Family holidays to Southern Africa
Wild and rugged yet with people that are welcoming and friendly, Africa will offer experiences and opportunities that cannot be found anywhere else in the world, which will capture the imagination and the hearts of not only adults but equally of children. Beautiful landscapes, culturally rich and abundant with game reserves, Southern Africa offers an exciting and different option for your family holiday.
We can organise a holiday which is based entirely in South Africa, exploring the Cape, Garden Route and Shamwari Game Reserve. Alternatively, Mauritius offers the perfect combination for a multi centre holiday. Combine a stay in Cape Town with a beach break in Mauritius, or enjoy a South African Safari followed by a stay in Mauritius.
We can book itineraries to suit your specific needs and can include camps and lodges which aren't featured on our website, including those in Botswana. However, please note that we have picked the suggested itineraries and lodges for their family friendliness and we will not be held responsible for the family suitability of any lodges which are not suggested.
The camps and hotels
All camps and hotels chosen in the family itineraries were picked to cater for the needs of a family holiday. On top of this we have picked camps in beautiful surroundings that offer top quality accommodation and service. The accommodation varies between city hotels, stone structured lodges and tented camps, with the majority being hotels and lodges for the safety and comfort of families. Many of the lodges have restrictions on the ages of children allowed to participate in the game drives. Participation of children is at the discretion of the guide, and this is for the comfort of the animals and maintaining a quiet environment for them, and also because the drives can last for several hours and be quite tiring for young children. Each lodge provides babysitting and child minding for children during these game drive periods and many of them will have dedicated children’s programmes involving mini game drives for children, nature walks and animal tracking activities, offering your children a truly unique experience.
Safety with children
Children mainly stay within the vicinity of the lodge unless they are on an organised game drive or bush walk in which case they will be accompanied by a very experienced guide. Baby sitting and child minding are available in most lodges and camps and this service can be utilised during the game drives. Throughout the lodges there is also the constant presence of human activity through the staff and the guests which tends to discourage wildlife from the vicinity, however it is important to understand the possible risks of taking your children on safari. Please remember that the animals are wild and are to be treated with the utmost respect. It is in fact humans that are encroaching on the animal’s space rather than the other way round. We have tried to offer options in malaria free areas as well. Please consult your doctor before travel regarding malaria.
Other important points
The safaris are specifically family orientated however there will be others staying in the lodges we recommend that may not have children. Please also be aware that you will be staying in an environment that is shared with wild animals, and children will need to be considerate to both of these situations.