If you are thinking of arranging a family holiday to South Africa, and including a couple of days at a safari lodge, you will be amazed at the number of lodges that do cater specifically for children - and by this, we mean not only just offering to put extra beds in the room for them to sleep on !

A growing number of safari lodges now offer children programmes for their younger guests. These obviously vary from lodge to lodge, but in general the majority of the programmes will include ‘bush bumbles’ - a shortened version of the adults game drive, plus the vehicle will not get as close to the larger animals of the African bush (such as elephants, lions, buffalo and rhino); short bush walks in search of insects and animal spoor (what child wouldn’t just LOVE the opportunity to be able to pick up some zebra dung !!), and story-telling about ‘Why the Elephant has a Trunk’ , ‘Why the Zebra has a Stripy Coat’ and ‘Why the Warthog is so Ugly’. Some lodges will offer kiddies bush picnics or special ‘themed’ meal times, some will even invite the children into the kitchen where the chef will help them bake cookies.

And all this goes on while the parents either enjoy their own game drives or just relax around the pool !

You can see a selection of lodges that Travel Butlers work with who offer such programmes by clicking HERE.

Even if you want to go to a lodge that doesn’t offer a bespoke children’s programme, there will always be babysitters on hand to look after the really young children during game drives. In general, all the lodges right across South Africa will not allow children younger than 5 to go on the long adult game drives (but the age restriction does vary from lodge to lodge so you do need to check with us before booking).

If you really do want to share the safari experience with your little ones, you can ask the lodge if you can hire a Land Rover for a day, and the ranger will only take you and your family out on your own game drives.

This will be an extra cost over and above the rate that you would normally pay, and whilst the lodge will do everything they can to accommodate this, they all do state that they cannot guarantee this service - purely for the reason that each lodge will normally have just one ’spare’ Land Rover - and if one of the vehicles that is due to take out the other guests breaks down, then the spare vehicle has to be used !

Finally, for most families, the family-friendly lodges in the malaria-free regions, such as the Eastern Cape, the Waterberg and Madikwe, will offer the most appeal, as this will mean that the kiddies will not have to take malaria tablets before, during and after the safari part of the trip !

Ant’s Reserve is located in the magnificent, malaria-free Waterberg region.

Home to both Ant’s Nest and Ant’s Hill lodges, both lodges are owned and run by Ant and Tessa Baber. The Baber family have a long history in the area, dating back to 1886, and indeed were one of the earliest pioneers to the region.

In the mid 1990’s, Ant and Tessa renovated their old ranch house, which became Ant’s Nest, and in 2003, they built a second lodge, Ant’s Hill, above a spectacular gorge, offering superb views of the surrounding bushveld.

Their aim is very simple - to provide all guests with a unique safari experience, whatever their age.

Guests staying at either lodge have a wide range of game viewing activities to choose from.

They can opt to go on a game drive in an open Land Rover with an experienced ranger, or they can get to know the African bush in greater detail by participating in a guided game walks (anything from a gentle stroll across the open plains to a full days hike over the rugged hills that dominate the terrain).

However, probably the most exciting game viewing activity is on horseback. The lodges own 60 well-schooled horses in total, which can cater for any riding ability - from the complete novice to the experienced rider.

However you want to tailor your stay at Ant’s Reserve, it is up to you. Your guide will sit down with you when you arrive, and you can together work out a plan for your stay, which may also include a massage, or a trip to a nearby elephant sanctuary for a 90 minute elephant back safari experience through a Big 5 reserve, or even mountain-biking … or just pure relaxation time if you need to regenerate your batteries !

Both lodges can be booked on an exclusive basis, so this is ideal if you are travelling with a large group or family, or you can book just one room if you are a couple or family travelling on your own.

Many people also enjoy combining a stay at Ant’s Reserve with a stay at the Big 5 Madikwe Game Reserve, which is also malaria-free, and a short stay at Sun City either at the start or end of your holiday, you can also see our suggestions for a 7 night itinerary including all 3 of these areas by clicking here.

Finally, for guests really wanting to get ‘back to nature’, why not consider adding a couple of nights at their 3rd lodge, Ant’s Bush Camp, which is situated in the nearby Lapalala Reserve and only a 40 minutes drive away.

Bush Camp has only 3 safari tents, and no electricity, so a stay here really is very authentic. The camp is also only booked on an exclusive basis, so you can be assured of a truly personal service and intimate experience.

During their recent visit to the Waterberg area of South Africa, Tracey & Paul Campbell were delighted to stay at Hanglip Mountain Lodge in the Entabeni Safari Conservancy. 

Entabeni is a 22,000 hectare reserve located less than three hours north of Johannesburg, and there is a wide range of accommodation on offer including luxury ensuite tents, family units, and 5* luxury lodges.  This is a malaria-free area, and this along with excellent game viewing and additional activities including horseback safaris, quadbiking and lake cruises will make this area very popular with families, couples, and honeymooners alike.

We are delighted to now be able to include more information on the increasingly popular Welgevonden Reserve which is located just three hours north of Durban in the Malaria Free Wtaerberg area of South Africa.

Tracey & Paul have recently returned from this region and were very impressed by the beautiful reserve, excellent game viewing, and the standard of the lodges in the region…we are sure you will love it too! 

Personal highlights for Tracey & Paul were the stay at Clifftop Lodge (which is immaculate) and a wonderful sighting of a lioness with her two young cubs….magical!

The Mabula Private Game Reserve, in the Waterberg Mountains, has introduced 5 roan antelope to the reserve.

Roan antelope are sensitive to habitat changes, and as such have specific and critical habitat requirements. Glenys Du Pont, resident manager of Mabula Game Lodge, says that the antelope have adapted well to the veld conditions and that they are regularly spotted on game drives.

“The main focus for introducing the roan antelope was tourism-based, as they are quite a big drawing card for game viewers. We are also looking at increasing their numbers in the reserve in the long run,” says Du Pont.

We have added a number of new photos of safari lodges in some of South Africa’s malaria-free safari areas.

In the Waterberg area:

Clifftop Lodge
Entabeni Earthsong Lodge
Shibula Lodge
Shidzidzi and Nungubane Game Lodges

Safari Lodges near Port Elizabeth:

Reed Valley Bush Lodge
Reed Valley Inn
Kwandwe Melton Manor

The Waterberg has been described as South Africa’s best keep secret. Its rugged beauty, together with its diversity in plant and animal life, has led to the development of the Waterberg Nature Conservancy, an amalgamation of conservation areas covering more than 150,000 hectares.

The safari lodges of the Waterberg are an ideal safari destination for visitors to South Africa who will be arriving or departing through Johannesburg, or spending some time at Sun City. The Waterberg is also a malaria-free area, making the lodges a great choice for families and others who want to enjoy the African wildlife without the worry of taking anti-malarial precautions.