Best Family Safaris in Kenya
The best classroom is out in the big, wide world. At least, that’s our philosophy at Timbuktu! If you agree and want to introduce your little ones to the magic of Africa, one of the best places to do so is on a family-friendly safari in Kenya.
Imagine their gleeful faces as they see an elephant for the first time, fall asleep beneath the stars, eagerly learn about the ‘Small Five’ during a guided walking safari, and interact with the environment through active play. And all while learning how to protect Mother Nature. This is normally the stuff of bedtime storybooks, but in Kenya, this is real life.
Planning the best family safari in Kenya can feel overwhelming, especially if it’s your first time visiting Africa with children. Worry not, we have trusted recommendations for the best safari destinations in the country with family-friendly lodges (that welcome tots to teens) and offer fun-filled child-specific activities. We believe that nothing beats discovering the wonders of Kenya through the eyes (and experiences) of your children.
See large herds of elephant in the Masai Mara
Is it safe to go on safari in Kenya?
As a parent, it’s natural to wonder, “Is it safe to go on safari in Kenya?”. The country is one of the world’s most popular safari destinations (no surprises there), with millions of visitors each year. A record-breaking 2.4 million foreign travellers made their way to this part of East Africa in 2024. Just like any destination though, it’s important to be aware of your surroundings, take common-sense precautions, and keep medical advice in mind.
Security is very good in major tourist areas, including national parks and game reserves, and guests’ wellbeing is always top priority, so you’ll always feel safe to go on safari in Kenya. Experienced guides and knowledgeable trackers accompany travellers during safari activities and escort them to and from their rooms after dark, especially in unfenced camps. They are intimately familiar with animal behaviour, so it’s always best to follow their advice, and encourage your children to ask them questions.
Malaria is a concern below 2,500 metres, including along Kenya’s coastline. Consider taking antimalarial medications and simple precautions to avoid mosquito bites – wear insect repellent and protective clothing (long-sleeved shirts and light but long trousers, especially at dusk and dawn), sleep under mosquito nets, and use bug spray in your room or tent. Here are some of our top Kenya travel tips to help plan the best Kenyan safari for families.
Tip: Choose private houses and exclusive-use villas for family-friendly safaris in Kenya
It’s undeniable that we’ll never tire of the ambiance at tented camps and safari lodges, but there’s something to be said about having a ‘home away from home’ all to yourself, especially when travelling to Africa with children. Picture an exclusive-use house with a sparkling swimming pool, your very own butler, and scrumptious meals specially prepared by a private chef, so that you can tailor (and pace) your Kenyan family safari to your liking. Yes, please!
Giraffe Manor, Nairobi
Nairobi
Nairobi is the gateway to your family’s safari adventure. It’s a dynamic city of contrasts that’s brimming with electric energy, eye-catching colours, and a melting pot of cultures. Here, skyscrapers share the horizon with Nairobi National Park, and you can sip on a delicious coffee amid Arabica plantations in the morning and spend the afternoon at the Giraffe Centre. Children of all ages (and adults too) will delight at seeing the baby elephants at the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust. The orphans are cared for 24/7, until it’s time for them to be released into the wild. This is the perfect example of conservation in action to inspire young minds to look after the natural world. Then, step back in time at the Karen Blixen Museum for glimpses into the ‘Out of Africa’ era, before starting your family safari.
Family-friendly places to stay in Nairobi
Giraffe Manor is not your typical boutique hotel. The historic stone manor house with its elegant interiors exudes the atmosphere of a bygone time, but it’s the live-in residents that get all the applause. The luxe property is a sanctuary and breeding centre for the once-endangered Rothschild giraffe. This is the perfect teaching moment for children, hearing all about how their numbers have grown in the wild thanks to hands-on conservation efforts. You can expect scores of the world’s tallest mammal to poke their heads through windows in search of treats (and kisses) – making for gorgeous selfies – before wandering freely across the 12-acre grounds and disappearing into the adjoining indigenous forest.
&Beyond Kichwa Tembo Tented Camp, Masai Mara
Masai Mara
This is the classic Africa you have always dreamed of, with over 90 animal and more than 500 bird species calling this vast 1,500km2 reserve home. The biodiverse ecosystem of the Masai Mara is a wildlife spectacle that offers an educational experience for budding nature enthusiasts and animal lovers. Imagine watching the golden savannahs unfurl from a sunrise hot air balloon ride, seeing the ‘circle of life’ firsthand, witnessing the Great Migration thunder across the Mara River, or discovering often-missed critters on a guided walking safari. And for a truly immersive cultural experience (the kind you cannot organically recreate in a classroom), visit a local Maasai village to learn about their way of life in this day and age.
Family-friendly places to stay in the Masai Mara
An intimate tented camp on the edge of the Masai Mara, &Beyond Bateleur Camp shows off some of the best game viewing in the country. Not only does it offer spectacular views of the Oloololo Escarpment, but it also channels the kind of old-world charm you would expect of an East African safari that makes every effort to impress. Their sister property, Kichwa Tembo, also goes above and beyond to create an unsurpassable family-friendly safari in Kenya.
We simply love &Beyond’s Wildchild Programme that’s designed for curious young minds and we can safely say that it offers one of the best family Kenya safaris. A stay at any of their child-friendly properties is all about fun-filled, interactive, and educational activities. From tracking wildlife footprints to making bows and arrows, beading and crafting – there’s so much to learn beyond the traditional safari experience. Each activity is curated to their age group and personal interests to cultivate their thirst for knowledge with the help of friendly rangers, trackers, childminders and even the chefs, creating meaningful interactions.
Bonus family-friendly places to stay in the Masai Mara
There are so many options for family-friendly safaris in the Masai Mara that we’d be remiss not to mention a few of our other favourites.
The family-run Sala’s Camp only employs staff from surrounding Maasai villages and each guest contributes $5 to the park’s Rhino Monitoring Team. Its unrivalled location at the confluence of the Sand and Keekorok rivers sees it greet the wildebeest migration during the annual river crossing.
You’ll recognise the alluring Angama Mara Camp from the iconic scenes of Out of Africa. This stylish property perches atop a kopje, some 300 metres above the endless plains, boasting a bird’s eye perspective of what is surely one of the best locations for a safari in Kenya.
Take in the views from the comfort of your lodge in Laikipia
Laikipia Plateau
On the ridge of the Great Rift Valley, at around 2,000 metres-above-sea-level, with snow-dusted Mount Kenya as the backdrop, lies the Laikipia Plateau. It’s an intricate mosaic of conservancies (don’t miss Ol Pejeta Conservancy), community-owned reserves, game ranches, and privately-owned farms. That’s precisely why the region hosts a large selection of private, exclusive-use houses, perfect for the best family safari in Kenya. Laikipia is the place to go for an adventurous safari experience beyond game drives and walking safaris (though you can enjoy plenty of that here too). Trade your safari vehicle for a horse-back safari, as you marvel at the highest wildlife densities in Kenya. For adrenaline junkies (and families with older children), a mountain biking excursion stops at the region’s most famous conservation initiatives, unless they’d prefer a canoe safari for a different perspective. Meanwhile, Ngare Ndare Forest, which forms part of a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, boasts a suspended 450-metre-long treetop canopy walk – the longest in East Africa. And that’s why Laikipia truly adds a new dimension to a family-friendly safari in Kenya.
Family-friendly places to stay in Laikipia
A family-run ranch, nestled within a private conservation area, Ol Malo Lodge has rehabilitated overgrazed farmland back to its natural splendour. The cosy lodge (consisting of four thatch-and-stone clifftop cottages and a three-bedroom house for exclusive use) overlooks the teeming wooded valley below. Picture windows frame Mount Kenya, while the viewing deck and salt-water infinity pool gaze upon the waterhole. Dinner and an overnight stay at the Leopard Hide allures adventurous travellers looking for the best family safari in Kenya with the chance to spot leopard – two-way radio and spotlight in hand. During their stay, guests can go game viewing by car, on foot, horseback or from the saddle of a camel. If that’s not enough, there’s also an exhilarating helicopter flip through the Great Rift Valley or a day trip fishing excursion. Children will equally love day-to-day life on this working ranch, where they can collect eggs for breakfast, meet the calves, and pick organic produce from the garden.
Explore Samburu National Reserve with your family
Samburu National Reserve
Samburu National Reserve should be top of your list if you are looking for an unusual and off-the-beaten-track safari in Kenya with the family. It’s much wilder and quieter than the Masai Mara, yet doesn’t compromise on spectacular game viewing opportunities, with the chance to spy four of the Big Five here. Whether you do a guided bush walk or a game drive, keep your eyes open for the ‘Samburu Special Five’ – Grevy’s zebra, gerenuk, Somali ostrich, long-horned Beisa oryx, and reticulated giraffe – as you won’t find most of these animals anywhere else in Africa. While this rugged landscape is mostly characterised by its ochre-coloured earth and arid wilderness, the Ewaso Nyiro River paints the reserve in splashes of verdant acacia woodlands, with volcanic mountains tracing the horizon.
Family-friendly places to stay in Samburu
For a bit of Moroccan flair, the delightfully designed Sasaab offers a different take on the aesthetics of traditional safari camps with its spacious, Arabic-infused Bedouin boudoirs. Add to that the property’s eco-friendly ethos and ethical approach to tourism and you have a winner. Because it’s the only property for quite some distance, guests feel as though they have exclusive use of this reserve. Sasaab has close ties with the Samburu tribes in the area, which guests can visit to learn about their semi-nomadic lifestyles. The property contributes $50 from each stay to the 600 families in the Westgate Community Conservancy. The kiddies will be captivated by the educational bush walks and camel safaris, in the care of the tribe members; while mom and dad indulge in down time with spa treatments or with a G&T in their private plunge pool. The panoramic views are breathtaking – guests can capture their magic with the watercolour paints in each room.
From witnessing the sheer numbers of the Great Migration in the Masai Mara to heart-stirring sightings of the world’s last two northern white rhinos at Ol Pejeta Conservancy, and meeting with local tribes – a family-friendly safari in Kenya is an immersive experience of a lifetime beyond the pages of any book.
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