Kruger Family Safaris

4.5/5 – 340 Kruger Reviews

Kruger National Park has long been a popular holiday destination with South African families. It is also catching on as a great family destination with overseas visitors. This is not surprising when you consider that this 19,485km²/7,523mi² park is home to around 150 mammal and 500 bird species, and ranks as one of the best places in the world to see the iconic Big Five (lion, leopard, elephant, buffalo and rhino). As safari destinations go, Kruger is also unusually well suited to families, thanks to a network of well-equipped and affordable rest camps that are as popular with budget-conscious self-drivers as they are with organized tours.

1-20 of 98 family safaris to Kruger National Park

7 Questions About Kruger Family Safaris

Expert

Answered by

Philip Briggs

Philip Briggs is an Africa-specialized travel writer who grew up and lives in South Africa. He first visited Kruger as a child in the 1970s, and has explored its every accessible corner on countless subsequent visits.

› More about Philip

Is a Kruger family safari recommended?

“Yes! Kruger is a great holiday destination for families who enjoy the outdoors and wildlife. Most children are totally enthralled by Africa’s amazing large animals, and love absorbing the sounds and sights of the bush. As with most family holiday options, however, Kruger can only be recommended to those who are likely to enjoy it, a category that may not include sulky teenagers, difficult toddlers and indoorsy youngsters. When it comes to making that judgment, you’re on your own!”

What is the minimum age for children to go on a Kruger holiday?

“No minimum age restriction is imposed on entering Kruger. However, young children with a low boredom threshold, or who are prone to crying and tantrums, are unlikely to enjoy being cooped up on long game drives. If this sounds like your children, it might be better to postpone your Kruger safari until the kids are older and able to get more from the experience. Children vary so much that it's difficult to put an exact number on this, but we would advise you to think carefully before taking children under the age of five or six on any safari. Another age-related factor for Kruger is that it lies in a low malaria risk area, so if your children are too young to take antimalarial drugs, you may want to wait until they are older. Or, failing that, visit during the Dry season (May to September), when the risk of malaria is lowest.”

Is it safe to go to Kruger with children?

“Kruger is a safe destination and very popular with South African families that include children of all ages. Having said that, you'll need to supervise toddlers and very young children to keep them from wandering off at rest camps or picnic sites, or from trying to pet habituated wildlife (most commonly impalas, bushbucks, warthogs, baboons and monkeys) in rest camps. Provided you are reasonably careful in this respect, young children are probably at no greater risk in Kruger than on any other holiday.”

What is the recommended length of time for a family safari in Kruger?

“If this is your first family safari, 3 to 4 days should be sufficient to see a good variety of wildlife without things getting stale. That said, depending on how much time you have available and your family’s overall level of interest in wildlife, anything from a half-day safari to 2 weeks is possible. For some people, a day or two is all the time they need on safari before game drives start to feel repetitive and an element of boredom sets in. For others, there's no such thing as ‘too long’ when it comes to a safari, and a 2-week trip exploring Kruger from south to north would be their idea of a perfect holiday.”

What else should I consider when choosing a family safari in Kruger?

“A big decision when visiting Kruger with kids is whether to arrange a guided safari package through a tour company or to make your own rest camp bookings and self-drive. Booking a full package tour will reduce the time-consuming and potentially stressful decision-making involved in planning a safari. It also means you won't have to conduct your own game drives, and gives you the benefit of an experienced wildlife spotter in the car. Having said that, a self-drive safari should be considerably cheaper than a tour, and many people prefer the freedom of exploring the park without a guide. There is no better or worse in this. It just depends on what you prefer.”

What are the best Kruger camps for a family safari?

“Kruger’s rest camps are all reasonably well suited to families, but first choices for short safaris would include Berg-en-Dal, Pretoriuskop, Lower Sabie, Skukuza, Satara, Olifants and Letaba. These camps all meet two important criteria. Firstly, they are in the southern half of the park, which is more accessible than the north, and generally offers better wildlife viewing. Secondly, they are relatively large camps with family-friendly amenities such as a swimming pool and a restaurant, and space for short walks and other activities. We would advise against taking young children to smaller bush camps such as Balule, Tamboti and Maroela, as amenities at these places are limited and the atmosphere is best suited to adults seeking a quiet bush experience.”

How will I keep the kids entertained on a Kruger family trip?

“The key to entertaining children on safari is encouraging them to engage with the wildlife and surrounding environment. Some children take to the safari experience easily, and delight in everything they see. Others might need more active encouragement. A good way to do this is to make a game of it. For instance, see who can spot the most new animals for the trip, or keep count of all the animals you see on any given day, or download a field guide app to help identify some of the park’s many colorful and distinctive birds. It also helps to keep game drives on the shorter side (up to around three hours), and to stretch your legs whenever you pass a viewpoint or picnic site where you’re allowed to get out of the car.”

Kruger Reviews

4.5/5 340 Reviews

Expert

Mike Unwin –

Mike is an award-winning wildlife writer, former editor of Travel Zambia magazine and author of the Bradt Guide to Southern African Wildlife.

Africa’s Best DIY Safari

5/5

South Africa’s premier wildlife reserve divides opinion. Some who’ve visited supposedly ‘wilder’ parks argue that the Kruger’s developed infrastructure, complete with paved roads and large public camps, undermines the wilderness...

Full Review

Expert

Lizzie Williams –

Lizzie is a reputed guidebook writer and author of the Footprint guides to South Africa, Namibia, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda and Zimbabwe.

South Africa’s flagship park with excellent facilities and unrivalled game-viewing

5/5

South Africa’s largest park most certainly fulfils most visitors’ expectations of seeing magnificent herds of game roaming across acacia-studded savannah. After countless visits at different times of the year, I have found it can get a...

Full Review

Lidiya Prymachenko –

Reviewed: Jan 8, 2023

5/5

The park is huge and you have a chance to see the wildlife from different perspectives. We saw the big five and many other animals. It was difficult to find a rhino and "cats", but we did it in the end. The rangers are professional and...

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Tyler W. –

Reviewed: Dec 1, 2022

4/5

On the particular day that we went, we didn't see much wildlife, however on other days, some Safari members mentioned they saw a lot of animals. The landscape was fairly uniform without much variation.

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Emily Ward –

Reviewed: Mar 2, 2020

5/5

Kruger is enormous, and the size of the park and its openness to all kinds of vehicles makes for more potential animal sightings. It also makes for more potential traffic jams. Sightings rely on animals being close to the roads, but there...

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James Arnold –

Reviewed: Feb 27, 2020

4/5

Had to stay on paved, rather wide roads. other than a lion that was laying next to the road, there was no way to really get close to nature. however, there were many animals sighted and i still had a nice time

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Kruger Family Safaris

6-Day Kruger NP & Panorama Route Mid-Range Tour

5-Day Tremisana/Treehouse Kruger Park Safari

3-Day Ultimate Kruger Park Open Experience

6-Day Fly-in Self-Drive Kruger & Panorama Route Tour

3-Day Kruger 4x4 Open Vehicle Safari - 4 Star Lodge Stay

6-Day Kruger Package Bush and Elephants

3-Day Kruger Safari

3-Day Greater Kruger and National Park Getaway

4-Day Kruger and Panorama Lux Safari at Budget Price

4-Day Orpen to Letaba- Tented Bushcamp Stay

4-Day & 3-Night Kruger National Park Budget Safari

4-Day The Greater Kruger Tshukudu Safari

3-Day Kruger Lodge Treehouse Safari

4-Day Traditional Inside Kruger Park Classic Safari

4-Day Stylish Private All Comforts Tented Kruger Safari

7-Day Cape Town, Kruger Park & Blyde Canyon Semi-Private

4-Day Immersive Kruger National Park Experience

3-Day Kruger Park and Manyeleti Reserve Bongan Lodge

4-Day Private Kruger & Luxury Lodge Safari Adventure

5-Day Kruger Safari in an Tented Camp (En-Suite)

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7 Questions About Kruger Family Safaris

Answered by

Philip Briggs

7 Questions About Kruger Family Safaris

Is a Kruger family safari recommended?

What is the minimum age for children to go on a Kruger holiday?

Is it safe to go to Kruger with children?

What is the recommended length of time for a family safari in Kruger?

What else should I consider when choosing a family safari in Kruger?

What are the best Kruger camps for a family safari?

How will I keep the kids entertained on a Kruger family trip?

Kruger Reviews

Africa’s Best DIY Safari

South Africa’s flagship park with excellent facilities and unrivalled game-viewing