Best Safari Activities For Children

Best Safari Activities For Children

Travelling with the kids is becoming a popular choice amongst modern families who live in dual income households and crave an opportunity to spend quality time together. Whether travelling with mum and dad, or the whole family including grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins - there are a variety of options when travelling with family on safari. While older children are included in most safari activities, it can be a challenge to keep the youngsters entertained. Here are some of our favourite children safari activities.


South Africa - Singita Castleton Mini Rangers’ Course
Singita Castleton is a sole use house within the exclusive Sabi Sand Game Reserve and offers a fantastic opportunity for family to share a safari experience. The main house acts as a central point for getting together for meals, games and interaction while the private accommodation cottages allow privacy and solitude and two of the cottages have interleading doors for younger children to be close to parents overnight. The house includes a private vehicle and ranger so the family can decide on their own schedule and activities can be planned to accommodate everyone. In addition to game drives for the grown ups, activities at the house include swimming, archery, cooking and baking with the chefs, wildlife shows, board games and visits to the local community.

The Singita Mini Rangers’ Course is an exciting inclusion for youngsters and opens up a whole new world to young explorers. They’ll learn to track animals, capture and release butterflies and frogs, experience a cosmic safari to learn about the night sky, learn about bush survival techniques and enjoy pressing flowers and spotting game while exploring. There are nature quizzes and a rangers test and on completion, they’ll be awarded a certificate to recognise their fantastic new achievements.

Singita also offers similar programmes at their other exclusive use lodges or camps in Tanzania (Singita Serengeti House & Singita Explore) that are located in the Grumeti Reserve bordering the Serengeti. There are also family suites at their lodges offering two bedrooms - these are available at both Boulders & Ebony Lodge in South Africa and Faru Faru Lodge in Tanzania. Their villa experience in Sasakwa Lodge (Tanzania) and Pamushana Lodge (Zimbabwe) are also ideal - especially for families with teens or where there is a large group travelling together.



Southern & East Africa - &Beyond Lodges WILDChild Programme
Aimed at post toddler and pre-teens, the &Beyond WILDChild programme offers a variety of interesting and interactive activities for kids. With 33 properties worldwide, each offering a unique experience, the programme is fine-tuned to expose children to the natural and cultural highlights of that specific region. In Namibia’s Sossusvlei they’ll enjoy playing San Bushman games and learn how to find water in the desert and the fantastic night time stars, in the watery wilderness of the Okavango Delta there’s fishing and making necklaces with water lilies while learning about how precious the eco-system is. Each programme includes personalised attention with qualified rangers, guides and child-minders to ensure your child is expertly cared for whether they’re baking a cake with chef or out walking in the natural surroundings.

Adventures include tracking and fishing, making traditional bows and arrows, beading, crafting and painting, as well as fun in the lodge garden or kitchen and more. Kids get a WILDChild backpack with scrapbook and other items specific to their lodge’s experience. Gifts range from solar torches & magnifying glasses to a compass - all made of recycled or sustainable materials where possible and are used to encourage interaction with the ranger and guide who will help them on their adventure.

&Beyond has Lodges in Botswana, Kenya, Mozambique, South Africa, Namibia, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda, Zimbabwe and Zambia. All their lodges are focused on eco-awareness and their safari activities include wildlife, birdlife and cultural interaction.



Botswana - Ker & Downey Young Explorers Package
The Ker & Downey team have designed their Young Explorers package specifically to cater for families to give them the opportunity to discover the many fantastic wonders of the African wilderness together. Owing to the camps’ location and activities, the programme is not available to children under the age of 7. The experience is based on one of two adventure camps - Footsteps Camp in the Okavango Delta or Saile in the Linyanti.

Discovering the sights and sounds of the watery wilderness of the Okavango Delta will thrill and entertain any guest of Footsteps Camp. With a maximum of six guests accommodated in three specially designed twin bedded safari tents, the facilities are rustic with a bucket shower and flush toilet at the back of each tent. The chef prepares all meals so families can enjoy their wilderness experience.

Parents can enjoy some peace and quiet while the expertly trained guides entertain the children with activities and projects, or can join in the fun and games. Activities are tailored to the age of the children and include game spotting, tracking and various nature- based interactive projects.

The Linyanti is a popular destination for wildlife encounters and is home to a variety of superb luxury lodges due to the prolific wildlife in the region. The spacious and comfortable safari tents are set up with twin beds and en-suite bucket shower and flush toilet. There is a central lounge area for families to enjoy their meals and to relax in during the heat of the day.

Children are included in game watching and tracking activities by the expert guides who will teach them about the wildlife, birds and natural wilderness that surrounds them. There are also games and projects based on the children’s age group.

Activities are aimed at being entertaining and educational with a strong sense of conservation shared. Young Explorers camp is sure to leave a lasting impression on youngsters and parents alike along with wonderful memories of a family safari experience.



Speak to one of our experts or call or call 020 7843 3500 for more information on these and other exciting family safari holidays.