Come on a family safari, your children will love it…
KEY TAKEAWAYS
- Most Elewana properties welcome young children on game drives; many have tailored children's activities, to nurture curiosity, creativity and a lasting respect for nature.
- Children’s activities include: animal tracking and spoor identification, bird walks with a Mini Twitcher badge, scorpion searches after dark, Maasai spear-making and bow training led by local Askaris, and baobab storytelling.
- Conservation activities include tree planting using indigenous seed balls and herb planting in the lodge garden — available at every Elewana property.
- Private conservancies (Mara North, Loisaba, Lewa) offer activities unavailable in national parks: night drives, bush walks, horse riding (aged 8+) and tracker-led animal-sign sessions.
- Tanzania's Ngorongoro Crater, 260 sq km of enclosed habitat with 25,000 large animals resident year-round, is one of Africa's most reliably excellent family destinations.
Why is a Family Safari in Africa so special?
A safari offers children far more than the chance to see wildlife. Many have watched lions and elephants on screens long before they encounter them in the wild. But nothing compares to experiencing a living ecosystem with all their senses: feeling the wind carry the scent of rain across the plains, hearing elephants moving quietly through the darkness, or discovering the excitement, wonder, and deep peace that only the wild can bring.
These experiences form lasting memories and impact. Adults who took their children on safari frequently hear, years later, that it was the trip those children remember above all others.
Africa's best family safaris, and Kenya and Tanzania in particular, are supported by infrastructure that has been designed with families in mind: conservancies with age-appropriate activities, lodges with family suites and children's activities, and guides trained to read what children need in every moment.
Safari gives children something that's becoming increasingly rare: a real connection to nature and the environment around them.
What Age Is Right for a Family Safari in Africa?
Most professional safari guides and operators recommend a minimum age of six for full game drives. This is partly practical, young children find it difficult to stay quiet during a game drive, which affects the experience for everyone in the vehicle, and partly about what children can genuinely absorb. From around six or seven, children begin to engage with wildlife beyond the immediate spectacle: they ask questions, retain information, and make connections between what they see and what they have been told.
That said, several Elewana properties have programmes for younger children: including camp-based nature activities, cooking sessions, crafts, and guide-led explorations close to camp that are genuinely engaging without requiring a full three-hour game drive. Children under four receive a personalised safari companion on arrival; children over four receive the Wildlife Warrior backpack, complete with a water bottle, activity pack and a set of thoughtfully chosen materials (books, colouring pencils etc.) to use throughout their stay.
From around ten or eleven, the depth of a safari experience changes dramatically. Older children can engage with tracking, conservation conversations, and the ecological relationships between species at a level that most adults find as illuminating as the children do. Activities such as scorpion searches (in Loisaba), navigation by stars and natural landmarks, and Maasai spear-making are particularly well-suited to this age group.
What Do Elewana's Children's Activities Include?
Elewana's children's activity programme, the Wildlife Warrior series, has been designed to connect younger guests to the landscape they are visiting. Activities are tied to the specific ecosystem of each property, led by experienced guides and staff, and structured to build curiosity, respect and a genuine sense of care for the environment. The programme is deliberately broad: covering wildlife education, cultural experience, conservation practice and family time together.
What Activities Are Available for Children on Safari?
In private conservancies like Mara North, Loisaba and Lewa, children can join guided walking safaris, learning to read animal tracks, identify bird calls and understand how predators move through a landscape. Night drives introduce an exciting nocturnal world most children have never encountered: the eye-shine of a porcupine, a serval hunting in the grass, the sounds of the bush at midnight.
At Loisaba in Laikipia, horse riding is available for children aged eight and over. Moving through wildlife on horseback is one of the most extraordinary ways to encounter animals and the landscape. The Loisaba Star Beds offer open-air sleeping under a sky at altitude that children tend to find as awe-inspiring as any wildlife encounter.
Beyond game drives, many of our properties offer hands-on activities that encourage children to engage with nature in playful and meaningful ways. Tree and herb planting, marshmallow roasting and storytelling around the campfire, cooking experiences, giant Jenga, family board games, and carefully curated libraries of books on wildlife, conservation and local culture all create opportunities to learn through exploration.
At Arusha Coffee Lodge in Tanzania, children can join guided coffee-estate walks that track the coffee-growing process from seedling to cup, an engaging activity for children who have never seen where this morning drink comes from.
Which Elewana Properties Work Best for Families?
The right Elewana property for a family depends on the children's ages and interests, the time of year and what the trip is designed to give them.
For younger families, Sand River Masai Mara, Elephant Pepper Camp and Little Elephant Pepper Camp offer the highest wildlife density and the Migration for those travelling July to October, a spectacle children love. The Ngorongoro rim properties: The Manor at Ngorongoro, offer the beauty and drama of the crater, where the sheer concentration of animals makes for many interesting sightings.
For older children interested in conservation, Elsa's Kopje in Meru is the most compelling Elewana property. The story of Elsa the lioness, raised by George and Joy Adamson, and returned to the wild, the inspiration for the Born Free movement, is a conservation narrative that children engage with deeply. The lodge itself is built into the granite rock where Elsa lived, with trees and rocks living inside the rooms.
Kilindi Zanzibar is our only Elewana property that does not allow children.
How to Structure a Family Safari Itinerary
A practical family safari itinerary for East Africa follows the same logic as an adult itinerary, with specific attention to pace. Two destinations, three to four nights each, is the most common and most effective structure for families—enough time for children to feel settled in a landscape before moving on.
Domestic light aircraft are the most practical way to move between Kenya's safari areas, saving full days of road travel. Most children find flying in a small aircraft exciting; the views from the air at low altitude are a significant part of the experience.
Brief the lodge before arrival about the children's ages and any specific interests. Elewana's Guest Experience Team coordinates all pre-arrival information, ensuring the guide at your property knows what matters to your children before the first drive. A guide who knows that a child is particularly interested in birds, or in tracking, will structure the drives accordingly. This is one of the advantages of private conservancy guiding: the guide is yours for the duration of your stay, and learns your family.
Practical details matter on a family safari. Elewana has worked to ensure that properties are set up for the reality of travelling with children: bed rails, potty seats and interconnected room configurations are available where needed. Confirm requirements at the time of booking.
Frequently Asked Questions
What age can children go on safari in Africa?
Children of all ages are welcome on safari with Elewana. While most safari operators recommend around six years old for full game drives, our properties offer a wide range of engaging camp-based experiences for younger children, helping them connect with nature through play, creativity and exploration.
As children grow, so does the safari experience. From around six, they naturally begin to engage more deeply with the wild: learning to track animals, understand ecosystems, explore conservation, and appreciate the remarkable relationships that shape these landscapes.
Is a safari safe for young children?
A well-run safari in a private conservancy is a controlled and safe environment. Guides are trained to manage situations where wildlife approaches the vehicle and will always prioritise guest safety.
What do children do during the middle of the day on safari?
Most safari drives operate in the early morning (departing around 06:30) and late afternoon (departing around 15:30), when wildlife is most active. The middle of the day, typically 11:00 to 15:00, is rest time at camp. Activities during this period can include swimming, nature journaling, playing games, reading books, bird observation near camp, or quiet time. Most of our properties offer midday activities such as guided nature walks or camp-based crafts for younger guests.
Which is better for a family safari - Kenya or Tanzania?
Both countries offer excellent family safari experiences, and they are often best combined. Kenya's Masai Mara and Laikipia offer exceptional wildlife density and private conservancy activities. Tanzania's Ngorongoro Crater is consistently outstanding and accessible year-round. A combined East Africa family itinerary: Kenya for the Mara and Laikipia, Tanzania for Ngorongoro and the Serengeti, is one of the most complete family safari routes available.
Are Elewana camps child-friendly?
Yes. Most Elewana camps welcome young children on game drives, and many have family suites or interconnected room configurations, with children’s menus, bedrails and potty seats available. We offer the broadest range of child-appropriate activities, including walking safaris, night drives and horse riding. Confirm the specific children's programme and age requirements at your chosen property when booking.
