Are safaris family friendly?

Absolutely! Yes!
Safaris are a great way to expose children to new experiences, nature and the great outdoors. The best education we can give children are experiences and Southern Africa is most definitely full of them.

As a mother raising 2 children myself in the Greater Kruger region, my children have been privileged enough to be going on safari since they were tiny newborns, and not just within South Africa. I encourage everyone with families to go on safari, however it is vitally important to choose the correct safari camp or lodge. Coming from a background of working within lodges and then lodge sales and marketing, I am only too familiar that some establishments will claim that they are child friendly, but the reality is they have a family room and that is where it ends. Luckily, the good news is there are many others that have grasped the concept of family travel and they have evolved their camp/lodge around this with specialised child focused activities with specially trained family guiding staff, child minding services, amazing menus which appeal to the younger generations, junior ranger programs for the children, and so much more.
As well as many private camps and lodges now adapting and embracing family travel there is also, for some,the more laid-back self-drive options. You and your family are in your own (or rented) vehicle and the daily itinerary is set by your own timetable and limitations. These options are often available on self catering, Bed and Breakfast or Dinner, Bed and Breakfast basis
 
Booking a family holiday is never an easy task. You want to ensure that everyone travelling, whether young children or teenagers and adults will have the best experiences. This is an opportunity for families to spend quality time together, making everlasting memories and securing bonds that everyday life sometimes gets in the way of. 
As a parent your main priority is often the children. Not only do you want them to have the best holiday, you want this to happen in an environment that is safe. However, you as a parent need to be able to relax, rewind and also enjoy the holiday that you have worked hard to afford. 
It is vitally important that whenever booking any holiday, but particularly a family holiday, that you do your research and this is where your travel agent is there to help and advise you of the options available.
We, at Eight Points Africa, work with many tried and tested family friendly safari camps and lodges in all the destinations we sell and can advise our clients on the best ones for their family, taking into account interests, children’s ages, requirements etc. This process does not need to be stressful, it should be an enjoyable, exciting experience from research, to booking and to actually going on your holiday.