South Africa for families
Lodges, camps and guides are well equipped to welcome children, and it’s possible to go on safari without epic drives or antimalarials.
South Africa is an awesome African introduction for travelers of all ages. Its modern, cosmopolitan cities, great roads and accessibility make travel safe and easy, while the jumble of cultures and languages, variety of landscapes and superb wildlife still give a wonderful glimpse into the richness of Africa. The Garden Route is ideally situated in South Africa for families - with plenty of places to stop, eat and sleep, and interactive activities.
Remember: seeing wildlife requires patience and silence, and open-sided vehicles provide little protection from the dawn chill or midday heat, so children younger than eight are unlikely to get much out of a game drive. Bush walks can only be carried out by those aged 12 or even 14 - so consider this when planning your trip.
Our South Africa family Vacations
South African safaris for families with teenagers
Visit the famous Kruger National Park and Zulu villages
From
US $1705 to US $1990
12 days
ex flights
Family horse riding vacation in South Africa
Family horse riding safari vacation in South Africa
From
£1525
9 days
ex flights
Family volunteering with monkeys in South Africa
Hands-on family volunteering with monkeys in South Africa
From
£767
7 days
ex flights
Horse rehabilitation project in South Africa
Work hands on with horses on the South African coast
From
£895
7 days
ex flights
Primate rescue volunteer vacation in South Africa
Providing rescued primates with a better quality of life
From
£545
7 days
ex flights
South Africa family adventure vacation, tailor made
Family self-drive vacation, featuring whales & wildlife
From
£1400
11 days
ex flights
Cape Town to Victoria Falls small group lodge tour
Classic route lodge safari to Namibia, Botswana & Zimbabwe
From
US $3965 to US $4195
21 days
ex flights
South Africa family tour, 10 days
Cape, Winelands and malaria free Safari in South Africa
From
R 27385 to R 33040
10 days
ex flights
Cape Town to Victoria Falls small group camping safari
"Overland" camping safari to Namibia, Botswana & Zimbabwe
From
US $2945 to US $3080
21 days
ex flights
Whale watching in South Africa vacation
South Africa City & Marine Family
From
R 37935 to R 63205
7 days
per accommodation
South Africa family vacations
South Africa! Beaches, Wineries and Safari!
From
£3200
15 days
ex flights
Family luxury safari & beach vacation, South Africa & Mozambique
Combine a wildlife safari in South Africa with beach time.
From
£3880
12 days
ex flights
Family vacation to South Africa & Swaziland
Kruger, Swaziland and Durban with the family
From
US $2020 to US $2110
14 days
ex flights
Entry requirements
Be aware that immigration rules introduced by South Africa in 2015 require parents traveling with children under 18 to bring a full unabridged birth certificate for each child, which details the names of both parents, as well as the child’s. Short, abridged version that only include the child’s details aren’t accepted. Check the FCO website for more details.Activities for families in South Africa
Camping
Rupert Calcott, from our supplier Exodus:"Older kids should experience camping. It brings down the price, but it also offers something different. In a lodge, you only experience the park during the activities. You do a game drive, then go back indoors. But when you camp, you’re in that natural environment 24/7. You experience the sounds, the smells, the noises at night – it’s a much more intense experience"
Small group tours
Tim Winkworth, from our supplier the Family Adventure Company:
"Check out small group tours. I always used to wonder why I'd want to travel with other people’s kids. But when you go on one, you realise you’re not traveling with them – your kids are. They’ve got ready-made playmates, they share, they learn. It’s great to listen to them discussing the lions they’ve just seen."
"Check out small group tours. I always used to wonder why I'd want to travel with other people’s kids. But when you go on one, you realise you’re not traveling with them – your kids are. They’ve got ready-made playmates, they share, they learn. It’s great to listen to them discussing the lions they’ve just seen."
Addo Elephant National Park
Just a short hop from Port Elizabeth, Addo Elephant National Park offers all the adventure of an African safari – without the long drives, the remoteness or the malaria! Now a sanctuary for more than just elephants, Addo is home to the Big Five, and its family-friendly activities include horse riding, short hikes and whale watching off the coast.Our top South Africa family Vacation
Family horse riding vacation in South Africa
Family horse riding safari vacation in South Africa
From
£1525
9 days
ex flights
Tailor made:
This trip can be tailor made throughout the year to suit your requirements
This trip can be tailor made throughout the year to suit your requirements
Travel Team
If you'd like to chat about South Africa or need help finding a vacation to suit you we're very happy to help.
South Africa family travel advice
Get children out into the pristine areas - it opens their eyes and in the long term you'll get budding conservationists.
Rupert Calcott, from our supplier Exodus, shares his tips on South Africa for families:
"South Africa is a big country, so with children it’s best to slow the pace of the tour so there’s not as much driving. Base yourself out of Cape Town, for example, or do the Garden Route and spend two nights in each place so they can get out and experience the place rather than just passing through. People always go to a country and want to see as much as they can – but for families it’s better to bite off a little bit less, to have a better experience but not see quite as much.
Get children out into the pristine areas. They’re really dwindling and there is so little wilderness left. It motivates children, it opens their eyes to different experiences in a way a city tour can’t. And I believe that in the long term you’ll get a budding conservationist."
"South Africa is a big country, so with children it’s best to slow the pace of the tour so there’s not as much driving. Base yourself out of Cape Town, for example, or do the Garden Route and spend two nights in each place so they can get out and experience the place rather than just passing through. People always go to a country and want to see as much as they can – but for families it’s better to bite off a little bit less, to have a better experience but not see quite as much.
Get children out into the pristine areas. They’re really dwindling and there is so little wilderness left. It motivates children, it opens their eyes to different experiences in a way a city tour can’t. And I believe that in the long term you’ll get a budding conservationist."
Tim Winkworth, from our supplier the Family Adventure Company, shares advice on traveling in South Africa for families: "It’s great to take your kids to South Africa to interact with the local children. Kids play with kids, and it’s an incredible thing to show them what’s going on in the rest of the world, and how spoilt and lucky they really are."
Will Fox, from our supplier On Track Safaris, shares his family travel advice:
"Let your tour company know what you eat – and what your kids eat, especially if they are fussy eaters. The lodges are a very long drive from the nearest shop, and the food gets brought in the day before you arrive. We can deal with anything if we get notice – but on the day it’s too late."
"Let your tour company know what you eat – and what your kids eat, especially if they are fussy eaters. The lodges are a very long drive from the nearest shop, and the food gets brought in the day before you arrive. We can deal with anything if we get notice – but on the day it’s too late."
More about South Africa
South Africa is definitely a year-round destination, with hot summers, mild winters and a climate that varies dramatically across the country.
There is much to draw travelers to South Africa - including the stunning coast, incredible wildlife, and diverse cultures. But perhaps its enduring appeal is also down to how easy it is to travel in a country whose attractions are so wild - with superb roads, fantastic cuisine and comfortable lodging at all budget levels.
It may be a cliché but South Africa really does have something for everyone - with winelands, wildlife, camping and luxury lodges - not to mention the culture, from vibrant modern cities to tribal rituals.
We've chatted to tour leaders, vacation companies and recalled our own adventures to pick out of top four things to do in South Africa.
Kruger National Park is one of South Africa’s most celebrated destinations, and rightly so, home to diverse and abundant wildlife – including the Big Five – over 500 species of birds and a great range of beautiful habitats.
South Africa is home to diverse landscapes, hopping with all creatures great and small, from the Big Five on game drives, to humpback whales that skim the coast.
Towered over by Table Mountain, bordered by the Atlantic and Indian Oceans and on the doorstep of wildlife and wine country, Cape Town is way more than just a city.
The Garden Route delivers a diverse dose of South Africa in a single trip: dramatic coast and unspoiled landscapes, wildlife and cool city culture, game viewing and whale watching, hiking and kayaking.
Prolific wildlife, wild beaches, biodiverse wetlands, jagged mountains, Zulu culture and 19th century battlefields – KwaZulu Natal is dramatic, delightful and diverse.
Like any form of community tourism, township tours should be led by the people who live there, be sustainable and non-intrusive.
South Africa is the most welcoming country in Africa for LGBT travelers – with equality and protection from discrimination enshrined in law.
There is a huge difference between legal game meat and illegally hunted bushmeat in Africa: one is sustainable, the other drives species closer to extinction.
Incarcerated for 27 years for opposing apartheid in South Africa, Nelson Mandela went on to become the country’s first black head of state.
Read insider tips from our vacation companies - from how to really get under the skin of South Africa and where to see wildlife in Kruger, to the best way to explore Table Mountain.
Responsible tourism in South Africa has come a long way since the days of big game hunters and Apartheid.
protection
Photo credits: [Page banner: bikeriderlondon] [Intro: Tim Williamson]
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