Tswalu Kalahari for Families
The Tswalu Game Reserve, on the edge of the Kalahari, is another of our favourites thanks to its luxurious lodges and commitment to wildlife conservation. Tswalu only permits 40 guests at any one time, ensuring an exclusive experience with minimal impact to the reserve’s incredible biodiversity.
You’ll feel the intimate privacy from the moment you arrive, while the design is authentic, but also exquisite. Beds face floor-to-ceiling windows, maximising your waking view of the wilderness outside.
The main lodge features a large and glittering pool, indoor and outdoor dining, as well as a photographic studio to edit your photos between safaris.
It's five luxurious suites each have a magnificent en suite bathroom, indoor and outdoor showers and private veranda, taking a maximum of 10 guests.
There’s a private pool at Tarkuni and shady salas offer calm and contemplation, opening to the remarkable scene of animals drinking at a nearby watering hole. Its own traditional boma has seen many celebrations.
And its beguiling charm has led many guests to return to what becomes their home in the Kalahari.
You can learn a great deal about San culture and traditions before heading out into the wilds to learn bushcraft, animal dropping identification and how to track wildlife on foot.
The Kalahari’s semi-desert landscape is a unique ecosystem and hosts a great number of rare species, including cheetah, pangolin, wild dog and caracal.
One morning your youngsters may wake to find that the day begins with an archery lesson, before heading out around the lodge on foot with expert guides.
Game drives, horseback and quad bike rides, sleep outs under the stars, or perhaps just a splash in the swimming pool are some of the other activities available.
Of course, ‘Junior Rangers’ cannot operate without equipment—on arrival every child is given a backpack full of special guides and tools to aid them on their adventures.
We prioritise working with properties that collaborate with local communities and address location-specific needs from education to anti-poaching. We assess our partners to ensure the people we work with share our values of ensuring our trips continue to act as a force for good. Here we share some of the positive impacts your stay here contributes to.We prioritise working with properties that collaborate with local communities and address location-specific needs from education to anti-poaching. We assess our partners to ensure the people we work with share our values of ensuring our trips continue to act as a force for good. Here we share some of the positive impacts your stay here contributes to.
The only country able to offer malaria-free safaris, South Africa is a wonderful choice for many looking for a luxury safari experience. Enjoy the abundance of wildlife on offer in some of the most exclusive private reserves, before exploring cosmopolitan Cape Town, where the glamour of the city meets the rugged outdoors.
See the splendour of South Africa as a family on this exclusive safari. Spend your days exploring captivating Cape Town, enjoying the delights of the Winelands and on safari, seeking out the abundant wildlife that roams the wilderness. No matter your age, this iconic safari will leave you with memories for a lifetime.
With opportunities to see the Big Five of both land and sea, along with incredible scenery, enormous national parks, world-class vineyards, a fascinating history and vibrant, friendly people, South Africa frequently tops the lists of the world’s best holiday destinations. Even so, less than 1% of the world's travellers make it here, so it’s a place where you’ll find yourself with a few select, like-minded and discerning adventurers who have discovered this gem of a country. It’s a place you could return to for the whole of your life and never tire of it.
We’ve compiled a list of our favourite experiences to inspire your imagination.
If you’re looking for a country that’s got everything, choose South Africa. Renowned for the spectacular views of the Garden Route, vibrant Cape Town, malaria free safaris, fascinating history and outstanding wildlife, the whole family will fall under the alluring spell of this diverse country.
Archbishop Desmond Tutu was the first person to call South Africa “the rainbow nation”. It’s a reflection on the fascinating diversity of this country, not only in the identities of its people but in the landscapes, wildlife, cultures, and activities it offers. South Africa is a country which, because of its variety, can be all things to all people, truly a rainbow of varied opportunities and experiences.
in South Africa
Without a shadow of a doubt, South Africa is one of the very best places to watch wildlife in the world. The Kruger National Park — a protected area the size of Wales — is certainly the most famous and popular safari destination, but with Journeysmiths you’ll escape the crowds to explore vast, wildlife-filled private reserves, in the company of the best guides.
Cape Town is one of the world’s great cities with a unique setting beneath Table Mountain.
To experience a little bit of everything that South Africa has to offer, you can hardly do better than to drive along the coastal road of the Garden Route between Cape Town and Port Elizabeth. It’s an extraordinary journey, and there’s wildlife on both land and shore, endless beaches, historic battlefields, and the vineyards are never far away. One day you might be whale spotting at Hermanus — renowned as one of the best whale watching locations in the world — and the next you could be learning about the Battle of Rorke’s Drift, handling antique weapons and scrambling over the British and Zulu positions.
Formerly the Zulu Kingdom, the province of KwaZulu Natal runs along South Africa’s dramatic Indian Ocean coastline. The Drakensberg Mountains create a natural border between Lesotho and the Eastern Cape, and offer some excellent hiking routes.
For families of all ages there is so much to see and do in South Africa, making it an excellent and diverse travel destination. We’ve chosen 20 of the best experiences to immerse you in the culture, wildlife and beautiful places of this remarkable country.
South Africa is an excellent choice for family travel with children of all ages. Its wildlife is abundant, with a great diversity of species, including the Big Five: rhino, leopard, lion, elephant and buffalo. There are vast malaria-free reserves and it’s easy to get from safari regions to Cape Town and the beach.
Care for Wild Rhino Sanctuary
Working in partnership with globally recognised conservation organisation; Care for Wild, the world’s largest rhino orphanage, we have curated a truly unique and exclusive experience giving a privileged few behind-the-scenes access to this otherwise incredibly private sanctuary.