Picture your family waking to the distant roar of lions as the first light breaks across the Serengeti. Or imagine your children’s eyes widening in wonder as elephants silently glide through Botswana’s golden floodplains. Family safaris in Africa create moments of shared discovery and lasting connection, woven through some of the world’s most breathtaking landscapes.
Yet planning the best family safari in Africa can seem overwhelming. Which destinations offer the richest experiences? What lodges blend adventure with comfort and safety? When is the ideal time to embark on your journey? In this guide, we’ll answer these questions clearly and thoughtfully, helping you plan a family safari that is luxurious, enriching and deeply memorable.
How to Choose the Best Family Safari in Africa
Africa’s vast landscapes offer countless safari experiences, but choosing the perfect one for your family means considering factors such as travel time, safety, wildlife experiences and age-appropriate activities.
To minimise long travel days and maximise immersion, it’s wise to select one region. East Africa combines world-renowned wildlife encounters in Kenya’s Maasai Mara or Tanzania’s Serengeti with enriching cultural experiences, making it perfect for families seeking depth and diversity. Southern Africa, particularly South Africa and Botswana, offers exceptional wildlife viewing experiences, complemented by luxurious, family-friendly lodges often located in malaria-free areas, making it an ideal destination for families with younger children.
Deciding whether to include multiple countries in a single trip will depend on your family’s preferences. If you have young children, it may make more sense to slow down and have an in-depth travel experience in just one country, but you may decide to include a few different countries in one unforgettable, whirlwind adventure.
Regardless of what you decide, there are a few African countries that stand out in terms of the luxury family safari experience they offer. These are a few of our favourites.
South Africa
South Africa stands out with luxurious lodges that prioritise family comfort, safety and adventure.
The Kruger National Park and surrounding reserves deliver exhilarating Big Five game drives. Properties like Serondella Game Lodge, &Beyond Ngala Safari Lodge and Thornybush Game Lodge provide tailored activities that engage and delight children.
Malaria-free regions, such as Tswalu Kalahari, offer unique close-up wildlife experiences, including observing curious meerkats at sunrise. At Marataba Safari Lodge, kids enjoy endless fun through Mack and Madi’s Kids’ Adventure Safari Club, while Morukuru River House offers fully personalised, family-oriented safaris in Madikwe Game Reserve.
Kenya and Tanzania
Both Kenya and Tanzania are unparalleled destinations for nature-focused family safaris. What truly sets these nations apart is the enriching cultural experiences offered alongside incredible wildlife encounters.
In both countries, your luxury family safari can include meeting the Maasai tribe and learning about their way of life, which has remained relatively unchanged for centuries. In Kenya, you can connect with the Samburu and Turkana tribes. These memorable interactions allow children to learn about cultures different from their own while mastering traditional skills, such as spear throwing and animal tracking.
Several Kenyan lodges offer specially designed children’s programmes, including House in the Wild, Angama Mara and Borana Lodge. In Tanzania, exceptional family-friendly properties include Gibbs Farm, The Highlands and Chem Chem Lodge.
Namibia
For something completely different, Namibia promises a truly memorable family holiday filled with adventure. With epic landscapes ranging from desert to savannah and ocean, Namibia also boasts excellent roads, ideal for self-driving families, and the country is malaria-free.
Explore incredible wildlife congregations around Etosha National Park’s salt pans and waterholes, or discover fascinating desert-adapted animals in Sossusvlei, the Skeleton Coast and the starkly beautiful regions of Damaraland and Kaokoveld. Namibia suits families who love diverse activities such as 4×4 excursions, quad biking, walking safaris, dune boarding and cultural encounters.
Lodges like Wolwedans’ Dune Camp, Boulders Camp and Desert Camp are in stunning, remote settings ideal for families seeking solitude and reconnection.
When to Plan Your Family Safari in Africa
Deciding on when to go on safari involves balancing personal schedules, school holidays and Africa’s seasonal patterns. Regardless of when you choose to travel, there will be an African destination that suits your needs, and our expert team of Impact Journey Specialists can guide you.
Africa’s winter months generally offer cooler weather and easier wildlife spotting, but bookings fill up quickly, so planning ahead is crucial. Summer months promise lush green landscapes and an abundance of baby animals; though temperatures can rise significantly in some countries, areas near the equator, like the Serengeti and Maasai Mara, experience less temperature variation. Many luxury lodges also feature private plunge pools, fans and air conditioning, making summer safaris comfortably achievable.
How to Prepare for Your Family Safari
Preparing for your family safari can be exciting and straightforward with the proper guidance. Firstly, check with your Impact Journey Specialist about necessary vaccinations or anti-malarial medications. Then, start thinking about what you want to pack.
Packing Essentials
Check for any baggage restrictions on internal flights, as many light aircraft limit luggage to 15kg per person in soft-shell bags. When packing, layers are key—early mornings on game drives can be chilly, but they warm significantly as the day progresses. Comfortable, worn-in walking shoes will ensure you fully enjoy the many safari activities.
All luxury lodges offer laundry services, so you don’t need to pack fresh clothes every day. Pack basic toiletries, as lodges typically supply environmentally friendly soap, shampoo and conditioner. Don’t forget essentials like SPF 30+ sunscreen, insect repellent and a basic first aid kit.
Your gadgets are crucial. Bring cameras with extra batteries and memory cards, a portable power bank, chargers and adaptors.
Let Africa Shape Your Family’s Story
There are few journeys more enriching than a family safari in Africa. It’s a life-changing opportunity to see wildlife, but also to share first encounters, spark curiosity and experience wonder together.
Around every corner is a moment that can’t be staged, and these memories will shape how your family sees the world. When you embark on a safari crafted with purpose—deeply rooted in conservation, connection and learning—it becomes part of your legacy.
Interested in Planning a Family Safari in Africa?
Journeys With Purpose offers private, conservation-focused adventures in Africa, with tailor-made itineraries built around your passions. We also plan hosted journeys – get in touch with our expert travel specialists today on +44 20 8044 9538 or at connect@journeyswithpurpose.org.
