Do you have some feral children who could benefit from being released back into the wild? If so, then family safari holidays are ideal for you. Discovering jaw-dropping (and jaw munching) wildlife while on safari is one of life's great experiences and makes for a fabulous holiday for the whole tribe. Regardless of how many Jellycat giraffe teddies the children own, or how many times they've seen The Lion King, nothing even comes close to seeing African wildlife in its natural habitat for the first time (or even the fifth time, in our opinion).

Family Safari Holiday Ideas

A few suggestions to get the holiday planning process started

  • One Country South Africa - Cape Town - Hermanus - Garden Route - Lalibela Private Reserve

    South Africa Family Escape - The Cape, the Coast & the Big Five

    Travel from Cape Town to the Eastern Cape, combining beaches, whale watching and safaris in one family-friendly adventure

    13 days, from £3300 to £4500

  • One Country South Africa – Cape Town – Timbavati – Johannesburg

    The Best of South Africa - Cape Town, Kruger & Johannesburg

    Sample the country’s highlights on this ten-day journey through South Africa, from city scenes to wildlife wonders

    11 days, from £3745 to £4780

  • One Country Tanzania – Serengeti – Zanzibar

    Bush & Beach in Tanzania - Serengeti Wildlife and Zanzibar Shores

    Discover Tanzania across 12 days, exploring the Serengeti’s wildlife before unwinding on Zanzibar’s white sand beaches

    11 days, from £4585 to £5625

  • One Country South Africa – Cape Town – Oudtshoorn – Amakhala Game Reserve – Waterberg

    A Family Wildlife Adventure in South Africa - The Ultimate Easter Holiday

    Introduce your tribe to the South African species that put the ‘wild’ into wildlife on this 17-day adventure

    17 days, from £5600 to £8000

  • One Country Zimbabwe – Botswana – Victoria Falls – Chobe National Park – Okavango Delta

    Victoria Falls & Unforgettable Safaris - A Family Adventure in Southern Africa

    Experience the best of Zimbabwe and Botswana on this 11-day family safari adventure

    11 days, from £6050 to £8150

  • One Country Kenya – Nairobi – Mount Kenya – Lake Nakuru – Maasai Mara

    Kenya for First-Timers - Mount Kenya, Lake Nakuru & the Maasai Mara

    Camera at the ready, embark on an eight-day Kenyan safari, spotting wildlife across sunlit plains and wild landscapes

    8 days, from £6600 to £8550

  • One Country Tanzania – Karatu – Ngorongoro – Tarangire National Park – Zanzibar

    From the Savannah to the Sea - A Family Adventure in Tanzania

    Discover the duality of Tanzania on this 12-day family adventure between the bush and the coast

    12 days, from £7850 to £10200

  • One Country Kenya – Nairobi – Amboseli – Tsavo – Diani Beach

    Essential Kenya - Capital Buzz, Bush Explorations and Beachside Bliss

    Blend bush and beach on this 11-day Kenyan adventure, from the wildlife-dotted plains to the sun-kissed coast

    11 days, from £7900 to £10250

  • One Country Namibia – Windhoek – Kalkrand – Sesriem – Swakopmund – Twyfelfontein – Etosha – Otiwarongo

    A Family Road Trip Through Namibia - Desert Dunes, Coastal Cool and Safari Sightings

    Rally the family for two weeks of desert drama and wildlife watching in Namibia

    13 days, from £8050 to £10450

Family Safari Holidays by country

Family Safari Holidays Guide

Practical advice and inspiration to help you prepare for your holiday

Safety comes first with children (and, in fact, anyone) on safari and a great guide will ensure parents never have to worry. Guides will pack days full of family-friendly and educational activities like dung identification (yes, really), paw/hoof print tracking and learning about the medicinal properties of the local flora. As well as helping tick off those Lion King species checklists too, of course.

Families with younger children will love the malaria-free areas of South Africa, which is also incredibly convenient given the lack of time difference and very reasonable flight time. We know all the best camps and guides to ensure your family safari holiday is as educational as it is fun. If you are planning a family safari with young children then much-loved children's party people Sharky & George, who we've joined forces with, will provide your little monsters with a carefully selected kit to help them discover the magic around them, including a spotters guide, mini microscope and star chart. Plus, let's be honest, you'll have a whale of a time playing with the kit as well!

For teenagers, a safari is the ultimate holiday, with so much diversity in terms of what they can see and do, from incredible wildlife to stunning landscapes and adrenaline-filled activities (quad biking anyone?). If there's a better way to draw teenagers away from screens and social media than taking them on a family safari, we'd love to hear it.

If the plains of Africa don't appeal, there are plenty of other options to take your kids for some wildlife spotting. You could see orangutans, pygmy elephants and the strange looking proboscis monkey in Borneo, discover the incredible biodiversity of Costa Rica or check out the giant tortoises and tropical penguins in the Galapagos Islands. Wherever you choose to go, we can arrange private guides to give you all the low-down on what you see.

What's not to love about a family holiday that everyone from five-year olds to grumpy teenagers will enjoy?