The visual effects in the new Mufasa: The Lion King movie are awe-inspiring in the way they bring a digitally animated animal kingdom to life. However, as realistic as it all seems in the film, I can say firsthand, fresh off a family safari in South Africa with my husband and two young daughters, ages 3 years and 9 months, that it pales in comparison to the real thing—an authentic safari experience. On our recent adventure at Tswalu Kalahari’s Loapi Tented Camp, we ran into a pair of rhinoceros, trailed a family of cheetah, spotted giraffes, zebras, and African wild dogs, got close to meerkats, and experienced cubs snuggling beside a pride of sleepy lions—creating some serious core family memories.
If you are intent on motivating the next generation of travelers to be more engaged with and educated about conservation, there’s no better way than to see these magnificent creatures in their natural habitats. Besides, from the youngest to oldest family members, there are plenty of benefits of being surrounded by pristine natural environments and breathing fresh air.
Thankfully, many safari outfitters offer dynamic itineraries—think pairing the quintessential South African safari with a surreal stint in Namibia or a blue safari grand finale in Mozambique filled with whales, dolphins, whale sharks, and dugongs—designed to engage animal lovers of all ages. From a family-friendly safari with a strong focus on wildlife conservation and recovery efforts and active adventures that will get your crew on their feet, there is an African safari that is right for you and your band of explorers.
You’ll have plenty of room to spread out at Tswalu Kalahari in South Africa.
Courtesy of Don Heyneke/Tswalu Kalahari
Tswalu Kalahari in South Africa
Book now: Loapi Tented Camp from $2,789 per night per adult (based on double occupancy); children up to 11 years complimentary; children 12–7 years $543 per night supplement
We chose Tswalu Kalahari for our first family safari, when our first daughter was 10 months old, and were so obsessed that we returned in 2024 when she was 3 years old, along with our 9-month-old daughter. Beyond being in a malaria-free zone, the largest private reserve in all of South Africa is one of the most family-friendly destinations imaginable. Kids under 11 stay totally free, the camp offers completely customizable itineraries, and there are multiple accommodation options, including the Loapi Tented Camp for super-private stays with your own dedicated chef, butler, and babysitter, plus guide, tracker, and vehicle. Or you can opt for Motse, a traditional safari camp experience with complimentary babysitting services.
The latter was an incredible experience when we were just with our first child, while Loapi was perfect for a safari with two little ones, since we could easily customize meal times around our kids’ sleep schedules and had Sanna, the amazing childminder, with us to help out on drives and back at the camp. On both trips our daughters were able to get mere feet from a habituated mob of meerkats, which delighted them to no end, and have close encounters with rhinos (including a memorable gassy baby moment that taught us how sensitive their sense of smell is), lions, cheetahs, and more.
The reserve’s included Junior Ranger program is deeply engaging for young safarigoers (suitable for around ages 3 or 4 and up), and features activities like casting an animal footprint, bush walks, archery, and, for experienced riders, horseback safaris. We all enjoyed meeting researchers during our drives to learn about active conservation and wildlife projects taking place at Tswalu; older kids can even shadow them for a day. And in our experience, the guides and trackers are wonderfully attuned to the needs of kids and highly receptive to the endless questions they ask.
Breakfast with a view at Bateleur Camp in Kenya’s Maasai Mara, part of andBeyond’s Kings of the Jungle itinerary.
Courtesy of andBeyond
East Africa with andBeyond
Book now: 9 nights from $14,635 per adult adult; from $7,540 for children ages 6 to 16 (AndBeyond asks that families with children 5 and under contact the company about options and pricing.)
Africa expert andBeyond’s Kings of the Jungle itinerary aligns with Disney’s Protect the Pride campaign in support of the Lion Recovery Fund, a global initiative dedicated to the future of Africa’s lions. For every Kings of the Jungle booking, a donation will be made to the effort, which aims to double the lion population by 2050.
Africa’s lion population has decreased by nearly half over the past quarter century, according to the African Wildlife Foundation, and the lion is regionally extinct in 15 African countries. To help raise awareness about this issue and about African wildlife in general, andBeyond’s 10-day journey takes travelers old and young through the Maasai Mara, Serengeti, and Ngorongoro Crater where they will experience daily game drives.
Guests start in Nairobi, Kenya, with a private viewing of orphaned elephants during their afternoon feed at the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust and then will stay at andBeyond’s Bateleur Camp in the Maasai Mara plains. The exploration then continues in the western corridor of Tanzania’s Serengeti, known for its dense lion population and for its hippos, where travelers will stay at andBeyond’s Grumeti Serengeti River Lodge then Serengeti Under Canvas, a mobile tented camp. During the finale at Nomand Entamanu, at the ancient caldera Ngorongoro Crater, travelers will be on the lookout for large-tusk elephants and rhinos.
Whether the kids go out on game drives, or hang back and enjoy the kids room and active play with the on-site babysitter, everyone will enjoy Singita Sabi Sand.
Courtesy of Singita Sabi Sand
South Africa’s Singita Sabi Sand
Book now: from $2,550 per night night per adult (based on double occupancy); $1,275 per night per child; complimentary for infants under two years
The second part of our October 2024 family safari was at Singita Ebony Lodge, which is inside Singita Sabi Sand, a privately owned game reserve beside Kruger National Park with several family-friendly lodges. That translates to sublimely private and intimate wildlife experiences in a region with abundant fauna. While my children were a bit young for the twice-daily drives—it’s up to the guide’s discretion whether younger kids can come along—they enjoyed the lodge’s newly renovated kids room and hands-on activities like sand art and painting with a babysitter. The Singita Mini Ranger Course (most appropriate for kids from around 3 to 13) incorporates survival skills, animal tracking, flower pressing, nature quizzes, and cooking and provides a special certificate at the end.
My girls loved meeting one of the rhino anti-poaching K9 unit dogs, Luna, who may have been my baby’s favorite animal of the safari, and a ranger who engaged my oldest with stories of a baby rhino they’d saved. We spent time in the conservation room, too, with her asking questions about various artifacts, animal bones and pictures, wanting to hear more tales of the wildlife—especially leopards, which the Singita Lowveld Trust and Panthera Leopard Research initiatives are focused on—and the issues they face.
The Singita lodges’ significant focus on critical conservation was inspiring to us all, as it added deeper layers to the experience. For older kids there are bush walks (minimum age is 16) and stargazing, while families have the option of adding on a hot air balloon safari, too. My oldest daughter did get out on a memorable game drive with our private guide Johan (a grandfather himself), during which we saw many of her favorite animals: elephants, along with hippos, various antelope (which by then she could name), monkeys, and several lions, including one who could easily pass for Mufasa himself.
Oh, the animals your family will see when booking a personalized safari trip with Extraordinary Journeys.
Photo by Valorie Darling/Courtesy of Cottar’s
Extraordinary Journeys’ private itinerary through Kenya
Book now: 8-night safari for 6 adults sharing from $18,000/person; from $14,000/person based on 6 adults and 4 kids under 12 sharing
For our first family safari journey, which included Tswalu Kalahari, we trusted the Africa experts (parents themselves) at Extraordinary Journeys to craft the perfect itinerary (in South Africa), and they wowed us every step of the way with, yes, extraordinary beauty, but also seamlessness. Its Travel with Family: Kenya’s Private Bush Homes trip includes exclusive-use bush camps that showcase some of the most prolific wildlife on the planet.
This itinerary begins at Arijiju Retreat in Laikipia, Kenya, where guests can look for the Big Five on game drives and bush walks and even by helicopter or quad bikes. There are horseback riding and rappelling adventures available, too. Next, families fly to Cottar’s Bush Villa in the Maasai Mara’s Borana Wildlife Conservancy, where everyone can gather Circle of Life–style for sundowners at the inspiration for Lion King’s Pride Rock. There, off-road game drives and night outings may even be led by the fourth-generation guide Calvin Cottar. There’s time for kids to inspect elephant dung, find bones, collect guinea fowl feathers, and make castings of lion paw prints, plus let loose in waterfalls, try catch-and-release fishing, and learn to throw spears.
Zicasso offers families the option to take an early morning hot air balloon ride above the Serengeti.
Photo by hongissi/Shutterstock
Zicasso’s East Africa safari
Book now: 12-night safari from $9,800 per person
Luxury travel agency Zicasso offers a Mufasa: The Lion King–inspired 12-night, 13-day family safari called Pride of Africa. The itinerary brings travelers through wondrous landscapes in East Africa hot spots Tanzania and Kenya in search of lions, leopards, rhinos, elephants, and Cape buffalo. But it also offers some less typical experiences, including cycling and walking safaris in Hell’s Gate National Park in Kenya. Travelers will journey to Tanzania’s Olduvai Gorge, where fossilized bones have provided the earliest evidence of human life, and to Mount Kilimanjaro, the highest point in Africa. Families also have the option to fly high above the Serengeti on a hot air balloon ride for a spectacular perspective akin to Zazu’s. Children age 12 to 15, sharing a room with an adult, can expect to be quoted about 30 percent below the adult rate, according to Zicasso.
This story was originally published in July 2019, and was update don February 11, 2025, to include current information. Michelle Baran contributed reporting.
