Best places in Africa to take your kids on safari

There are a few things to consider when deciding where in Africa to take your kids on safari – and I discuss them all

Those able to take their kids on safari most definitely should! It’s a mind- and soul-expanding adventure that will never leave them. But there are some important things to consider, like travel times, vaccinations, safety, and age restrictions. Also, not every kid is going to thrive if your only plan is successive days of game drives, so it’s important to also consider where you can experience a variety of safari activities.

While I suggest specific places and parks in the discussion below, please note that the focus is on offering guiding principles for your own research, as I naturally can’t mention every wonderful and worthwhile safari destination. But if you take heed of the different points discussed, you’ll be well-equipped to research and determine the best place in Africa to take your kids on safari.

Top safari destinations for small kids

Let’s talk first about small children, as they’re likely to want or require different sorts of travel considerations to tweens and teenagers.

1. Short and easy journeys

Kids – particularly very young ones – can take strain when a journey is too long or uncomfortable. I’m thinking here of long flights and transits as well as long and bumpy car journeys.

Kenya and South Africa are the two best countries in terms of having the option to fly in from abroad and go on a safari that same day if you wish.

Nairobi’s international airport, a regional hub, puts you in close proximity to several stellar game parks. For starters, Nairobi National Park sits on the city’s outskirts, gifting you the unusual view of large game (including black rhinos) with a city skyline in the background! It also only takes four hours to drive from Nairobi to two of the country’s most famous Big Five parks: Amboseli National Reserve (where you have Mt Kilimanjaro in the background) and the Masai Mara (which hosts the Great Migration in season).

South Africa has two airports – one in Johannesburg and one in Cape Town – that enjoy direct flights with other major international cities, like New York and London. Its road infrastructure is also the most extensive on the continent, and very well-maintained by African standards, thereby allowing you to travel far in good time.

There are many Big Five parks you can drive to from either airport in under half a day. In fact, you can drive from Cape Town to a couple of topnotch game reserves in the Karoo in under three hours.

2. Greater food choices

To state the obvious, kids can be fussy eaters. And while you may be keen to introduce them to different foods and cuisines, it can be helpful to have access to some familiar food options too.

South Africa is one hundred percent your best option in this regard. It has many international fast food brands, like Starbucks, McDonald’s, Burger King, and KFC. And while you won’t find these chains inside of game parks, you will still be able to buy standard Western fare like burgers and waffles in the national parks.

South Africa is also streets ahead of most other African nations when it comes to catering for alternative diets like veganism, gluten-free, halal, kosher, and Coeliac’s disease. That said, I should stress that most alternative diets won’t be accommodated in the reserves or on group tours. So if this matters, either plan a self-catering safari where you buy what you need in the city, or stay in really posh accommodation.

In most of the other African safari countries, some of these diets are considered so strange as to not be understood, even if explained (since translation can be an issue). So if your family or child has a critical or non-negotiable food consideration, I strongly recommend planning a safari in South Africa.

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3. No malaria or mandatory yellow fever vaccination

East Africa is a malarial zone, as is much of Southern Africa. But there are a handful of Southern African countries you can visit without needing to consider anti-malaria precautions like medication. This is especially important with very young children, and it’s generally recommended not to visit a malaria region with littlies under five.

The main malaria-free countries are South Africa, Namibia, and Botswana. That said, this applies to parts of these countries – there are areas in each where malaria is found, or is a seasonal issue. But you could, for instance, enjoy an overlanding safari trip from Cape Town all the way to Etosha Pan in northern Namibia and then into southern Botswana in winter and never have to think of malaria.

As to yellow fever, note that it’s compulsory to be vaccinated against this disease if visiting Rwanda, Uganda, or Kenya. So if your kids are scared of injections, or you don’t want any of the family to need vaccinating, then Southern Africa is the right choice for your safari.

4. Child-friendly accommodation and safari activities

Note that some parks, accommodations, and tour operators have age restrictions in place when it comes to safari drives and other activities. For instance, it’s common for tour operators to not allow children younger than 12 to go on bush walks or overlanding trips. So please always check the age restrictions of a place, operator, or activity before setting your heart on it.

If you want to travel with a tiny one, you might need to consider a self-drive safari.

Of course, many safari destinations are geared towards families with kids, so you’re not going to be short on choices.

The bigger reserves and larger accommodations are often your best bet when it comes to finding child-friendly facilities and activities. Reserves like Kruger National Park and Addo Elephant National Park in South Africa as well as Etosha National Park in Namibia, for instance, have lodges and campsites with swimming pools. And you don’t need to go on long, tiring game drives to find lots of wildlife as there’s such a great density of animals in easy-to-reach locations in all of these parks.

Top safari destinations for tweens and teenagers

Let’s now consider what makes for a great family safari when your kids are a little older …

1. Bucket list safaris that are harder to reach

Tweens and teenagers are usually better able to handle a degree of discomfort, and so you can travel with them to those harder-to-reach safari destinations that are the stuff of legend.

Take, for instance, the Northern Circuit in Tanzania. This world-renowned safari circuit requires lots of driving, and some of the roads are rough and bumpy. Yet it’s all worth it, as you get to see some incomparable sights, like Mt Kilimanjaro (the world’s tallest free-standing mountain), the plains of the Serengeti (home to the Great Migration), Ngorongoro Crater (the world’s largest unbroken caldera), Lake Manyara (a park at the foot of the East African Rift escarpment), and Lake Natron (the caustic, flamingo-choked lake that sometimes turns red).

Another utterly epic safari experience that will blow the socks off any kid is the Kavango Zambezi. This is a transfrontier park (named for the two life-giving rivers at its heart) that extends into Namibia, Angola, Botswana, Zimbabwe, and Zambia. This part of Southern Africa takes a little longer to reach and explore. But the rewards are undeniable. Here you find the mighty Victoria Falls as well as the Okavango Delta. The Okavango Delta is a UNESCO-backed desert oasis and Big Five destination. You can enjoy aerial safaris as well as look for wildlife on a mokoro (dugout canoe) ride as you wend your way along watery channels. This region is also a truly world-class birding destination.

2. Active and thrilling safaris

When you take older kids on safari, you can enjoy a host of activities that go beyond the traditional safari drive. Indeed, you want variety, and you want for everyone to stretch their legs and also perhaps test their limits or nerves a little. The aforementioned Great Migration and Kavango Zambezi are two excellent safari destinations for this, as you can enjoy night drives, hot air balloon sunrise rides, boat safaris, bush walks, crater hikes, and village visits, among other things.

One sort of safari experience that I haven’t yet highlighted, however, is primate tracking in Uganda or Rwanda. In fact, these countries (which can be visited together in one trip) stand out in my mind as offering perhaps Africa’s most diverse and active safari experience.

For starters, Queen Elizabeth National Park in western Uganda is a world-class game reserve, boasting exceptional biodiversity and beautiful landscapes which can be viewed on game drives as well as on Kazinga Channel boat tours. But what sets these two countries apart is the multiple primate experiences on offer. You can go mountain gorilla trekking and golden monkey tracking in the mountains, and track chimpanzees in gorgeous bird-filled forests. You can also hike and zipline through Nyungwe Forest in Rwanda, where several unusual Old World monkey species can be found.

3. Immersive and cultural safaris

Older kids are also usually more open and able to appreciate cultural and immersive experiences. These sorts of safaris have the potential to broaden their hearts and minds in meaningful ways that can’t be achieved at home.

So if you’d like to take your kids on an African safari with a difference, then consider somewhere off the beaten track or where you can learn about cultures that have chosen to retain their traditional lifestyles. I recommend Madagascar, the Southern Circuit in Tanzania, the desert game parks of Namibia, the highlands of Malawi, or the Amatolo Experience in Zambia’s North Luangwe National Park. These destinations offer quieter, wilder, and more culturally authentic safari experiences.

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Safest destinations in general for family safaris

Let’s conclude by considering the health and safety matters that are important when planning to take kids of any age on safari.

Botswana is the safest and most stable mainland country in Africa, according to the 2025 Global Peace Index. This makes it a great choice for worry-free travel with kids. The Okavango Delta in particular offers world-class safaris in a very safe region.

Zambia, Namibia, and Malawi are ranked as the continent’s fifth, sixth, and eleventh safest nations respectively. As a safety-conscious African woman, I’d feel safe and relaxed visiting these countries with children in tow.

One last note on safety. You generally don’t need to worry about safety with regard to the wildlife in any of the countries, so long as you follow all the instructions of your guide if you’re on an organised safari. If doing a self-drive safari, please educate yourself and your family on safari safety best practices. Africa’s wildlife generally doesn’t mess with you unless you mess with it first.

Note: This blog post was first written and published by Jodi Lucas on 15 July 2024. It was rewritten by Megan Abigail White on 10 February 2026.