Top 20 Family Activities in South Africa
From thrilling safaris to captivating cultural experiences, the Rainbow Nation offers a myriad of activities for every age group.
We’ve chosen twenty of the best that immerse you in the culture, wildlife and beautiful places of this remarkable country.
- Walk with a bushman at Tswalu
- Zipline through the Tsitsikamma forest
- Watch cricket at Newlands
- Photograph the Big Five
- Relive the epic battle of Rorke’s Drift
- Drift above the Blyde River by hot air balloon
- Stand on the summit of Table Mountain
- Swim with turtles on the Wild Coast
- Take a galactic safari
- Make a pizza on safari
- Visit Robben Island where Nelson Mandela was prisoner
- Take a horseback safari at Ant’s Nest
- “Thar she blows” - Whale watching adventures
- Play golf on a championship course
- Meet the meerkats of Klein Karoo
- Do it all at Phinda
- Take an epic rail journey
- Take a trip into Soweto
- Ride the surf at Jeffreys Bay
- Be part of rhino conservation at Lapalala
Your family can take a fascinating walk on the reserve with San Bushmen. You will track animals and learn as they share their age-old understanding of this fragile environment.
This adventure is for anyone from 5 five years of age upwards.
Let us know if you’d like to take in a game and we’ll do our best to get score some good seats.
Your guide will help you edit and pick the best images to hang on the wall back home.
Personalities of soldiers and warriors and acts of heroism are brought vividly to life.
On calm days your aerial adventure could take you over the private wildlife reserves of the Kapama, allowing you to gaze down upon elephant and buffalo herds.
Whichever you choose your reward is to stand on the rooftop of South Africa, with Cape Town spread out below and the great ocean stretching away to infinity.
Next day you may encounter them as you swim and snorkel in the bay.
Leobo Lodge has an observatory with a powerful telescope and they will even bring in a professional astronomer to take you on a dazzling, cosmic safari.
Your children might like to join them between safaris and help make a cake or a pizza to enjoy as an afternoon snack.
Your tour will culminate in a visit to the cell of its most famous prisoner, Nelson Mandela, who spent 18 years there during the apartheid era.
Horses are selected to suit each rider’s physique and ability. There is nothing to quite match the thrill of cantering alongside zebra or giraffe!
For the best views of all, though, we can arrange a boat trip to take you up close to their breeching acrobatics.
Fancourt, set between the Outeniqua mountains and the Indian Ocean has three courses on its estate, all of which rank among the top 20 in the country.
Next morning, make an early start into the bush to watch meerkats as they emerge from their burrows. Some colonies of meerkats are habituated to the presence of people. You can get really close as they forage while others stand on sentry lookout for eagles.
Phinda has four exclusive lodges across the reserve and a fabulous private family villa called The Homestead.
If you can spare a little longer, the Rovos Rail train takes two days with excursion stops. A ride on Rovos is like stepping back in time and for part of the way, it’s steam hauled.
Your guide will take you to see Nelson Mandela’s home, the famous “matchbox houses” and celebrated buildings like the Regina Mundi church, each of which is the centre of its own piece of history and modern culture.
If daunted by the more challenging spots, you can try Point where the waves are a bit smaller and offer a smooth ride.
For them, conservation is a way of life and a vital part of the safari experience. We can arrange your family to stay in their remote, luxurious lodge and experience conservation in action all while enjoying an amazing safari.
We are a boutique family travel specialist. For over 30 years we have been creating luxury tailor-made safaris to the timeless savannahs of Africa. Your time is precious and with a world to see, we understand the importance of getting it absolutely right for you, every time.We are a boutique family travel specialist. For over 30 years we have been creating luxury tailor-made safaris to the timeless savannahs of Africa. Your time is precious and with a world to see, we understand the importance of getting it absolutely right for you, every time.
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.