Should I take my kids on safari?

What’s the best age?
Having spoken to travel experts, tour operators, lodge owners and parents who’ve explored Africa with their own children, there’s no hard and fast rule on when the best time is to take kids on safari. Some suggest the right age is when they are able to follow instructions, for safety. Others say it’s simply a case of when parents feel their family is ready. But the answer that came up most was “around the age of five or six years old”. 

Many camps and lodges don’t allow children younger than this. All Asilia properties, for example, are for ages five and above, while Wilderness set the lower limit at six. Others, such as Kwara (Botswana) and Londolozi Tree Camp (South Africa), are ‘adult-only’, setting the minimum age requirement at 12, 16 or 18. This is partly to avoid crying babies or rambunctious toddlers disrupting other guests, but it’s also for safety, especially in open camps with wildlife wandering through.

Ages four to six are seen as the time when children can start to embrace the experience, not just seeing wild animals, but other activities many camps offer, such as cooking classes or creating bead jewellery. Ker & Downey Botswana, for example, offers a Young Explorers programme at their camps, where children can learn how to track game on foot and in vehicles, or how to identify birds, as well as trying their hand at poling a mokoro, in order to earn their Young Explorers certificate, T-shirt and cap.

Many lodges and camps are open to children below the age of five, though, such as Cottar’s 1920s Camp in the Maasai Mara, which even has an insect-focused Mara Minibeast Safari aimed at younger children; Last Word Madikwe, a fenced lodge in Madikwe Game Reserve in South Africa’s North West province; and Basecamp Samburu in Kenya’s Kalama Conservancy, which allows ages from zero up, with parents able to book an ayah (childcare assistant) if they prefer to leave children at the lodge during activities.

Some allow kids under five to stay for free. Even adult-oriented camps and lodges often have exclusive-use houses or villas, enabling families or groups with younger children to stay together, without worrying about disturbing other guests.

Those with children under the age of five or six are often required to book their own vehicle for game drives, as chatty kids might disturb animals, and vehicles with children are usually required to keep greater distances at sightings.

Many parents have taken their kids on safari before they were five and loved it. Abi Shaw, director of Bushbaby, did her first family self-drive holiday in South Africa when her son was four months old. But she finds most clients start bringing their children on safari from ages four and above.

“Seeing children’s excitement as they explore nature is infectious,” she says. “They’re not so focused on big charismatic animals — they’re just as fascinated by a dung beetle or praying mantis, so they help you look beyond the obvious. Many guides are great at keeping youngsters and grownups entertained. My kids used to love driving back in the dark, holding the big spotting light, seeking out shiny eyes, before a hot drink around a campfire. It’s not just about seeing animals in the wild — it’s about the whole experience and sharing that sense of adventure.”

Will they be safe?
The threat that wild animals might pose to their children is a concern for many parents, not just toothy lions and leopards but spiders and snakes. But guides and other staff at camps and lodges usually know how to keep all guests, including kids, safe. 
“For parents with toddlers or very young children, fenced or clearly bounded camps offer additional peace of mind,” suggests Maija De Rijk-Uys, managing director of Go2Africa. “Older children and teens can thrive at unfenced camps. The key is tailoring the destination and camp to your family’s needs.”

The other major worry for parents is malaria. “Malaria is most serious in under-5s,” explains Dr Natalie Prevatt, a paediatric consultant specialising in infectious diseases and travel medicine, and medical director of The Children’s Travel Doc. “It’s more likely to result in cerebral malaria and death. Under-5s need comprehensive mosquito avoidance strategies and antimalarials. There are great solutions, though. Children as little as 5kg bodyweight — small babies — can have the necessary prevention, which is both bite-avoidance, including repellents, long permethrin-treated clothing, special mosquito nets to fit cots and prams, and oral antimalarials.”

“Malaria is often the number-one concern for parents,” agrees Shaw. “There are smaller malaria pills made specifically for younger children, but until children are able to swallow pills it can be difficult. You can crush the pills and mix them with sweet things, like jam, but my daughter, aged around seven, would just be sick. I’d recommend a malaria-free area — there’s really no reason to opt for a malarial area at a young age.”

There are other health issues to be conscious of, too, so consult a travel clinic and local operators for guidance. 

Where to go?
Factors such as malaria often influence where parents choose to travel. South Africa is popular, especially as many parks and reserves are malaria-free or low-risk, including the Eastern Cape, Madikwe Game Reserve and Kruger National Park. Such areas can also be found in Kenya, Tanzania, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Botswana, Namibia and others. Higher-altitude areas tend to be lower risk. The malaria situation also changes with the season in many locations, so it’s recommended to get pre-trip advice from a tour operator or medical professional.

“Generally, we recommend Kenya or South Africa as the best destinations to travel with children under five,” says Tess Kelly, who runs Coral Tree Travel with her husband Mike. “They have the best infrastructure, most reliable transport networks, the greatest abundance of properties suited to families with very young children, and healthcare that’s easily accessible. We also recommend you have good travel insurance that allows you to be airlifted to the closest hospital in an emergency.”

How will we cope?
Another key question is whether young children will actually enjoy a safari adventure. Getting up before dawn and driving around for hours on hot, dusty roads may not suit all children, with some parents finding later starts and shorter game drives work best.

Another consideration is whether children will be up to long-haul flights, bumpy journeys in small planes and lengthy transfers on rocky roads. “Children are quite resilient travellers, but I’ve travelled on safari with my three children when they were young, and found long-haul flights, aged 18 months to three years, to sometimes be stressful,” says Shaw. “And often, they might nod off on a game drive.”

“We also worried about long car journeys and small planes,” says Kelly. “But we planned accordingly, with lots of games and snacks, and, yes, it’s OK to give young children screen time. You need to do a lot more planning and preparation. For example, if you’re going on an afternoon game drive, take the kids’ dinner with you and feed them while you’re having sundowners, so you can put them straight to bed when you get back to camp.

“Travelling anywhere in the world with children requires adaptation and different planning from travelling as adults. It can be an incredible experience for everyone. But you’ve got to have a sense of adventure — otherwise, you probably wouldn’t be going on safari in the first place.”