Children on Safari

A luxury family safari with Londolozi means:

• Private Villas and Private Safari Camps that you can book exclusively for you and your family, 
• Customised children-friendly safari game drives with experienced rangers orientated towards children on safari,
• During time in camp, a personalised children’s program specifically designed for your child at the Londolozi Cub’s Den,
• Safari is timeless and has something for every generation in your family. 
• Amazing memories shared with other members of your family.

A family safari designed for the whole family

A luxury family Safari in Africa allows for deep family connection during meal times and out on game drives but also allows for down time or adventurous activities for each member of the family.  Each camp has a team that will meet with your family and begin to design experiences that will best suit what your family is looking for.  

There is something for everyone on safari at Londolozi, situated in the Sabi Sand Private Game Reserve, bordering the Kruger National Park, in South Africa. On each safari trip you will know what is for you and what’s not. For some, it’s editing their wildlife photography in our studio and for others it might be wellness treatments at the Healing House or simply lying by a plunge pool with a drink in hand.  Whatever you top-and-tail your game drive with is up to you but your children have the choice of  a non-stop wilderness safari program, and there’s lots to choose from. At the end of each exciting game drive let your kids join in on the adventures at the Londolozi Cub’s Den leaving the rest of the family to choose their morning/afternoon activities. 

Our Cubs Den is described best by former Londolozi Ranger and father of two, Tom Imrie:

We’ve discussed and debated a children’s safari program at length at Londolozi. Some people like things set in stone and have demanded from time to time the ‘Program’. Generally at this point we give them a list of activities that children can participate in and while some grudgingly accept this list, others actually still demand ‘the program’. Technically speaking we don’t have a Londolozi Children’s Safari Program. We have a Londolozi Children’s Philosophy and there is a whale of a difference between the two!

A Children’s Safari Program is often set out with the intention of keeping little ones busy while the parents relax. It has a fairly rigid timetable and is usually unchanged from season to season, year to year. A Children’s Philosophy embraces the fact that each child is unique and he or she has a different departure point to fun. Our philosophy therefore promises that while the parents relax we’ll find that departure point for your children and maximize their enjoyment in this exciting environment. This philosophy comes, as you can see, from Londolozi’s nearly 100 year history and experience of five generations in the bush.

Tom Imrie

What’s on Offer

First the safari game drive is crucially important. We’ve never made the mistake of aiming a safari at the adults while the children in the vehicle loll their heads in boredom. If a family comes on a luxury safari to Londolozi we believe that it is essential to aim the game drive experience at the children. That means that the eight hours a day spent in the vehicle looking for animals becomes a wonderful learning experience for little ones and a place where the family can interact together.

Family Land Rovers* can stop often for kids to jump out and utilize their senses. Touching, feeling, smelling, throwing – it all comes into the mix and we recognize that a four hour game drive can be a long time for a child to sit still. We believe it is essential to get the little ones off the vehicle as often as possible, even if it’s just to identify tracks.

Between drives and after hearty meals, the activities for kids are as varied as their individual personalities.

Luxury Family Safari at Londolozi

A day on safari for a family will always be a magical one. From observing elusive leopards draped in trees, spotting elephants drinking from a waterhole to enjoying a cup of coffee in a riverbed together – there will be many moments which will remain with you and your family forever. Make sure to pack your camera – there will be many moments you’ll want to capture together and remember forever. It’s time to bring your tribe on a family safari in Africa.

One of my greatest joys is to watch, year after year, as generations return to Londolozi as Africa and her wildlife become the touch stone and common passion for young and old. Africa creates the connection, no matter how everyone grows or where they live in the world. Everyone returns ‘home’ on their African safari

Shan Varty

At Londolozi we provide for the best multigenerational family safari travel experience based on years of creating the perfect blend between wilderness and safety in the African bush.

*Please be sure to book a private Land Rover

The ‘Cubs Den’ is where the children, if they’ve opted out of a midday swim, can run around in a safe environment. This is a creative station with tons of arts and crafts to get involved with. It’s a space to be creative, make a mess and have fun in between their game drives with their families. There is a tree painted on the wall, and for those who have brought your children in the past will know it is a special one. This Tree of Life, which stands proud in Cubs Den, signifies the growth and importance of children. Their hand prints (which make its leaves), some small and some big, bring an array of personalities, bright colours and stories to a tree that was once bare against an empty wall. This tree will now live and continue to flourish with every visit of a child to Londolozi. 

Playground for creativity

The Cubs Den encourages creativity using the natural resources that Mother Nature provides. At Londolozi, we are constantly in awe of the fact that we live in the most wonderful playground a child could dream of (children in the Londolozi Cubs Den). Londolozi’s natural treasures provide us with enough to work with – from river sand to build castles, fresh water to fill the moat, a wonderful array of grass species to make turrets, driftwood to add bridges and smooth colourful stones to make doors and windows with. 

After the evening drive there are pizzas to design to a child’s artistic whim, and marshmallows or s’mores to be toasted on an open fire. If the stars are out then the kids can play with the telescope or even get a simplified, mind-expanding star lecture to enjoy whilst Mom and Dad finish their glass of red.

Cubs Den Managers

Cubs Den Managers will take good care of your children – from a safety perspective and from a fun perspective. From learning to cast and untangle fishing lines, creating the perfect plaster of paris mixture for a leopard track, making s’mores (s’mores treats around campfire) on a safari campfire, as well as how to step back and notice the beauty around me at all times, your children will grow tremendously on a safari in Africa.   

Recognizing that different guides also excel at different elements of a successful children’s safari, embedded within the team are children specialists, those guides who love to get into the spirit of playing and see the world through the eyes of a child.

A child who arrives at Londolozi is always assessed by the ranger and the Cubs den facilitator and a unique customised plan is drawn up from there. It’s flexible and energetic and done only once the child has been met. In this way we ensure that we’ll never bottle a child into a mundane activity that doesn’t appeal to him or her.

*Varty and Founders Camps both accommodate children between the ages of 6 and 16 years old. Children of 6 years and over are welcome on game drives.

From tree climbing, archery, track moulding and baking to fishing, soccer matches, boule and dung spitting contests, it will be hard for them to pick their favourite. Sometimes there is the option for movie nights, photographic walks, for making sand castles in the riverbed, sling-shot competitions and maybe even a Masterchef. 

Activities Include:

• Of course the twice daily safari drives
• Tree climbing for the adventurous
• Archery
• Track moulding using Plaster of Paris
• Baking – muffins, pancakes, flapjacks, all those tasty things!
• Pizza making using fresh, African garden ingredients (a Forage to Fork experience)
• Fishing
• Soccer and rugby with the other children, rangers and trackers
• African adventure Boule
• Dung spitting contests
• Mud wallowing just like elephants
• Storytime
• Movie nights
• Seasonal sand castles in the riverbed
• Sling-shot competitions
• Arts and crafts – drawing, painting, face masks, fridge magnets
• Pool activities
• S’mores with an African twist
• African Masterchef
• Photographic walks through camp
• Shangaan lessons
• Gardening and permaculture for youngsters

Activities for everybody in the family

Whilst the children are engaged at the Cubs Den, parents, grandparents and older children will also find it tricky to choose their own activities. For those that have taken pictures on their drives, head over to the Photographic Studio to edit and print them. Then there is the Healing House, sink into deep relaxation as you enter into this wellness space, the Village Walk, or you could enjoy the view from your suite. If you are needing to stretch the body and make some room for your next meal, there is a daily yoga class situated on a deck looking over the Sand River. 

We could go on and on about the many things your entire family could get involved in whilst on your family safari in Africa – there is bound to be something for everyone. 

Family Land Rovers can stop often for kids to jump out and utilize their senses. Touching, feeling, smelling, throwing – it all comes into the mix and we believe it is essential to get the children off the vehicle as often as possible, even if it’s just to identify tracks. And then there’s the wildlife! 

Wildlife and Kids on Safari 

Childhood storybooks come to life as your family sees the Big 5 only a few metres away. Londolozi is located in the heart of the Sabi Sand Game Reserve, one of the highest leopard density areas in the world and which boasts spectacular wildlife viewing due its life-giving river – the Sand River. It goes without saying that safety when out on game drive is every ranger’s first priority. The focus of the experience is to enjoy it, to capture unique moments in time that can be shared with friends and family for generations to come, and of course, after all, the purpose is to have FUN, but to do so safely!  

Our rangers and trackers are an extremely experienced team with an excess of 250 years collective experience among the tracker team, and more than 150 years amongst the guiding team. The team are consequently well equipped to ensure that an experience is enjoyed safely. The local industry expression for this is ‘being over the top’ referring to our guides sticking strictly to a code of conduct. 

Best Age To Take Children On An African Family Safari?

After almost 100 years in the industry we believe that children above six years old are at an age where they can make the most out of an African luxury family safari. From this age and up children are able to enjoy game drives, learn about the animals and have enough maturity to listen to a ranger’s instructions. 

It is also a great age to join the Cubs Den, where your kids can meet other children from across the world and play together between game drives. It is amazing to see how children at first shy to meet each other soon become good friends through safari activities. It is the wonder filled activities in the bush that bridge the gap from shyness to confidence; opening up the door for friendships between these children.

Pioneer Homestead has three interconnected luxury suites creating a bush homestead for private multi-generational family groups of between 6 and 12 people. Pioneer’s intimate family lounge area, fast fibre internet connections, full length lap pool and private interactive kitchen make this camp the ultimate luxury family homestead for shorter visits or long stay family safaris. 

Varty Camp is at the heart of Londolozi with many guest activities found within the surroundings. These include the Guest Gym, Cubs Den, the Photographic Studio and Living Boutique as well as the restorative Healing House. The charming “original Sparta Camp” located in the heart of Varty Camp, represents generations of history which echoes a bygone era before Londolozi existed.  The accommodation consists of chalets which are inter-leading and allow parents and their children easy access to each other. 

Founders Camp also welcomes children and is a camp with a young and vibrant energy that appeals to discerning individuals and modern day families.  Founders Camp has customised different rooms types for families.  

• The Superior Family chalet allows families of 3 to stay in one room. 
• The Founders Family Suites have interconnecting skywalks, allowing parents quick and safe access to their children in rooms next to each other. 

Also in Founders Camp, one can find the yoga deck, a sanctuary for quiet contemplation, beneath the shade of a 500-year-old ebony tree on the banks of the river, where daily yoga classes are held under the watchful eye of the nyala, bushbuck and monkeys.