The best family safaris in Africa and South America
A new breed of lodge offers everything from elephants and eco-chic to game drives and guided walks
A safari is the ideal way to nurture children's instinctive curiosity about animals and the natural world. While some lodges – or their guests – may be less than welcoming to younger visitors, others put a great deal of thought into how to keep them occupied and engaged, and to ensure that the parents get their fair share of attention.
andBeyond Matetsi River Lodge, Zimbabwe
The Matetsi River Lodge, on the Zambezi, is the ideal base for a visit to Victoria Falls - and for the white-water rafting, fishing, bungee jumping and skydiving that go on in, over and around the river. The lodge has two family suites with interconnecting rooms, private balconies and plunge pools. Larger family groups can book the River House, a four-bedroomed villa with its own kitchen, indoor and outdoor dining areas, private veranda overlooking the Zambezi, swimming pool and fire pit. A dedicated guide, chef and butler, as well as a private vehicle for game drives, will be at your service throughout your stay - and children will be invited to join andBeyond's WildChild programme, which includes activities ranging from fishing and animal tracking to learning the craft of African beading.
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Fully inclusive rates in a family suite start from about £1,900 per night, including full board and all activities. To book visit andbeyond.com
Molori Lodge, Madikwe, South Africa
Molori means "to dream" in the seTswana language of north-west South Africa, and this exclusive lodge truly is a dream destination for families. Originally built as a retreat for the owners, it retains an air of privacy and exclusivity: the two-bedroom suites, ideal for parents and children, have their own infinity pools. The lodge has a bespoke approach to food as well, with the kitchen team discussing meals with guests throughout their stay. Its wood-fired pizza oven is particularly popular with children (and some adults too). Wildlife is plentiful in the 185,000-acre Madikwe game reserve that surrounds the camp - but it's kept at arm's length by Molori's game fence, which provides additional reassurance for family groups.
From £14,262 for a family of four, including full board, activities and internal flights. To book, visit www.theluxurysafaricompany.com
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EleFun Centre at Bush Lodge, Sabi Sabi, South Africa
Bush Lodge, long one of the more family-friendly safari destinations, has been welcoming visitors to its luxury accommodation on the edge of the Kruger National Park in South Africa for more than 35 years. Now it has upped its game further, opening the EleFun Centre, catering specifically for youngsters.
Designed by childcare professionals, the centre is intended to "fosters children's awareness and appreciation of nature", the lodge says. It offers two programmes, one for children aged four to eight and the other for nine to 12-year-olds. After the morning game drive, the junior rangers set out on their own adventure, covering bushcraft subjects such as tracking and map-reading with specially trained staff, and learning about bugs and birds. In the afternoons they burn off their excess energy with bushveld games, before being reunited with the rest of the family for an evening game drive.
From about £700 per person per night from Natural World Safaris, including accommodation, full board, day and night game drives, walking safaris and transfers from the Sabi Sabi airstrip. International flights are not included.
Khwai Leadwood, Botswana
Khwai Leadwood, in the game-rich Okavango Delta, re-opens next month after a complete refurbishment – and two of its four safari tents have been designed specifically for families (see plan below). All four combine the traditional glamour of the tented camp with luxurious furnishings and en suite private bathrooms, and all look out over the Moremi game reserve. As well as daytime and nocturnal game drives, Khwai Leadwood will arrange specialised bushwalks for children.
From £10,766 for a family of four for four nights, excluding flights, from the Luxury Safari Company.
El Karama eco lodge, Kenya
El Karama, on the Laikipia plateau in central Kenya, the heart of East Africa's safari country, offers an authentic conservation experience for all ages. Built up by the Grant family, the fourth generation to farm this land, it consists of a working ranch and a series of bandas and rondavels built for guests from reclaimed materials, including beautiful fallen and bleached acacia branches. The local guides and rangers will tailor a programme of activities to individuals families' needs, but their overall aim is to distract children (and possibly parents) from social media and get them to re-engage with nature and each other. Writing and drawing are encouraged, alongside sculpting with termite clay, tracking wildlife and learning how to fish. "Poo safaris", in which animals are identified by what they leave behind, are perennially popular.
From £320 per adult per night, or £160 per night for children and £240 per night for teenagers, including full board and activities, but excluding flights and transfers, from Laikipia Safaris.
Costa Rica family eco adventure
For older children and teenagers, Natural World Safaris's 13-day adventure through Costa Rica has enough in the itinerary to keep everyone entertained. Zip-line your way through the forest canopy, abseil down waterfalls, roam around volcanoes, track sea turtles, raft your way down white-water rapids and keep an eye out for monkeys, sloths and macaws – and then catch your breath on the beach. You will stay in a range of lodges, accessible either by boat or car, as you make your way through the rainforest.
The 13-day trip is available from Natural World from £2,695 per person, excluding international flights, based on a family of four. The company can tailor its itineraries according to budget and individual requirements.