One of the major attractions of Botswana family safaris is the range of exciting outdoor and educational activities on offer for children, especially in private concessions. Learn more about how to plan the best family safari on Botswana.
Experience one of our Botswana family safaris and enjoy memories for life: Botswana is one of Africa’s best big game destinations. From the elephant and zebra herds of the Chobe National Park to the teeming Okavango Delta and big cats of the Kalahari, the diversity of Botswana’s wildlife is matched only by its abundance. And it’s not just the animals you’ll see that makes Botswana a great choice for family safaris. There are lodges with family accommodation and private guides for personalised safari programmes. There’s also a great range of age-appropriate kids activities in Botswana plus plenty of convenient touches like kids menus and child-minders. The destinations you choose and the time you travel are best based on the ages of your children.
Botswana Family Safaris with Kids – It’s mostly hotel-type lodges that cater for families with kids under five – Chobe Game Lodge is a good example – but there are also traditional tented camps such as Machaba Camp and Gomoti Camp in the Okavango Delta.
You’ll need a private vehicle and guide for your game drives and we’d strongly recommend going in the cooler dry season (May through August) to minimise the risk of malaria, rain and heat. Some camps offer a child-minding service – a nice touch if you’d like to relax with other guests in the evenings.
This is the age when children begin to both enjoy and understand the outdoors, something appreciated by several safari lodges in Botswana. Here you’ll find family tents with en suite bathrooms and cheerful children’s menus plus fun, educational family activities to enjoy between game drives.
You’ll learn bush skills with knowledgeable guides – basket weaving, animal spoor tracking and bird identification – and watch the stars drift across the southern skies at night. Again, we’d recommend travelling in Botswana’s drier months – May through August.
Children over 12 are allowed at all camps so you now have a much wider range of options but it still pays to choose carefully as some camps offer reduced rates for children under 16. You can still arrange private game drives and extra family activities – good to know if you have teenagers who’ll need something to do in between game drives.
Travelling with older children gives you more flexibility with timing: mild and dry May through August is always popular but September and October deliver great game viewing: it’s dry and hot – book a lodge with a pool.
Botswana is a safe, stable and welcoming country with a healthy climate and – apart from malaria at certain times of year – very few medical considerations to worry about. The country’s safari operators have many decades of experience, the guiding and lodge management is of a very high standard, and travel arrangements run smoothly.
In addition, many lodges in Botswana offer reduced rates for children, and in combination with a stay in a private reserve, you’ll be able to choose between game drives, bush walks and water activities as well as spot-lit night drives and river cruises – the complete safari experience.
It’s also a country that combines well with other iconic African family destinations. Victoria Falls is a short drive from Chobe River and you can take a direct flight from the Okavango Delta’s Maun Airport and land in Cape Town. See our blog on Children’s Activities in Victoria Falls.
Start planning your family safari & start thinking about your experience. These family safari itineraries are simply suggestions and just for inspiration. We’ve showcased our most popular Botswana Family safaris below, designed to be booked as they are. But feel free to ask us for more ideas suited to your interests, time available and budget. We have the expertise to make the perfect itinerary for you.
Whether it’s your first safari or your fifth, our Botswana travel experts at Safari Online will help you craft a journey that’s safe, seamless, and unforgettable for all ages.
Botswana is a premium safari destination and – although there is a wide range of accommodations – travelling across the country with a family can be expensive, especially in high season. And if you want to include a beach destination with your Botswana safari, then it’ll mean an overnight stay in Johannesburg before you get to the beach, adding to the cost. For this reason we usually recommend East Africa as a much more affordable option for family safari and beach holidays.
We recommend the following countries for families with children:
