Family Beach Holidays in Africa | Best Destinations & Safaris

Overview

Children and beaches are a natural match, which is why most of our featured beach destinations work brilliantly for families. South Africa’s coastline offers rolling breakers ideal for body boarding and surfing. Great fun, though waves do add a layer of caution for younger and newer swimmers. By contrast, most Mauritius and Zanzibar beaches sit behind protective coral reefs, creating gentle lagoon waters that suit paddle-happy toddlers and those keen on a wider range of water sports.

Safari & Beach Family Holidays - Other factors to consider:

A few practical questions help shape the right itinerary:

Do you want to avoid extra flights?
South Africa is the easiest option: KwaZulu-Natal or a combination of the Garden Route and Eastern Cape offer seamless safari-to-beach travel by road.
How far do you want to fly?
Mauritius (and the Seychelles) have glorious family-friendly beaches, but usually require a longer flight plus an overnight stay en route.

What kind of beach do you prefer?
Surfable waves or calm lagoon waters?

When are you travelling?
Northern Hemisphere summer means winter in the Cape — lovely for coastal walks, less ideal for sunbathing. For warm beach weather in July/August, look to northern South Africa, Mozambique, Mauritius or Zanzibar.

Family-friendly combinations include:

A South Africa beach, safari and sightseeing holiday
South Africa plus Mozambique or Mauritius
Tanzania safari plus Zanzibar, or Kenya with its idyllic coastline

Ready to build new family memories? Let’s design a beach-and-safari journey that everyone will love, from toddlers to teens.

Other Safari & Beach Family Holiday Articles

Popular tours & safaris

Benguerra Island Fly-In

This short fly-in beach holiday to Benguerra Island in Mozambique is the perfect end to an exciting African safari or honeymoon. With its white, palm-fringed beaches and coral reefs, the easy vibe...

WHEN Apr - Dec

DURATION 6 Nights

FROM ₤ 2,009

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Bush, Beach & Cape Town Family Breakaway

A relaxed 11-night family bush & beach safari from Phinda’s wildlife to Maputaland’s golden beaches with a Cape Town finale.

WHEN Jan - Dec

DURATION 11 Nights

FROM ₤ 13,295

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Lake Malawi Beach Retreats including Kaya Mawa

An island beach holiday on Lake Malawi is ideal for honeymooners, couples and families. Combine it with a safari or simply enjoy a week away from the world. Stay at the romantic Kaya Mawa on...

WHEN Apr - Dec

DURATION 5 Nights

FROM ₤ 1,195

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Family-friendly Destinations, types of Family accommodation, sample tours & useful tips & tricks Get our Free Family Safari guide

Accommodation

Thonga Beach Lodge

Thonga Beach Lodge is a stylish and relaxed beach lodge on the shores of the secluded Mabibi bay in Coastal Maputaland. Mabibi Bay is a magical place with a long sandy beach, snorkelling reefs,...

RATING Luxury

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Kaya Mawa

Exclusive lodge on Likoma Island , remote island retreat in the middle of Lake Malawi. Kaya Mawa is both full of character & architecturally innovative, as befits this unique and unspoilt...

RATING Luxury

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azura-marlin-Peri-Peri-Beach-Evening-1020

Azura Marlin Beach

Azura Marlin Beach, a reborn gem in Mozambique’s Bazaruto Archipelago, offers a barefoot boutique retreat on Benguerra Island, blending modern luxury with African charm and Portuguese...

RATING Premier

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Enjoyed the charm of the accommodation

"I want thank Mari for helping us create a vacation tour that worked for my husband son and myself. We got to see everything we would like to see that worked within our budget. " - Mrs Janouska, USA

It was by far the best experience we have ever had!!

"We are (regrettably) back from our trip and I wanted to let you know that it was by far the best experience we have ever had. The itinerary you designed for us was simply outstanding. Our guide in Cape Town was incredible and made sure we maximized our time, even throwing in little unexpected side trips to a wine farm, etc. The accommodations were top notch everywhere we stayed and the service ..." - Mrs Deb

Cedarberg recommendations matched perfectly!

"Cedarberg have a detailed knowledge of the country and took time to understand our budget, desires and preferences to create a wonderful multi-centred holiday for us. They were helpful fine-tuning the itinerary and put together a comprehensive package covering all our needs. We have used Cedarberg previously and each holiday has been fabulous. We will have no hesitation using them for our next ..." - Mr Brian Collins UK

The trip was amazing

"I will write in detail about all the places. In the meantime, I just wanted to write you a quick note to say THANK YOU so much for putting a wonderful trip together for our family. From the beginning to the end the trip was amazing. I will highly recommend you to anyone in the future for South Africa. " - Mr Gord Dubey, USA

Excellent attention to detail

"This is the second holiday that Ginny and her team have arranged for us, and once again the service and attention to detail were excellent. Ginny put together a wonderful tailor made itinerary for our trip, and her recommendations were absolutely perfect in enhancing the trip. In today’s world of being able to arrange most things yourself, I have no doubt that there is no way we could have pu ..." - Mrs Janet Mudge, UK

Frequently asked questions

It depends on your time of travel. Winter in the Cape (June–August) is better for beach walks than swimming, while Mauritius, Mozambique and Zanzibar all offer reliably warm conditions for summer-holiday travel from Europe or North America.

Mauritius and Zanzibar are excellent choices thanks to their protective coral reefs, which create warm, gentle lagoon waters ideal for cautious swimmers and toddlers with buckets and masks. Machangulo in Mozambique also has access to calmer lagoon waters.

Yes. Mauritius excels here, with many resorts offering well-run kids’ clubs and trusted babysitting. Several Seychelles resorts also provide child-friendly programmes, though offerings vary by hotel.

Family Beach Holidays | A deeper dive

Cape Vidal – Bush & Beach in a day?

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Southern Africa Beach Resorts - Thonga vs White Pearl

Executive Summary (TL;DR ) Both Thonga Beach Lodge (South Africa) and White Pearl Resorts (Mozambique) offer idyllic Indian Ocean escapes, but they’re designed for slightly different travellers....

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Which is better - Knysna or Plettenberg Bay? Here's the lowdown

Two Popular towns on the Garden Route – Which one is the best? Many of our clients visiting the Garden Route like to stay at two different places along the way. It is, however, rather unwise to...

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