Family-friendly lodges are properties that cater specifically to travellers with children, offering suitable accommodation, flexible dining, and in some cases dedicated activities or guides for younger guests.
Not all safari lodges accept children, and age restrictions may apply in certain areas. These properties are selected for their practicality, safety, and ability to accommodate families comfortably.
Flatdogs camp is easy to get to from the airport and makes a good first night’s stop into the park, especially arriving on a late flight from Lusaka to nearby Mfuwe Airport. The camp is open from mid-March to mid-January every year. For Jess and her team, making sure you have the best possible stay is what Flatdogs is all about.
Giraffe Manor is one of Nairobi's best-known lodges. Full of character and steeped in history, its ivy-clad buildings are set in 12 acres of private land and are surrounded by 140 acres of indigenous forest. Reminiscent of its 1930s "Out of Africa" heydays, it is named for its resident herd of Rothschild giraffe that often pop in for a visit.
Gorah Elephant Camp is a luxury tented safari lodge set on a private concession within Addo Elephant National Park, South Africa's third-largest national park and a top malaria-free Big Five destination. With its grand colonial manor house, panoramic views, and frequent elephant sightings at the waterhole, Gorah offers a top-notch safari experience rooted in history and romance.
Situated on the winding banks of the Mara River, Governors' Camp offers authentic luxury tented accommodation inside the heart of Kenya's flagship safari destination, the Masai Mara Game Reserve. Famous for the Great Migration, the Masai Mara has plenty of year-round resident game to ensure an unforgettable safari experience.
Hippo Hollow Country Estate is conveniently located outside the town of Hazyview and only ten minutes drive away from the world-famous Kruger National Park. Nestled amongst lush indigenous gardens, this Lowveld retreat on the banks of the Sabie River will leave you feeling totally refreshed and relaxed. Hippo Hollow offers en-suite hotel rooms as well as self-catering chalets.
Ilala Lodge is the closest hotel to majestic Victoria Falls. Dine al-fresco at their award-winning restaurant while watching the spray from the Falls and its thundering. It's an eight-minute walk to the Falls and all the fun and activities on offer at Victoria Falls are a stone's throw away.
Situated on a rocky ridge in malaria-free, Big 5 Madikwe Game Reserve, family-friendly Impodimo Game Lodge offers fabulous views and good value for money. Qualified safari guides, Shangaan trackers and 7-seater game-viewing vehicles give you a personalised safari experience. The lodge has tailored child-friendly programmes for kids, including 'bush bumble' game drives.
Ivory Tree Game Lodge is a large, well-appointed safari lodge in Pilanesberg National Park, offering a comfortable lodge-based safari experience close to Johannesburg. With a wide range of room types and family-friendly facilities, it suits travellers looking for an accessible Big Five safari at an affordable to mid-range price point.
Situated in one of the best locations in the Madikwe Big 5 reserve, Jaci's Safari Lodge is built on the banks of the Marico River, in arguably the best game-viewing area of the malaria-free Madikwe Game Reserve: its eastern Lowveld section. There are eight luxurious en-suite rooms and two exclusive family suites. Jaci's Safari Lodge is very family friendly (the owners have brought up their own 3 children here) and its 'homely' feel is very evident and welcoming.
Located in the Timbavati Private Game Reserve, Kambaku Safari Lodge offers an intimate, rustic luxury experience with just 16 guests. This exclusive, eco-conscious lodge offers excellent game viewing opportunities and is the perfect base for exploring the wild beauty of the Greater Kruger National Park.
Set on the banks of the Mara River in Kenya's Mara North Conservancy, Karen Blixen Camp is a luxury tented safari camp that echoes back to the bygone days of the original safari adventurer. From the comfort of their private veranda, guests can watch elephant, giraffe, zebra and impala gather at the Mara River to drink.
This luxury safari camp is set at the edge of riverine forest, overlooking the sweeping plains of the Maasai Mara, and it lies within the path of the incredible annual Great Migration. At Kichwa Tembo Tented Camp, you can expect an authentic African safari experience with legendary Kenyan hospitality.
Kirkman's Kamp is a colonial-style, 5-star lodge reminiscent of the 1920s era, with its origins as a traditional South African homestead. It is situated in the Sabi Sand Reserve, famous for its excellent Big 5 game viewing. Kirkman's occupies one of the most elevated sites in the Sabi Sands Reserve, ensuring endless views of pristine wilderness and the Sand River, which flows most of the year round. The area is reputed to have the greatest diversification of animal species on the African Continent.
Completely rebuilt after the devastating fires of 2017, Knysna Hollow is superbly located on a secluded 3-hectare country estate, just 5 minutes from Knysna town and its expansive lagoon on South Africa’s famous Garden Route. It’s the perfect base from which to explore the many attractions and activities this beautiful area has to offer.
Kosi Forest Lodge is a 16-bed wilderness lodge located in the Kosi Bay Nature Reserve, almost on the South African/Mozambiquan border. Set in a beautiful, unspoilt sand forest on the banks of the Kosi Lake, the lodge offers a variety of unique experiences, including turtle tracking and exploring this pristine wetland environment in guided canoes and vehicles.
KwaMbili Game Lodge provides is an affordable private lodge offering an authentic safari experience. Situated in the private Thornybush Game Reserve near Hoedspruit, KwaMbili is within the Greater Kruger area. Home to the Big Five as well as an abundance of wildlife and birds, you'll have every chance of good sightings, either on game drives or on foot.
Kwando Lagoon Camp is on the banks of the Kwando River in the Linyanti Kwando Concession in northern Botswana. It offers luxury tented accommodation and excellent year-round game viewing. In an area where predators are abundant, there are also elephant, buffalo, giraffe, zebra, sable antelope and many other species. The popular Animal Planet programme Mad Mike and Mark was filmed in the Kwando area.
Kwando Lebala Camp is located in the south of the Kwando concession adjacent to the Linyanti marshes in northern Botswana. The name 'Lebala' means open plains, which accurately describes the open grasslands, savanna and seasonal floodplains of this area that teems with wildlife. The camp offers exclusive and intimate accommodation in African safari tents. The area has vast populations of elephant, buffalo, lechwe, lions and other animals. Leopard and wild dog are also often seen in this area.
Set on the western side of a massive fossil pan, Nxai Pan is the only permanent camp within the Nxai Pan National Park. It has easy access to the famous Baines’ baobabs. Overlooking sprawling grasslands and wide open spaces, Nxai Pan is home to the massive annual zebra migration, second only to the great migration of the Serengeti.
Opened in July 2018, Splash Camp offers a relaxed, intimate, and friendly safari. Its excellent location offers a range of conditions: permanent and seasonal floodplains as well as extensive dry periods. In high-water season, there are labyrinths of water channels and secret islands to explore. It's said to be one of the best locations in Botswana for both game viewing and activities.
Laikipia Wilderness Camp is an intimate, family-run safari camp that offers comfortable and homely accommodation in the unfenced wilderness of Central Laikipia. Laikipia Wilderness offers an authentic wildlife experience in a beautiful 70,000-acre landscape that is home to a wide range of wildlife, including the famous black leopard of Laikipia.
Live amongst the treetops, alive with monkeys and bush babies, in this secluded camp set in an emerald mahogany forest. The only accommodation within Lake Manyara National Park, Lake Manyara Tree Lodge offers luxuriously furnished suites built in the canopy of the trees. The park boasts incredible scenery, fabulous birdlife, tree-climbing lions, plenty of elephant and a huge baboon population.
With raised, beautifully decorated permanent tents placed far enough apart to ensure privacy, Lake Masek Tented Camp offers guests stylish accommodation in the African bush. Its position in the Ndutu area of Ngorongoro, just south of the Serengeti, is on the annual Great Migration route of millions of wildebeest, zebra and antelope, followed closely by predators. Depending on rainfall, the plains are filled with herds between November and May.
Just 5 minutes away from Kruger’s Skukuza Airport, Lion Sands Tinga Lodge is located on the banks of the scenic Sabie River, in an area offering an incredible variety and diversity of wildlife. Exclusive and luxurious, Tinga offers you the unique opportunity of offroad safaris to get the best game viewing possible.
Why not chat to one of our safari experts who can answer all your questions and help you design your dream trip to Africa.
