close. There’s a heated infinity pool and wildlife may be seen from it, families can visit Maasai bomas (communities) and get to know them while perhaps watching dance performances, and in a private vehicle they can head out on safaris in the natural bowl of the crater itself to spot zebras, lions, black rhinos and elephants. These outings might include fancy picnic lunches, making the whole affair feel even more like a fantasy.
Price: From about £1,000 per night.
Sabi Sabi Bush Lodge, South Africa
Best for: seeing the Big Five
This genuine family safari lodge in the private Sabi Sand Game Reserve is incredibly highly rated for a reason – it delivers what feels like a true African safari experience while also embracing kids of every age. Our guide, who at the time was about to be a first-time father, couldn’t have been more wonderful with our baby, and we got the sense that her presence for a few days made his job even more fulfilling. There, in a reserve whose border with Kruger National Park is unfenced, we spotted virtually every African animal a person could want: lions (which I’ll admit gave my husband a fright due to the closeness of a male to our vehicle, and I did squeeze our little one tighter as I nursed her to keep her quiet), wildebeest, rhinoceros, zebras, giraffes and elephants included. It’s a Big Five spot for those interested in seeing all the iconic stars of safari.
Our two-bedroom family villa gave us more than ample room and, for the adults, a private wing come nighttime. Babysitting is available (see above story!) and the accommodations can be set up for children of different ages’ needs. Younger children are allowed to have dinner early before the main buffet-style seating. Starting at age six, a child can be permitted to join the standard drives, while under that age a private vehicle is needed. And older kids, too, can participate in bush walks with rangers to learn survival and tracking on foot skills. Their little siblings, meanwhile have a world of joy in the educationally minded EleFun Centre, run by childcare experts with indoor and outdoor spaces that include a playground and art room, and then from age four to eight they can be part of Junior Trackers (Junior Rangers goes from nine to 12) and try reading maps, identifying birds and practicing Zulu crafts.
Price: From about £1,370 per night.
Elewana Loisaba Star Beds
Elewana Loisaba Tented Camp, Kenya
Best for: teens; additional activities
In the high-altitude region of Laikipia – where fewer mosquitos are naturally found – this camp in a 57,000-acre conservancy with three family combination accommodations and a private residence option (with a private pool, dining space and bar) is the place for active families with diverse interests. It welcomes all ages and happily accommodates them, too, with customizable children’s menus and the option for flexible mealtimes, too. Additionally, guests under 18 are subject to reduced conservancy fees. But beyond the prolific sightings that include elephants, cheetahs, leopards, lions and African wild dogs, not to mention a unique antelope species, eastern black rhinos, Grevy’s zebras and reticulated giraffes, the secret sauce for youth here is really in the activities.
Particularly thrilling are visits to the anti-poaching unit where kids get to meet the surprisingly friendly bloodhounds who work so hard to keep the wildlife safe and see how the handlers work with them. Depending on the age of the child, of course, they can take guided nature and bush walks and visit local villages to be among Samburu people and witness their traditions, and maybe meet some kids their own age, too. Mountain biking, horseback riding and camel trekking are options for older kids, and the Wildlife Warrior Program offers the chance to test out traditional Samburu and Maasai skills such as spear throwing and fire making.
Price: From about £400 per night.
How we choose the best family-friendly safari lodges in Africa
Every hotel on this list has been selected independently by our editors and written by a Condé Nast Traveller journalist who knows the destination and has stayed at that property. When choosing hotels, our editors consider both luxury properties and boutique and lesser-known boltholes that offer an authentic and insider experience of a destination. We’re always looking for beautiful design, a great location and warm service – as well as serious sustainability credentials. We update this list regularly as new hotels open and existing ones evolve. Find out more about our editorial standards and how we review hotels. This is is our pick of the best family-friendly safari lodges in Africa.
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