African Child-Friendly Holidays

Overlanding is for many the quintessential African travel experience: epic adventures involving big destinations, big trucks and big experiences. We've chosen shorter, family-friendly itineraries with exciting plenty-to-do African destinations.

The atmosphere on these overland trips is great - like-minded adventurers, professional drivers, cooks and tour leaders and specially adapted safari vehicles boasting just about everything you need.

Choose between joining a planned itinerary with a group or really go wild and charter an entire overland truck and crew just for you and your family - the world, or at least this African slice of it, will be your oyster.

We've selected a great Kruger Park Experience that will thrill you with its combination of African Big Game plus the many cultural and scenic attractions of the area.

Our Best of Namibia - Camping, a fast-paced overland trip that incorporates all the elements of southern Namibia and South Africa's Western Cape - the ruggedness of the Cederberg Mountains, the impressive Fish River Canyon, and the massive sand dunes of Sossusvlei, before giving your family a dose of adrenalin at Swakopmund, and some game viewing at the unique Etosha National Park.

Some families are weird and for them we've put together a few Adventure Holidays to satisfy their urges. Instead of sitting quietly and behaving themselves they insist on doing things like throwing each other off bridges attached to a bungee cord, careering round the bush on mountain bikes and slaloming down foaming rivers in rubber rafts.

Africa is alive with adventure - and much of it has been attractively packaged without losing its raw appeal. We've put together some awesome itineraries that will deliver the thrills and spills your family wants in a professional and experienced environment.

Combine the Big Game action attractions of the Kruger National Park with the myriad of activities in the Hazyview area of South Africa.

We've also put together a top, action-packed city/beach/mountain itinerary for the Garden Route and of course, we couldn't leave out Victoria Falls - the Big Daddy of African Adventure - where you and your family can do just about anything that you think your nervous systems can handle.

In fact, chances are that our African family adventure holidays will thrill your family so much that you'll have to book a mellow beach holiday just to wind down after all the action has ebbed away.

Or perhaps, as the world is changing, it's important for you and your family to give a bit back, to make as little an impact on the African environment as possible and support local projects and community initiatives on one of our eco-friendly African family holidays.

Go2Africa has put together a portfolio of top eco-friendly family holidays that not only offer fabulous destinations, top accommodation and exciting activities, but incorporate elements of nature conservation, community upliftment and social responsibility, without it being an in-your-face kind of guilt trip.

For those who want to reduce their impact on the African environment why not replace the guzzling four-wheel drive vehicles with four-legged camels on our Kenyan Scenic Samburu Safari.

The wildlife paradise of Botswana offers dugout canoes on our exciting Okavango Family Explorer which will take you into the heart of Africa's greatest wetland.

Looking for child-friendly activities? We've selected top holiday properties that deliver all the kinds of things that'll make our African child-friendly holidays a real pleasure: resorts with kids' clubs for example or sole-use, private accommodation at a beach villa or self-contained, child-friendly bush cottage.

A kids' club is a specially designed and professionally managed programme for children. We're talking about lodges with child-minders and babysitters, glittering hotels with bumper cars and rollercoaster rides, and beach resorts where you can go scuba-diving while trained professionals teach your kids how to sail, windsurf or snorkel.

The point behind these kids' clubs is, of course, so that you can get down to the serious business of actually having a holiday yourself. In fact, after a holiday at one of these destinations the only thing you're going to hear from your kids is: "Hi mom, hi dad, see you later!"

Many would argue that Sun City in South Africa is really just one big Kids' Club. Their Camp Kwena is a veritable parallel universe of kids' stuff that will need wild horses to drag them away from it at the end of the day.

You could do a lot worse than plan a trip to the sun-soaked Indian Ocean island of Mauritius: they've been doing family holidays for a long time now, and doing them well. We particularly recommend the Beachcomber group - their Bob Marlin kids' clubs are legendary and that's before we've mentioned another island treasure chest - Le Telfair Golf and Spa Resort which has a kids' club that's so action-packed you may find yourself wishing you could join in too.

For nature-nuts try the game-packed reserves of the Eastern Cape where we've got something for you: the Kariega Family Lodge is a family-friendly lodge based near the terrific Kariega Game Reserve.

Alternatively, take a look at Go2Africa's range of Private Family Villas. We specialise in such accommodation all over Africa and we've carefully chosen these great holiday villas to marry superb, exciting destinations with maximum comfort, privacy and, dare we say it, luxury for your family.

For families with an eye more on the wildlife of Africa, our South Africa villas include Tintswalo Manor House and 1933 at Lion Sands, incredible accommodation in the Kruger National Park's Manyeleti Game Reserve and the Sabi Sands Private Game Reserve respectively.

The beautiful and uniquely designed Chongwe River Safari Lodge, in the Lower Zambezi National Park, is one of our recommended Zambia safari villas. Game drive first thing in the morning, or sleep in for a bit? These villas have a private guide and vehicle so you can set your own schedule, and make the most of your family holiday.

And don't worry if you feel the parents need a bit of quiet-time: these fabulous villas have been designed, and equipped, with families in mind: there are kids' programmes, child-minders, chefs and babysitters available - oh, and don't fret about the cleaning, these villas can be fully serviced.

And if you really can't decide, then we'd like to recommend our all-inclusive family holidays where we've done all the planning - all you have to do is turn up.

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