How Young Is Too Young for Kids to Go on an African Safari?

I clearly remember a pivotal moment during my first safari in Kenya with my wife. We traveled across the country, often flying into luxurious, five-star safari camps on small chartered planes. We had already witnessed the Great Wildebeest Migration, spotted the Big Five with ease on game drives, and shared curdled milk from a calabash with Maasai warriors. Now, nearing the end of our trip, a Samburu warrior in a red and blue checkered shuka led us up a hill that looked remarkably like Pride Rock from The Lion King. We were headed to one of our final sundowners.

Although we were too high up to see many animals, we could make out the distinctive, swaying gait of giraffes in the distance. It was so quiet that when an elephant trumpeted in the distance, the sound burst through the silence like thunder. The warrior offered me a gin and tonic with a smile, and I exhaled fully for what felt like the first time on the trip. (As a photographer, I rarely feel truly relaxed until I’ve gotten “my shots.”) Sitting on top of the rock, cold drink in hand, looking out over a beautiful panorama, I remember asking myself, ‘Is this what I’ve been heading towards my whole life? Could it possibly get any better than this?’

That ‘first’ was over 10 years and several safaris ago now. Over the last decade my wife and I have tracked gorillas in the misty hills of Uganda, rowed mokotos in rivers teeming with hippos and crocodiles on the Okavango Delta, and camped on the otherworldly Etosha salt pan in Namibia. And so, we imagined sharing some of the wonder we’d experienced with our two daughters—but with a rambunctious one- and six-year-old in tow, the logistics of any safari adventure felt complex. Doubts crept in: Were they too young? Were lodges and camps even able to welcome them? And, with one of them being so little, was it still worth going, knowing she might not even remember the journey?

Finding answers wasn't easy. Recommendations and rules for taking children on safari vary, as some parks and camps only welcome kids over six years old, others over eight; and many don't permit kids under 12. We canvassed family, friends, other travelers in our sphere—and while there were plenty of options and opinions (some encouraging, some not), it was hard to make sense of what advice best fit our situation. The general guideline that emerged from our research was to consider waiting until our youngest reached six to eight years old, when more accommodations and experiences would be open to us. But what if your littles have five years between them, like ours—or if your family included an even broader age range?

My wife and I briefly engaged in some fuzzy logic of “safari math”—our own term for the imprecise formula you come up with based on your kid's age, plus their developmental stage, times the ability of various lodges and parks to accommodate them (essentially, multivariable calculus). We quickly realized that if we stalled until our youngest was six, our oldest would be hitting 11, and we’d all be waiting a half decade to go on safari again. No amount of calculating was going to give us the “right” answer—so, we gave up on the math and called in the experts. We needed all the help we could get.

We ending up planning a 15-day trip to Kenya via Seattle-based boutique safari design agency Your Private Africa, whose motto—as founder Nick Bay likes to quip—is “searching for the ‘yes.’” Nick and his wife/business partner, Ashley Bay, have been planning bespoke safaris for more than 10 years, and are now the parents of a two-year-old they’ve successfully taken on safari three times already. When we announced our plan to travel with another family of four, including a two-year-old and an au pair, they were incredibly encouraging—and up for the assignment of plotting out exactly what was feasible for five adults and three (very) young kids. We particularly leaned on their knowledge and network of lodges and camps that were truly family-friendly—others may be merely tolerant of children.

“I’m actually not an advocate of everything becoming family-friendly, I think there should be some separation,” Nick said as we considered routes and properties. “The gift of safari is, there are always ways to triangulate your wants and needs with the options available.” And, happily, he was right. Not only were the places we stayed delighted to welcome kids, but the pace, activities, and even the route we traveled—ranging from Nairobi through the northernmost parts of the Maasai Mara, up to Samburuland and down to Kimana—was designed to please all ages. Read on for the key factors that made planning our kid-friendly safari smoother.

With children, a “soft landing” is a strategic move

Rather than rushing out to the bush minutes after wheels down, as many travelers ask to do, we deliberately planned to spend our first few nights in Nairobi. Not only did this “soft landing” help alleviate everyone's jet lag, but the baby spiked a fever during our stay at The Emakoko, inside Nairobi National Park—not far from the city. Since we'd packed seemingly everything save for infant fever meds, a quick trip to a local pharmacy became agenda item number one. Everyone was fine, but the experience left us grateful to have the time and flexibility to problem-solve on the fly. (And if I had a do-over, I’d pack more kids’ medicines and fewer t-shirts).

Ultimately, even that unplanned stop didn’t feel like lost time: A same-day afternoon game drive in Nairobi National Park became our kids’ introduction to safari. Spotting animals came surprisingly easy, even the prize of two lions napping in the shade. And seeing giraffes ambling over the plains, framed by the capitol’s skyline, had us amazed at how humans and wildlife co-exist in Kenya. We quickly realized that the tradeoff for kicking off our trip with a slow(er) start was more energy for everything that came next. A win-win.

Convenience and comfort are not places to cut corners

By traveling with another family we were able to book a private eight-seater charter via Scenic Air for only a little bit more than Kenya's typical Safari Link flights would have been for our whole party. The perks were worth every penny: We flew directly where we wanted to go, had flexibility on timing, and could arrive or depart from landing strips much closer to our destinations. The baby's airline-compliant Doona car seat/stroller also fit neatly into the seats, which was a bonus. Scene Air’s charter flights weren’t pressurized, but even the baby didn’t have any trouble (and often napped during the distances we covered) while the rest of enjoyed music and brief lessons about the landscape below through our headsets. We might not have thought to consider a private charter ourselves, but given the difference it made, it’s an upgrade worth comparing costs and one we’d consider again.

Family-friendly safari resorts with adult appeal do exist

Along with our companions, we arranged our whole trip around a two-night, three-day stay at the architecturally distinctive spacious double-room family suite at Angama Amboseli. Set in a private wildlife conservancy near Amboseli National Park, it’s built in an area known for “Super Tuskers,” aka, elephants with such large tusks they often scrape the ground. The resort itself, a modern build of canvas, stone, and walls of concrete mixed with elephant dung (an ode to the pachyderms and a textural accent) has an intimate atmosphere and just 10 suites. Ours, in addition to its contemporary design—including a much-appreciated drinks armoire—came kitted out with a crib and changing pad for the baby and a painting set that our six-year-old pounced on.

The property also has a “kids room” stocked with games, toys, and other entertainments that we could barely pull either kid away from, plus offers babysitting services during dinner—leaving us to peruse the wine list. A round outdoor raised-rim pool facing Mt. Kilimanjaro served as the ideal spot to cool off; the staff even brought lunch boxes out one day so that we could enjoy a casual, picnic-like meal after taking a dip. And sundowners at the Mnara, the resort’s striking observation tower, provided opportunities for our entire crew to be outside, observing the surrounding fever tree forest and spotting out elephants outside of a safari jeep.

Booking an exclusive-use property means that your kids won't disturb anyone else

We built in stays at Collection in the Wild’s Amani House villa and at Kalepo Camp, both of which are exclusive-use, so our two-family crew had the run of each place. Not only did we not worry that a baby crying in the night or a kindergartner’s spontaneous dance party would disturb the peace of other travelers, but the personal attention from the staff and accommodations for kid-friendly treats (like hot chocolate served in a to-go mug for an early game drive at Amani House) were bar none. Dietary preferences and odd sleeping schedules were easily accommodated.

Cultural experiences can be just as memorable as animal-spotting

Much as game drives were a major part of nearly every day we spent in Kenya, both kids occasionally snoozed through a portion of them. In Samburuland, however, we took part in a game day with Samburu warriors, arranged by Kalepo Camp founders Robert and Storm Mason—who’ve forged a close connection to a local tribe. After a short ride to a sandy gaming area, our six-year-old was quickly immersed in singing, dancing, prayers, and athletic contests: jumping, racing, throwing a stick through a moving hoop, and more. Our baby happily clapped and stomped along, or simply watched in awe. As did the adults. We participated but mainly marveled at the athleticism and the warriors’ beautiful, intricate attire of beadwork, feathers, and patterned cloth. And, after the day’s activity had worn out the children, the adults relaxed in chairs placed directly into a river running past the property, looking at the stars and listening to the sounds of the bush while cool water trickled over our toes.

Varying the pace with out-of-the-vehicle expeditions keeps kids engaged

Our kindergartner was just barely old enough to come along for a hot air balloon ride (the baby stayed behind for this one) and this “air safari” spent skimming over elephant families on the move and hippo pods in rivers, left her constantly tapping my arm and begging me to take photos of what she saw. We also had a close encounter with giraffes at Nairobi's Giraffe Centre (a sanctuary for a family of endangered Rothschild giraffes) where visitors can feed the friendly giants healthy food pellets. Even our toddler successfully had a pellet slurped from her palm by a long, black giraffe tongue—after she jerked back in surprise, a fit of giggles followed. Experiencing these moments with, and through, my kids only added to my own wonder.

If something goes wrong, advocate for what you need

Honestly, in retrospect, things went remarkably smoothly on this trip, exceeding my and my wife’s expectations. The baby managed to nap on the fly most days, the six-year-old didn’t have notable tantrums, and both generally ate everything (pillowy mandazi, or African donuts, became a breakfast favorite). But toward the end of our trip there was one property, quite far out in the bush, where, as it had just rained, the bugs were out in full force. The first night’s open-air evening meal turned disastrous as dozens of locusts, attracted to our lights, started ping-ponging off our heads and plates. It might have been humorous—while still disruptive—had it not scared our children so much. Dimming the lights didn’t help, and the staff couldn’t find another solution to block the bugs. No one ate much, and with all the kids’ tears, no one lingered either.

Back at our partially tented rooms, small bugs were too easily finding their way in as well, so much that our six-year-old became too terrified to sleep, no matter how tightly we tucked the protective mosquito netting around her bed. It was a difficult night, and in the morning, we opted to cut our stay there short. Aware of the issue, our trip planners, over the course of the night, consulted with their network and arranged a driver and stay at an entirely different resort. (It was mercifully bug-free, at least, as much as any safari camp can be.) This move saved the last days of our journey. “If we need to pivot, we pivot, because time is your most valuable resource,” remarked Nick when I asked him about his team’s quick actions later. “And we always want to stick the landing.” With that change-up, what might have been a bad final experience simply felt like a blip. My six-year-old even concurs: “The bugs weren’t cool, but I’d still go back,” she told me. Me too, kid.

Rekindle your own sense of childlike wonder

So, did the magic of safari that had captured me a decade ago take hold again? Absolutely. Turns out, the answer to the question I’d asked myself all those years ago–when I wondered if the transcendent moments I’d experienced on safari could possibly get better–was a resounding yes. Seeing my kindergartener’s eyes widen with awe at lions sauntering past our jeep, watching the toddlers in our group burble with glee while feeding giraffes, snapping photos of our six-year-old jumping and singing beside Samburu warriors… my children's’ wonder and amazement boosted my own to greater heights, beyond what I’d ever imagined. The images and videos I captured are quickly becoming family lore, too. We definitely won’t hesitate to head out on safari as a family again (we’ve already tossed around options for our next destination). And now, we firmly believe that any age is the “right” age.