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Botswana Family Safari- Start Planning Your Trip

Botswana is an exciting and stimulating country that should be explored by a family of nature and wildlife enthusiasts. We consider a Botswana Safari to be on top of every travellers bucket list.

However, it is important that you know which areas and camps are family-friendly.

Activities for children are a very important consideration. Especially, if you’re travelling with children younger than eight- years old. They may be restricted when it comes to game drives, mokoro excursions and walking safaris. It’s important to us that you experience a family safari that gets everyone excited.

We curated this guide to help you plan your ultimate Botswana family safari.

At a Glance

  • Experience the large elephant population in the Linyanti Reserve.
  • Experience extensive wildlife in the lush Okavango Delta.
  • Guided walking safaris and mokoro excursions available at most camps.
  • The Ngwana Club keeps your children as entertained as you are on safari.

Travel Tips

Botswana is great for families; however, we would recommend that you travel when your children are a bit older. This will allow them to partake in activities such as walking safaris, game drives and mokoro excursions. If you do decide to travel to Botswana with younger children, we have made some special arrangements at our camps.

The Ngwana Club is run by our child specialist guides at our camps, who offer a practical and educational experience for your children. A family safari adventure with African Bush Camps is the trip of a lifetime that allows you to enjoy a hassle-free holiday in Africa that is as indulgent and relaxing for parents as it is exciting, educational, and fun for the children.

Highlights of a Botswana Family Safari

family guide

Ngwana Club with one of our Professional Guides

The Okavango Delta, a lush inland delta, is home to a wide range of wildlife. The river flows into floodplains and waterways, creating a rich habitat for the diverse wildlife that live there. The Moremi Game Reserve is located next to the Okavango. It’s the best place to view African wildlife. After completing your activities on the Moremi and Okavango’s lily-covered, open plains and forests, you can visit the Linyanti Reserve, which is rich in game.

The Linyanti Reserve is a vast private tract of bush that is well-known for its elephant population and routine sightings of lions, leopards, wild dog, hyena, and antelope. You can look forward expertly guided game-drives, walking safaris, cultural experienced and mokoro excursions.

Best Times to Visit Botswana

Botswana’s climate is moderate. It has three distinct seasons. The rainy season lasts from December to March. There are warm temperatures and occasional thunderstorms. This time of the year, you will also experience high levels of humidity. April through July are dry with some sunny days, but it does not get overwhelmingly hot. Nights begin to cool down and temperatures drop. In June and July, it can get very cold, as this is the beginning of winter. The weather warms up from August to October, with temperatures reaching 40 degrees Celsius in October. The rains usually stop in November. This is known as the green season, because offers lush greenery. The Delta and Linyanti can be quite different to other desert areas in Botswana as the floods in both areas offers nutrients all year round. Unlike other safari seasons the Delta will be lush year-round because the famous floods arrive in the dry winter. Same with the Linyanti, where the floods fill the area, offering a great diversity of desert and wetland.

It can be very rewarding to travel in the green season between November-March. There are many wildlife species that give birth during this time, and you can expect to see exceptional birdlife. These, combined with lush green scenery, provide plenty of photo opportunities.

Between June and October, the Okavango Delta floods. This makes the Delta ideal for game viewing as wildlife is usually restricted to islands or land due to the increased water level. It is very hot in the day but can get quite chilly in the morning and evening. However, the summer months (Nov-Mar) can be hot, humid, and there’s a possibility of rain.

Our Top Family-friendly Camps in Botswana

Linyanti Ebony

Linyanti Ebony is the ideal place for families, as it’s located on the flank of the Chobe National Park. There are four luxury tents with en-suite bathrooms. Three tents are standard, and one is a family tent. It sleeps only 10 people and is ideal for smaller families who want to spend quality time together. We also offer exclusive use for larger families travelling together, for that extra seclusion.

Highlights: The raised platforms that overlook the Linyanti River Marsh offer plenty of entertainment for families. This region is especially exciting for children. Every game drive in this region will be an adventure, with huge herds and high densities of wildlife. The pool also offers some exciting opportunities for the kids to play and have fun.

In the evening, our guests are treated to a concert of honking hippos and chirruping frogs, the perfect backing track to an al-fresco meal served beneath a star-studded night sky.

Linyanti Ebony is the Chobe safari experience of your dreams. You can experience the pristine riverine ecosystem on foot or cruise through the crystal-clear waterways on an expertly guided mokoro trip.

Khwai Bush Camp

Khwai Bush Camp

Khwai Bush Camp- Main Area

Khwai Bush Camp is our signature family-friendly camp. This camp is located on the edge of the Moremi Game Reserve in Botswana and overlooks the Khwai River.

Our guides are qualified and passionate and will share their love and knowledge with you. We’ve included cultural aspects to your stay, which includes a visit to the nearby Khwai village. This Botswana safari camp honors the spirit of pioneer safari explorers while preserving the interests of the Khwai communities. Khwai Bush Camp offers a family focused Botswana luxury safari, with a community-focused, sustainable experience.

This camp is ideal for parents preferring to have walls when on safari. An ‘introduction camp’ of sorts for the parents who’d prefer the physical walls for that extra peace of mind.

Khwai Leadwood

Khwai Leadwood is an exceptional safari destination. It’s elegance and environmentally conscious approach to luxury ensures that you, and your family have a memorable experience. Khwai Leadwood is ideal for families and offer a variety of activities, including gamedrives, walking safaris and the Ngwana Club for your younger children.

Travelling to Khwai Leadwood is a quick 30-minute flight from Maun (the capital of the country). The banks of the Khwai River create a natural boundary that separates Moremi Game Reserve and the concession is run by community members. A mokoro ride is an ideal activity that can be used to explore the area if the water level is sufficient. Khwai Leadwood offers six standard tents as well as one family unit. These units are built on raised decks that offer stunning views of the bush and water. All units include en-suite bathrooms that have both indoor and outdoor showers.