Cape Town Family Safari Options

So your mind is buzzing with questions about finding a Cape town family safari to suit you... ?

There are lots of questions to be answered if you are looking at a self-drive experience.

• Which options are easily accessible from Cape Town?
• What sets a Family Safari apart from any other one?
• What makes camps family friendly?
• Will we have an authentic safari experience?
• How long will we need?
• What about malaria?
• What about small kids?

If these are some of the things you are asking, welcome :o)
You've come to the right place!

What sets a Family Safari apart from any other safari?

In a real game park you are dealing with wild animals living as nature intended in every way. That includes hunting for food. So taking into account the fact that small children are apt to wander off on their own, in a game park they could get themselves into real trouble -- like eaten by a hungry carnivore! Not the holiday you dreamed of, to put it mildly! Given the weighty responsibility, not all safari operators are too keen on the whole family deal!

But hey, as you probably know, being a parent of young kids can be challenging enough at times without having too many enjoyable options curtailed, so luckily for parents like us, some safari companies have taken up our cause!

What makes safari camps family friendly?

A lot of safari camps are family friendly these days. Features you might want to look out for include:

• rooms or suites that can accommodate a whole family together
• parent friendly children's activities programs
• a child friendly menu
• baby sitting facilities
• allowing younger kids to go along on game drives

Which Cape Town family safari holiday options are easily accessible from the city?

There are five safari options within a couple of hours' drive of Cape Town

• Aquila Safari
• Inverdoorn Safari
• Fairy Glen Safari
• Sanbona Wildlife Reserve
• Garden Route Game Lodge

All boast the presence of the African Big Five safari animals and offer various accommodation options and game drive packages.

Aquila is the smallest of the three, almost as close to Cape Town as its next rival and the most aggressively marketed around the city. At one stage they seemed to have the ‘day tour’ market sewn up with daily shuttles collecting visitors from central Cape Town hotels in the morning and delivering them back in the evening.

But there are now other one day and two day options from Cape Town.

Don’t be misled - day safaris are not Aquila's only option. There is accommodation a-plenty at the reserve if you have more time to spare.
More info about Aquila


Inverdoorn is a little further afield, near Ceres. It's a 2 hour drive and day tours or two day, one night options are possible. The possibility of walking with giraffes is one of its highlights.
More info about Inverdoorn


Fairy Glen is a singularly inappropriate name for a game farm, but there you have it! Just before Worcester, (slightly more than an hour's drive from cape Town, this is the closest of the game reserves near Cape Town, and measures 20,000 hectares.

What does that mean for you? A more wilderness-like, less contrived experience!<

Garden Route Game Lodge is three and a half hours drive from Cape Town, just before Mossel Bay. That makes it a good option for those wishing to include both Cape Town and the Garden Route in their trip. I’ve read some rave reviews about this Lodge, so there are obviously happy customers!
More info about Garden Route Game Lodge

Will we have an authentic safari experience?

In some ways these game reserves near Cape Town are a little like the safari parks of the UK. They are small by South African standards and the terrain doesn’t allow for the animals to hunt for themselves. The upside is that you’re almost guaranteed to see all the animals they have on offer.

What do you want out of your safari?

If

If you’re looking for more of a wilderness experience and will just enjoy being in the African bush regardless of whether you tick off all the animals on the list, you'll really benefit from pushing out your itinerary and taking in one of the Eastern Cape game reserves such as Addo Elephant National Park (just beyond Port Elizabeth in the Eastern Cape) or the safari hotspots in the far north and west, such as Kruger National Park or Madikwe.

Cape Town Family safari -- How long will we need?

As I’ve mentioned above, you can visit Aquila on a day trip if that is all the time you can spare.

For me a safari experience is about slowing to the pace of the bush and savouring the experience as much as it is about the wildlife, so I would recommend a residential safari for at least 3 or 4 days if you have the time (and money).

Cape Town Family Safari -- What about malaria?

Malaria is not an issue at either the parks near Cape Town or at Addo. Venturing north, Madikwe is malaria free. At lodges near the Kruger you will need to take anti-malarial medications.

What about small kids?

It’s as well to bear in mind that game viewing must be unobtrusive to succeed. Little ones get ants in their pants and can’t take the slow pace if the animals don’t present themselves fast and furious.

If the children are too young to sit quietly at times when there’s little to be seen, the game will have run for cover by the time you get there!
That’s why I recommend that you wait till your youngest child is at least 5 or 6 years old before you plan your safari.

If this is your only chance to ‘do the safari thang’ and your kids are young, something like a Cape Town family safari at Aquila is definitely your best bet.