If you’re thinking of a safari with kids, I’m here to tell you that it can be a wonderful experience. People tend to think that taking kids on a safari, especially smaller children, is scary, boring, and often impossible – all of this is absolutely not true!
African safari with kids is possible at any age depending on the destination. Just because various lodges have a minimum age restriction (which is often 6 or 10 years), it doesn’t mean that safari with a 2 year old isn’t possible.
We took our kids on a safari across multiple countries when they were 2.5 years old and 4 years old. Both kids had a blast and they are already asking to go again. In fact, my 4 year old has been begging us to move to South Africa ever since and he’s pretty serious about it 😉
We weren’t the only crazy family with kids on a safari. We encounter various families everywhere with kids of all ages – from crawling babies, through barely babbling toddlers, curious preschoolers, and more mature kids. I will dare to say that I think 3-5 years old is a perfect age for a safari because the kids were curious in the cutest way.
Remember, people are having babies in Africa all the time and their kids easily take part in game drives and activities from a young age. Here is some practical information on taking young children on a safari.
What Kind of African Safari with Kids Do You Want to Do?
There are basically three types of safaris that you can do:
- Self-Drive: which is basically driving in your own vehicle on your own time.
- Stationary: you stay at one lodge and have arranged game drives on an open vehicle.
- Overland: you change lodges as drive-throughs and in-between different reserves and possibly countries.
Depending on the location and/or provider the last two options might have an age requirement. Remember, just because one operator or hotel tells you that no kids under a certain age are allowed, it doesn’t necessarily mean that another tour company and lodge won’t take babies or toddlers.
In fact, I kept reading that Botswana with kids isn’t possible and even read posts from blogs that stated that Botswana or Tanzania don’t take kids under 6 – all of this wasn’t true. We saw plenty of very small kids in both countries. Ironically, Botswana had the most kids we’ve encountered anywhere.
What Age is Ideal for a Safari? Can You Do Safari with a Toddler?
I think it’s tough to answer this question, as every child is different and matures differently. I know some kids who can sit still at 2 years old and some who cannot sit still even at 5 years old. Ask yourself and be honest with yourself about it.
For example, if your baby hates car rides it’s obviously not a good idea to take him on a safari. If you know your toddler can’t understand to be quiet for 5-10 minutes when near an animal, then maybe you might want to wait a bit.
Our kids were 4 years old and 2.5 years old and did great, so yes – you can absolutely do a safari with a toddler (and ours wasn’t the only one we met!). We did a mix of stationary safari with arranged game drives and some overlanding.
Is Self-Drive Safari the Best Option with Kids?
Personally, unless you have a baby I don’t think so. After doing a self-drive myself I opted against it with kids. With two kids so no space for a parent to sit with them in the back they wouldn’t be able to see much if they were in their car seats, especially considering that many parks require you to keep your windows closed.
On the other hand, if they weren’t strapped into their car seats it would force us to navigate off-roading, potential traffic among animals and having to assess risks on our own while making sure the kids aren’t climbing all over us.
For us, it was just a no-brainer that we wanted to sit back and enjoy the animal viewing on an open-back jeep, while someone else took care of the driving for us. Having a ranger also allows you to potentially go off-road and do evening drives, while if self-driving you must stay on main roads and not drive after dark.
Plus, most arranged game drives are about 3 hours long and include a stop for a snack. You can stretch your legs and go to the bathroom, as your ranger knows where it’s safe to stop. You’re not allowed to stop or even open the door when you’re self-driving.