Enjoyable family safaris can be arranged in the rest of Southern Africa as well...
Family Safaris in Zambia
Zambia is rapidly gaining a name for itself as a family safari destination for those in the know... In large part this is due to the safari houses' on offer in Zambia. With a safari house, your family party, ideally six to eight people, takes the whole lodge, not just one or two inter-leading rooms. The lodge has its own ranger so that you'll have a private vehicle for your game drives and a private chef, sometimes even a house-keeper or butler as well. This leads to much more relaxed and flexible family safaris. No constant worrying about noise levels, no self-consciousness about an impromptu ball game on the lawn. You are free to choose your own game-viewing rhythm, heading out early one morning and taking it more relaxed another day. You can eat what you want, when you want it. If you are a smaller family then a number of safari lodges offer family accommodation though few offer specific children's safari programmes.
Please note that the three family safari highlights of Zambia: the Victoria Falls, the South Luangwa National Park and the Lower Zambezi National Park are all connected by charter flights so your family should be comfortable with flying in small planes, sometimes for an hour.
Have a look at our sample Zambia Family Safari, perfect for more adventurous families keen to show the wilder side of Africa to their children.
Family Safaris in Victoria Falls
Another tick for Zambia is Victoria Falls, which offers as complete contrast to your family safari with a myriad of activities revolving around the Zambezi river and the Falls.
Many people spend just a night or two at the Victoria Falls but there's plenty on offer for families for a few days. Older teenagers and adrenalin junkies will enjoy terrifying their parents with white water rafting, bungee-jumping and bridge-swinging, especially if your pride means you have to join them.
Younger teenagers and children don't miss out with adventurous canoeing above the Falls, elephant-back safaris, boat cruises and game-viewing on the river. You can choose between resort hotels, which offer loads of activities and a children's activity club, or all-inclusive smaller lodges on the Zambezi river where eco-activities such as boat cruises, game drives, nature walks, local village visits and canoeing, are included in the price. If you are a large family party, you can even take your own private island on the Zambezi River with the possibility of sharing your dining room with the local elephants...
Family Safaris in Botswana
Botswana is a superb family safari destination for older children from nine and up, especially kids who enjoy being out in the wilds. One attractive aspect of a Botswana family safari is the variety of activities on offer from game drives in open 4x4 vehicles, to mokoro trips to boat cruises to game walks (the latter option is for teenagers only). You can also combine a Botswana family safari with a visit to Victoria Falls.
Compared to South Africa there are relatively few lodges which cater specifically for children however Kwando Safaris has great approach for family safaris. They offer specialist family guides such as Lisa Reed and Charles Sebaka who prepare special material for your children to work through prior to arrival and develop individual programmes for your children whilst on safari depending on the ages and interests of your kids. They may do a junior rangers course with teenagers or offer activities like spoor castings, using spotlights, fishing, animal and bush identification, making greeting cards out of natural materials etc. for the youngsters.
A private mobile safari for your family is definitely worth considering. This gives you great flexibility to choose your dates and routes and the children get so much out of the experience. Mashatu offers private walking safaris for families with older teenagers in the Tuli block walking between fly camps which is guaranteed to impress the most cynical of teenagers.
Family Safaris in Namibia
Namibia is not typically considered a family safari destination because of the long distances but if your family are seasoned, adventurous travellers, then Namibia can definitely be on your short list. Much of Namibia is free from Malaria. The key to a successful family safari in Namibia is to think small! The country is huge so it's better to focus on two or three area such as Sossusvlei and Swakopmund.
Namibia is a desert country offering loads of variety from climbing some of the highest sand dunes in the world to clambering over the rocks looking at ancient Bushmen rock art. The scenery is quite unlike anywhere else in the world and there's excellent accessible game-viewing in Etosha and Damaraland. On the coast, there are some great excursions for older children such as kayaking on the lagoons to view the pink flamingos, scenic flights or quad biking on the dunes. Most lodges and guest farms welcome children and you can choose between taking a self-drive holiday or private safari with one of our guides.
Family Safaris in East Africa
It is a malarial area so it's best suited to older children who can take anti-malarials and who will really appreciate the ease with which you can skip from bush to beach but if you need a quick half-term fix of excitement...
For a whacky giraffe weekend, take the kids to Giraffe Manor in Kenya. The kids may be used to plastic animals in their cereal packet, but have they experienced a real giraffe sticking its head through the breakfast room window? If you take them to the delightful Giraffe Manor and adjoining Giraffe Centre - conveniently located just half an hour's drive from Nairobi - there's every chance they'll experience just that. Originally established when the owners rescued two endangered baby Rothschild giraffe, the Giraffe Centre is now a world renowned giraffe sanctuary. It is very child friendly, since one of its main activities is educating Kenyan school children about Africa's gentle giants. There are unique opportunities to observe, feed and photograph giraffe, and the Manor offers superb accommodation redolent of a bygone era.
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