Our first safari holiday was in South Africa in 2001 and from that moment on we were hooked.
We have been taking our kids on safari for the past 10 years and have worked in the safari industry for the last 5 years.
We have tried and tested many kid-friendly safaris in South Africa and wanted to give you our view on the best safari lodges in South Africa for kids.
And by the way, the best safari lodges for kids in South Africa don’t have to be expensive!
If you’ve never been on safari, see our safari packing list for families and guide to safari clothes for kids (with packing list).
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Before we crack on with our favourite safari lodges in South Africa for families, we want to mention that a lot of our travel is booked through Go2Africa.
They are the leading safari tour operator in South Africa (see their travel industry awards) and can help you put together an unforgettable itinerary. See our Go2Africa review.
Also read our post on the cost of an African safari for families which includes ways to keep the cost down.
Not yet decided on taking your kids on safari to South Africa? Find out why a safari in South Africa with kids can be a great choice. See also our South African family holiday itinerary.
Why go to South Africa on safari with kids?
South Africa is a great destination to take kids on safari.
We have been to South Africa many times over the years and can say that it is the best country to visit for a family safari.
The main draws to South Africa for families are:
- There are malaria free safari areas. See all safari destinations in Africa with no malaria.
- You can easily do self-drive safaris in South Africa which are more suitable if you have very young children. Self-drive safaris are also much more budget friendly. See here for our tips on doing a self-drive safari.
- There are so many amazing areas to visit in South Africa including mountains, winelands and beaches.
- South Africa has the Big Five animals – lion, leopard, elephant, rhino and Cape buffalo but also a huge variety of bird and marine animals.
Read all our tips on taking kids on safari.
These are the best safari lodges in South Africa for kids
Because of Ed’s job in the safari industry, we go to South Africa every year. We are always trying different safari lodges in South Africa for kids (so are always adding to this post).
These recommendations are all places we have stayed (or friends have stayed at and we want to visit!)
These child-friendly safari lodges in South Africa are all in very different parts of the country and range in price so there should be something to suit everyone.
They are listed in price ascending order.
Addo Rest Camp
Addo Rest Camp is located in the Addo Elephant National Park which is an easy 75km drive from Port Elizabeth in the Eastern Cape. It is a malaria free area.
Within the rest camp there are forest cabins, family chalets and guest houses that are perfect for families (sleeping up to 6).
The great thing about staying here is that you can do a self-drive safari and self-cater which will allow you to have a very budget-friendly family safari. Self-drives often offer the best kid-friendly safaris in South Africa. Read more about why self-drive safaris are so great.
It is not luxurious but when you’re only paying $25 per adult and $10 per child park entrance fee (see latest rates) and between $100 and $150 for accommodation per night for amazing wildlife viewing, it doesn’t matter.
Addo is great for elephant sightings (with over 600 of them now) but not so great for lion sightings. You might have more luck than us by booking a guide. You can either hire one to hop in your car with you or book a guided safari in a safari jeep.
If you are doing a self-drive safari, you might want to read our tips for wildlife spotting on safari.
Buffelsdrift Game Lodge
Buffelsdrift Game Lodge is located in Oudtshoorn in the Klein Karoo desert and is malaria free. It offers a very affordable safari experience (although it does not have the Big 5).
We had a lovely time when the kids were around 2 and 4 years old. We felt they were too young for a ‘proper’ safari. At this age we did self-drive safaris (Addo and Kruger) and Buffelsdrift was the next step towards a proper safari.
To us it was more like a holiday resort but you get to stay in safari tents with outdoor showers and go on game drives but we’d still say it offers one of the best family safari packages for first timers.
The kids will love the animal experiences (meerkat safari and elephant experience) and having lunch overlooking the hippos so we thought it was well worth putting on here.
If you hadn’t thought about putting Oudtshoorn on your itinerary, you should definitely consider it, if only for the incredible Cango Caves. See here for an amazing full day tour of Oudtshoorn.
You can book your stay at Buffelsdrift on Booking.com.
Kariega Game Reserve
We love Kariega Game Reserve (and have been going since 2001!) because it has a range of accommodation to suit budgets (although families with kids under 10 can only stay in the Main Lodge) and the staff are incredibly friendly.
It is conveniently located at the end of the Garden Route near Port Elizabeth in the Eastern Cape which is a malaria free area. You can easily do a safari at the end of your Garden Route holiday (or at the beginning if you’re doing it the other way round).
The terrain at Kariega is quite tricky (lots of thick scrub covering undulating hills) so although they advertise the Big 5, don’t expect to see leopard as they have plenty of hiding places!
What you will see are lots of giraffe and other plains animals (some from high up in the lodge as you are having a meal) and lion and elephants.
We love the chalets at Kariega Main Lodge, especially the ones with a private pool. Ask for chalets 1,2 4,9 or 24. It’s one of the best child-friendly game lodges in South Africa with a swimming pool you’ll find in the mid-price range.
There are activities for kids at Kariega and a kids club where kids can hang out. Occasionally there are guided walks within the boundary when kids will be tasked with identifying animals and their tracks and poo!
Children can accompany their parents on game drives, although children 5 and under is at the ranger’s and general manager’s discretion based on a safety assessment.
If they can’t accompany you, there is a babysitting service.
Meals are very informal with a buffet service which suits our kids perfectly. No waiting around for orders to be taken or food to be prepared.
You can book Kariega family accommodation here on Booking.com or enquire with Go2Africa about Kariega packages (ask for Main Lodge).
Ans see how you can plan a 2 week family-friendly South Africa itinerary to incorporate Kariega.
If for any reason you can’t book Kariega, Pumba Water Lodge is very close by. We stayed here and loved our accommodation and game viewing (with excellent game rangers), but the attentiveness of the lodge staff (or lack of) put us off a bit.
Maybe we were just unlucky with that shift.
Shamwari Private Game Reserve
Shamwari is located around 75km from Port Elizabeth in the Eastern Cape and is also easily doable if you are driving the Garden Route and also in the non-malaria area.
It prides itself as being a conversation project with luxury lodges. It is home to the Born Free Big Cats Rescue Centre making it one of the best safari lodges in South Africa for families looking to learn about conservation.
There is a fabulous kids’ centre at Shamwari complete with zip lines but we just love the fact that the kids learn so much about conservation. Their kids on safari programme aims to teach kids all about the importance of conservation.
Kids under 4 are not permitted on game drives but childcare is available.
There are two family-friendly lodges at Shamwari (Shamwari Riverdene and Shamwari Long Lee Manor for kids 8+) and a large main pool with shallow end for children. Shamwari Sarili Lodge is also available for larger groups.
If you’re looking for luxury family-friendly safari lodges in South Africa in a non-malarial area, this is the one for you.
Thornybush Game Lodge
Thornybush Game Lodge is located in the Thornybush Game Reserve which is adjacent to the Kruger National Park and close to Hoedspruit (closest airport).
Note that it is in a malarial area, although if you visit in the dry season or towards the end of the dry season (July-September), the risk is lower. You should still consult your medical practitioner for advice.
Thornybush Game Lodge is part of the Thornybush group of luxury lodges and is perfect for families. They also have the newly opened Kamara House for families which is one of the best family-friendly game lodges in South Africa.
We stayed in the Game Lodge in a family chalet with private plunge pool. It was just a short walk to the main area but we had to be escorted to our room at night due to certain animals being able to get into camp (ie anything except elephant and giraffe).
You take meals in the main area which is a large platform overlooking a dry riverbed. Sunsets are just stunning here as is the food. Oh my word the Ottolenghi style salads were to die for!
Kids under 12 are welcome at Thornybush Game Lodge and Kamara House. Children under 6 cannot go on game drives with other guests but are allowed if you book your own vehicle.
Families are allocated guides that are great at engaging with children. Big shout out to our guide Sarah who was brilliant, hopping out and picking up milipedes to give to the kids as well as tracking leopard.
There are activities for kids in camp (see their kids on safari page) and kids receive a welcome pack on arrival with safari related activities.
We visited in November 2022 and it has since had a complete revamp. It was pretty spetacular when we visited so I would love to know what it looks like now!
You can enquire about Thornybush Game Lodge or Kamara House through Go2Africa. Make sure to read our review of Thornybush for families too.
You might also like to look at these family-friendly lodges in Timbavati which is next to Thornybush.
Sabi Sabi Bush Lodge
Sabi Sabi Bush Lodge is probably the most luxurious safari lodge in South Africa we have stayed at with kids.
It is located in the Sabi Sabi Private Game Reserve on the edge of the Kruger National Park not far from Thornybush and is known for its frequent leopard sightings.
It really is an exceptional safari lodge for families in South Africa. We can’t fault it in any way.
We stayed in a beautiful two bedroom family villa with a private pool. It was really hard to leave the villa but the game viewing was amazing so we couldn’t miss any game drives.
The thing that really makes it one of the most family-friendly safari logdes inSouth Africa (if not the most) is their children’s centre.
They have a lovely centre with a fantastic outdoor area including a maze and a zip line. Our kids were quite happy to be left there for an hour or two between game drives. One afternoon they went on a guided walk around camp and another they were making their own hand prints (which I hope are still there)!
Meals are in a large communal area and are buffet style for breakfast and lunch and a la carte for dinner and the food is exceptional.
For breakfast we had the choice of quail, chicken or ostrich egg!
We were made to feel so welcome here and nothing was too much trouble.
You can enquire about Sabi Sabi Bush Lodge through Go2Africa if you’re looking for luxury safari lodges in South Africa for families.
Read our review of Sabi Sabi Bush Lodge.
See here for more family-friendly game reserves next to the Kruger.
Marataba
We will firstly caveat this by saying “We have not stayed here but friends of ours have and they rave about how great it is for kids”.
Marataba is a privately managed section of the Marakele National Park in the Watererg Bioshpere which is north of Johannesburg and close to the Botswana border.
The landscape here is totally different to any of the other South African safari lodges we have mentioned with large rocky outcrops and wetland areas.
They welcome kids at their fabulous Mack & Madi Kids’ Adventure centre with eco-garden play area.
Days are filled with nature treasure hunts and family game drives may involve bush orientation, animal spoor identification and mould-making.
As soon as we’ve been to this one we will update this post.
You can enquire about Marataba Safari Lodge through Go2Africa.
We hope our recommendations for the best family-friendly safari lodges in South Africa has given you some inspiration to add a safari to your South African itinerary.
