Book your Multigenerational Safari and Unique Tour Itinerary
Taking the whole family on safari is a new way to enjoy holidays in Africa post-Covid. Three or four family generations on safari in Africa make memories. Multigenerational safari travel is on the rise in Africa and a good itinerary helps. Family packages to national parks. Africa offers a unique atmosphere for strengthening innate connections on memorable safari tours where wildlife and stunning landscapes boost special experiences together. It’s a good idea to plan a brilliant itinerary together and hit the continent with vigor – explore the changing vistas of the Okavango, Victoria Falls, Caprivi Strip and Zimbabwe’s best national parks.
Multi-generational family trips all began about 10 years ago when baby boomers decided to include their extended families in their holiday escapades as they entered older age. This trend of traveling with the entire family from the great-grandparents to the new babies is back. Three to four generations of family traveling together is a trend that is good for the African safari. It’s a heartwarming family holiday, a time when people come together, rekindling connections, and crafting treasured memories that span the ages. Top safari lodges and hotels are enjoying hosting lively groups of all ages!
According to Sarah Watson, the astute Guest Relations Manager at Kruger Gate Hotel, 2024 is set to witness the grand revival of multi-generational trips. This trend mirrors the evolving desires of travelers who seek holidays that are not only easy on the wallet but also brimming with meaningful moments. With the 2024 holiday season on the horizon, it’s time to plan a getaway that will leave everyone smiling and reminiscing for years to come.
The surge in multi-generational travel has consistently claimed the top spot in the renowned Virtuoso Luxe Report for numerous years now. This trend shows no signs of fading anytime soon. In the United Kingdom, about one in six travelers embarked on multi-generational holidays in the last year and in the United States, most annual holidays are now a big multigenerational tradition. So, what does this burgeoning trend mean for the luxury safari industry? Does Africa hold the allure for travelers seeking a 3G (three-generational) family holiday? Can the same safari experience captivate family members aged seven and seventy?
Why Choose Multi-Generational Safaris in Africa?
Holidays offer a precious escape from hectic routines, constant distractions, and the stresses of modern life. Family getaways in nature increase quality time together and families can be more exposed to the real world, different lands, cultures, and communities on educational journeys. Also, when families are away from their routines at home, they have a chance to hang together and connect.
There’s unanimous agreement that Africa has seamlessly aligned with this global trend, witnessing an increasing number of families sharing the safari experience. Pioneering African safari destinations like Londolozi in the Sabi Sands Private Game Reserve have been around since the 1920s, hosting families since then in the roughness of the wilderness. Some families love it so much that they return every year to repeat the surreal binding experience in a wild setting.
Londolozi Varty Camp is a family bush venue
Kapama Private Game Reserve is also a popular family-friendly safari destination with diverse facilities for young and old, including on-tap entertainment, swimming pools and children’s programmes. Kapama Southern Camp is a great example of an intimate multigenerational camp where kids can run free in nature and large family suites have private splash pools. Kapama River Lodge is larger and more resort-oriented for teens and partying parents – 4 family suites have 3 decks each.
Kapama River Lodge has a new family restaurant
The Timeless Attraction of Multi-Generational Safaris
As families look for places to go away on holiday that create bonding experiences and forever memories, multigenerational travel to Africa continues to grow as a new trend. Nothing can compare to an authentic safari to see wildlife in the grand drama of the bushveld. South Africa, East Africa and Mozambique’s rejuvenated Gorongosa National Park are our top destinations for such unique pleasures. Often referred to as ‘3G’ vacations, as they frequently encompass three generations, family safari holidays in Africa are truly unparalleled.
Mountain climbing in South Africa, trekking with Mountain Gorillas in Rwanda, witnessing the Wildebeest Migration in Tanzania, or feeding rare Giraffes at Giraffe Manor in Kenya, your next summer getaway promises unique, unparalleled memories. What’s even better than a family trip with Mom, Dad, the kids, Grandma, Grandpa, and perhaps even aunts, uncles, or cousins? Let’s take a closer look now at our top 5 safari destinations for multigenerational travel to Africa.
Top 5 Safari Destinations for Multi-Generational Travel
South Africa: Sun City and Pilanesberg
Take your family on a captivating weekend break or holiday to the excessive entertainment mecca that is Sun City. A hive of social activity, divine food and drinks, world-famous golf courses and live music concerts. Take the kids to see the Valley of the Waves, the largest maze in the southern hemisphere, and the incredible design of the Palace of the Lost City. Stay in 4 top hotels with swimming pools and decks, organized kids’ activities and spa treatments for the older folks.
Big families can spread out in the Sun City Hotel!
Just next door is the wildness of Pilanesberg Game Reserve to get the best out of both worlds – some time in nature with expert game rangers on walks and drives. This ancient site is surrounded by a ring of hills embracing golden grasslands and wetlands where the Big 5 roams. There is evidence that ancient Iron Age and Stone Age people lived here millions of years ago. Visit Moruleng village to learn more about the local Bakgatla-Ba-Kgafela tribe, the original inhabitants of the Pilanesberg area. Book a family bush walk in the Letsatsing Game Park or private hot air balloon rides from Mankwe Dam for champagne breakfasts in the bushveld.
Mozambique Gorongosa
Arrive as a visitor, leave as a friend and a lifetime supporter of a top responsible tourism destination in Africa. It is not surprising that Gorongosa has been voted the best safari choice in the world by several top magazines – it’s a conservation area that is up there with the best safari accommodation, experiences and ecotourism projects in the world. Fabulous canvas chalets in the heart of the bush, a lodge with the added benefits of a restaurant and bar, two swimming pools and a conference center all add value to this biodiversity hotspot. Boat safaris on Lake Urema in central Gorongosa where crocs, hippos, and myriad colorful birds reside. Canoe safaris take families floating along the scenic Pungué River to see sandy beaches, reeds, riverine forests, amazing birds and delightful vistas.
Choose Muzimu tented camp for your family reunion
Kenya: Samburu
Families with old people and kids will love this haven for elephants, buffalos and hippos – but best known for being one of the two areas in which conservationists George and Joy Adamson raised Elsa the Lioness. Read the best-selling book and see the award-winning movie Born Free before you go. This is the home grounds of the semi-nomadic Samburu tribe, related to the Maasai but who still hang on to their culture and traditions, relying on their cattle, goats, sheep and camels for survival.
Jump onto a chilled-out camel for a ride you will never forget – so different from a game drive and the chance to get much closer to rare wildlife. Educate the children with an unforgettable visit to Reteti Elephant Sanctuary, in the nearby Namunyak Wildlife Conservancy. A community-run wildlife organization committed to rescuing, rehabilitating, and rewilding orphaned and abandoned elephant calves, as well as other wildlife.
Ethnic Sasaab Camp has camel rides
Botswana: Okavango
Multigenerational safaris to the Okavango Delta are open to diverse possibilities with the enormous choice of exclusive luxury to earthy rustic camps and lodges – and outdoor wildlife activities. Most accommodation options incorporate sustainable building practices and tented camps are temporary for environmental reasons. It’s a great place to take new-age kids as everyone is asked to reduce, reuse and recycle wherever possible. These rustic chic camps create the perfect playgrounds for families with children. A good way to start the family vacation is in Maun, where all roads lead to Moremi and the Delta. Hire a 4×4 and pack it full of what you need. Drive to a camp where you will feel comfy and at home in the bush. Luxury lodges, tented hideouts and more. Children will be ready for the adventure on mokoros into water channels teeming with wildlife and birds.
Mombo Camp is a top ecotourism destination
Tanzania: Ruaha
Go there from May to December for dry roads and animals gathering around the drying rivers. Go there to find predators following antelope and large mammals like elephants congregating. Fishing is popular in the Rufiji River – catch Tigerfish and slippery Vandu catfish which can cross land to find water using its primitive lungs when it is dry! Take a drive to Ngalambulwa Mountain, the tallest point in the park reaching a summit of 1,600 m. Ruaha is known for its ancient baobab trees, some of them about 1,000 years old and many whose tree trunks open out, creating natural havens for bees, tree agamas, snakes, birds, squirrels, bush babies and bats.
An African safari is so much more than simply viewing wildlife from a 4×4. It’s about experiencing the wilderness as it has been since time immemorial. Now tourists want to take their families there as multigenerational travel hits the continent. Enjoy a rare opportunity away from the hubbub of real life with your loved ones. Safaris are the way to see the real Africa and stay in luxury or rustic accommodations according to your budget and style. As multigenerational travel surges in Africa, we offer some of the best family accommodations in the region.