Family Beach Holidays

Many fond childhood memories include a beach holiday.

Overview

Children and beaches are inherently made for each other, so most of our beach destinations will be perfect for kids.

South Africa generally has an active sea with rolling breakers. This is great for body boarding and surfing. But not so ideal if you are looking for the complete range of water sports offered in flatter waters. Similarly, waves are fun for kids. But also add an element of risk for younger children. In contrast, most of Mauritius and Zanzibar are surrounded by coral reefs so that the sea close to the beach is calm.

Safari & Beach Family Holidays - Other factors to consider:

  • Do you want a ''safari and beach'' family holiday? If so, South Africa is the perfect option as KwaZulu Natal and the Garden Route/Eastern Cape combo both offer easily travelling and no need to fly to the beach.
  • How far do you want to travel? There are some stunning beaches in Mauritius (or the Seychelles). But they involve a fairly long flight and  an overnight stay in Johannesburg prior to the flight.
  • What sort of family beach holiday are you looking for? Waves or calm lagoon waters?
  • When are you travelling? Northern hemisphere summer holidays mean winter in the Cape – great for beach walks but not beach & swimming weather! At that time of year, you’ll need to head to the  north of South Africa or the sub-tropical islands of Mauritius, Mozambique or Zanzibar…

Safari & beach family holidays - Plettenberg Bay

So there are several options:

  • Opt for a South Africa beach, safari and sightseeing holiday
  • Combine South Africa with Mozambique or Mauritius for the beach
  • Combine Tanzania with Zanzibar, or Kenya with its coast
Safari & beach family holidays
Other Safari & Beach Family Holiday Articles

Back to our Main Safari & Beach in Africa page

Highlights

  • South Africa tends to have a more dramatic sea with lots of waves to jump or body-surf on.
  • Many of the Indian Ocean islands off the Eastern coast of Africa have coral reefs and so are much calmer.
  • Remember the Cape coast of South Africa doesnt have beach weather during the northern hemispher Summer holidays (July & August)

Not sure where to take your kids in Cape Town?

Check out our Top 20 places to visit for kids & families in Cape Town Get our Free guide here
 

Ginny Russell

Co-founder & Director

Hi I'm Ginny, I'm here to help you plan your ideal holiday experience

Popular tours & safaris

We arrange trips to more than 100+ destinations throughout the African continent.

Start planning your dream trip

Find me the best in for

Need a little help? View our Safari Guide to help you get started

Accommodation

View More Accommodations

Incredibly well organised

"Everything was incredibly well organised and left nothing wanting. We did not see all of the animals that we had hoped for but the experience we had was so much more than that. Hopefully we will return to Africa one day – maybe Namibia / Botswana next time. Thank you so much for organising everything for us it is very much appreciated. " Mr James Coleman

Great to deal with

"Cedarberg were really great to deal with. The Drakensberg mountains were spectacular. We most enjoyed Victoria Falls that literally took your breath away.  The river boat cruises at Livingstone were well worth it.  Also getting so close to the animals at Umlani in the Timbavati, even the lions and leopards. " Mr Martin Butler, UK

Once more million thanks for organizing and supervising our trip of the lifetime.

"Once more million thanks for organizing and supervising our trip of the lifetime. I am glad with choose to stay in multiple lodges and locations as every one of our five stops was absolutely unique. Service and staff were outstanding everywhere. transfers were very smooth and easy. food quality matches Michelin restaurants. And game was superb! I personally enjoyed viewing at Bateleur in Kruger the most , as relatively open spaces gave us the opportunity to see all Big five in no time. Chobe in Botswana was second favorite but mostly because of boat cruises. Lukimbi accommodation, and Sanctuary kitchen were winners in those categories, respectively.
Victoria falls definitely not to be missed, canopy tour and heli ride were cherries on the cake.
Retrospectively I would probably not make any changes to out itinerary! Mr & Mrs Yuly "
Mr & Mrs Yuly