Travelling With Cubs When On Holiday

If Malaria areas, such as the Kruger, are an issue for family’s with very young children, we recommend enjoying a Safari in one of the Malaria free Game Reserves situated in the Eastern Cape or  Madikwe areas of South Africa. Cape Town and the Garden Route host many child friendly hotels and activities and is travelled and enjoyed by all family’s. The Garden Route and Eastern Cape in South Africa is filled with beaches and game parks in close-proximity, a winning combination with children. As many of our Tour consultants are parents themselves, we have an intimate understanding of the concerns of parents and can best advise you how to make your family holiday work for you!

Garden Route for Children

The Garden Route is an ideal destination for those travelling with families – with a host of fun filled and sometimes adrenalin rush activities available for both children and adults alike,

The Garden Route is without a doubt, one of the most popular holiday destinations for those travelling with children.

Interact with Elephants at the Elephant Sanctuary in Plettenberg Bay, marvel at the stalagmite formations in Cango Caves in Oudtshoorn,  play on the beach in Plettenberg Bay or Wilderness,  watch the monkeys in Monkeyland,  observe the Ostrich‘s in Oudtshoorn or enjoy a boat cruise on the Knysna Lagoon –   your children will certainly be entertained !

For more information, visit our Garden Route activity page

The Garden Route also hosts a wide variety of child friendly accommodation – contact one of our travel consultants to design the ideal family holiday for you !

Child Friendly Game Lodges

JACI’S SAFARI LODGE – MADIKWE PRIVATE GAME RESERVE

Situated in the MALARIA FREE Madikwe Game Reserve. These two exceptional, privately owned lodges, run by Jan and Jaci, together with an outstanding team, will exceed all your safari expectations boasting 75,000 hectares of “Top Ten” territory.

Jaci’s provides the opportunity for the perfect family safari as well as introducing children to the wonders and enjoyment of the African bushveld. Children of all ages are welcome at Jaci’s and are especially catered for.

Family Safaris

Our family safaris have evolved from the specialized children’s safaris, as there was a demand from parents to see and enjoy their children’s wild experiences first hand rather than when they returned to the Lodge, so we had more parents on the specialized safaris than children!! The family safari vehicles are only available at Jaci’s Safari Lodge – now enabling us to put families with children ages 5 – 13 years old on game drives with their parents for the morning and evening game drives.
We still have the fabulous “jungle drive” during the day for the very young children 4 yrs and under.

Jungle Drives

“Jungle Drives” are provided for children 4yrs and younger and go out once a day, between the morning and evening game drives. Parents are welcome to join, but they must behave like children! On the “jungle drive” things of interest to children are pointed out, e.g. toothbrush plants, beetles, etc. The information on the drive is aimed at the age/s of the children on the drive.
The “jungle drive” is included in the children’s special rate.

Meals

Children 12 yrs and younger will enjoy dinner in the dining room ( as the evening meal is an adult affair :)) and enjoy a child oriented menu with things that they prefer, like spaghetti bolognaise, hamburgers, hot dogs, chips and lots of vegetables(to keep Mom happy) etcetera. Children 12 yrs and under sharing with their parents will not be allowed to eat dinner in the boma – the earlier children’s dinner is provided instead. On arrival the chef will ask the children specifically what they like and dislike and use this as a guideline when preparing the children’s menu.

General
Child minding is provided free of charge while the parents are on game drive and during dinner.

Children love Jaci’s Safari Lodge – they especially love the idea of “camping” in a tent! One of the things they comment most about are the bugs, they love the variety and are enthralled by these creepy crawlies. Children love the space at Jaci’s Safari Lodge as well as feeling part of the Jaci’s staff family – this sets the pace for how their experience on Safari turns out for them. Jaci’s is fenced off from the Reserve – but it is still the responsibility of the parents to be mindful of potential dangers as Jaci’s is in a wildlife area.

LALIBELA PRIVATE GAME RESERVE – EASTERN CAPE

There is a huge demand for families wanting a safari holiday in a malaria-free area, because of the risks associated with taking children to a malaria-infested area. Lalibela’s location makes us ideal for families travelling with children, who are wanting to combine a family safari with the Garden Route and Cape Town. We have devised a children’s programme which we feel optimises the safari experience with quality family time

Each family is different and children require varying degrees of attention, which is why the emphasis at Lalibela is to be as flexible as possible to ensure memorable family holidays. An overview of our children’s programme is as follows:
In the early morning Lalibela’s child minders come on duty so that parents can leave for their morning game drive. The children are given a chance to wake up, get dressed and be ready for the day.

Breakfast is served and then it is time for the activities of the morning, starting with a short game drive with their own game ranger and in their own special game viewing vehicle, taking care to avoid any close encounters with dangerous game. Parents are welcome to stay behind and accompany their children on the kiddies’ game drive.

The middle of the day is time for the family to spend together. Before the adults go out on their afternoon game drive, high tea is served for both adults and children. The children then head out on their own afternoon game drive and return to the lodge for an early dinner before getting creative with some arts and crafts activities. Young children are looked after by child minders during the adults’ dinner sitting.

Children of all ages are welcome at Mark’s Camp which has 4 twin rooms on one side of the lodge and 4 family rooms on the other side of the lodge.

SHAMWARI PRIVATE GAME RESERVE – EASTERN CAPE

A truly unique, educational and fun family safari
The colonial-style, Riverdene Lodge with nine inter-leading luxury rooms, rim flow pool, supervised playroom, spacious green lawns and jungle gym facility will ensure entertainment for the whole family.

Upon arrival, the children’s co-ordinator will discuss activity options with the family taking the family’s size, children’s ages and the weather into consideration. Child minding facilities are available at an additional cost for children younger than four years as they are too young to join game drives.

Each child will receive an age-appropriate gift pack.

Exclusive visit to the Born Free Foundation Big Cat Rescue Centre
Activities are focused on promoting the conservation of species and the protection of habitat whilst maintaining a humane and compassionate approach to the welfare of animals.

Shamwari Wildlife Hospital
Different types of wild animals or raptors that are being cared for at the time, under special supervision by the Shamwari veterinarian team, for release back into the wild.

Shamwari Film Studio
Children will be given a sneak preview of the film footage of the new “Shamwari – a wild life” series, which is due for airing in August/September 2008 on the Discovery Channel’s Animal Planet.

Exclusive access to one of the Shamwari Film Studio crew members is available to film and produce a high quality DVD of your Family Safari experience. Advanced bookings are essential as the filming and production of the DVD is at an additional cost. You enjoy the moment while we record the memories.

Children can partake in various social, sporting and arts and cultural activities under the supervision of our children’s co-ordinator. Options could include: African bead making, clay making activities, face painting, star-gazing and African story-telling