Family Safaris in Botswana
Botswana is by no means a cheap destination for families but it works brilliantly for those families wanting an entirely uncompromising safari experience with the highest degrees of exclusivity. The landscapes and wildlife of the Okavango Delta are second to none, Victoria Falls are the perfect combination of wow factor, pool side relaxation and play and the superb Camps in the Kalahari are utterly unique and wonderful.
Read more: Seasons : Typical Costs : Itineraries
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Botswana for families
When to Go to Botswana
Botswana works best in May - October, so combines perfectly with Western Hemisphere summer holidays and British May Half Term and October Half Term Holidays.
Which areas of Botswana are most suitable for Families?
All the key areas work to some extent for families, Vic Falls is a fantastic relaxing base, Chobe is easy to reach from Vic Falls (keeping transport and cost down), the Delta offers a variety of activities and the diverse activities and cultural experience in the Kalahari works fantastically for families. So it becomes a question of where to draw the line.
- With a week to play with and limited budget we would usually recommend combining Victoria Falls with Chobe National Park. Chobe is easy to reach by road from Vic Falls, so works well as a simple safari and Vic Falls holiday without breaking the bank.
- A well balanced itinerary would focus on water based safari in a good Delta Camp with a good land-based camp in the Linyanti with a variety of activities on offer. The family can then relax on the banks of the Zambezi, seeing the falls and enjoying some good pool time.
- The ultimate family experience would combine a wet safari camp in the Delta with a land-based camp in Linyanti, followed by the magnificent family friendly Kalahari and finishing it all off at Vic Falls.
- For families looking to explore more broadly, a private mobile safari offers the advantages of a private guide and vehicle, the feeling of a traditional mobile safari, the ability to include most of the key areas (Delta, Moremi, Savuti, Chobe, Vic Falls) for less budget than a flying safari. However, don't kid yourself this is going to be a budget option, Conservancy fees, and private vehicles and guides all add up. This option is best for older families and can involve considerable driving between locations.
Combining Botswana Safari with Cape Town or the Beach
We often combine Botswana with Cape Town in South Africa, there are good flight connections and the contrast of Cosmopolitan City & Coast in Cape Town works well with Botswana's wilderness.
Combining a Botswana safari with some beach time can be a challenge. The best option is combining with Mauritius, but this will require an overnight in Johannesburg. Therefore, if you just looking for a good quality safari and relaxing beach experience, with the minimum of transport hassle, then we would rather recommend Tanzania, Kenya or even KwaZulu Natal in South Africa simply because the beach is so much easier to access from the safari location.
How much does a family safari in Botswana cost?
Costs can vary massively depending on family size, the age of children, time of year, length of stay and the quality of the camps, but with Botswana, one thing is always for sure, it won't be cheap. As a very approximate guide, starting budgets (inclusive of international flights) are around £3,000/$4,500 per person* and staying at the best camps and combining three locations, budgets can easily reach £10,000/$15,000 per person*. So a typical family of 4 could end up spending between £12,000/$18,000 - £40,000/$60,000.
Whilst Botswana is expensive, remember that the cost of managing a vast reserve the size of a small country is shared over a very small number of guests each year and the level of service and guiding is second to none.
* Per person price is the average per person price across the family.
Alternatives to Botswana
Botswana's key selling point is the opportunity to witness magnificent wildlife spectacles in rare exclusivity. With the exception of Chobe and some of the National Park areas, visitor numbers are very tightly controlled. Other areas in Africa can offer comparable wildlife experiences (Masai Mara, Serengeti etc.) and similarly lightly touristed wilderness (Laikipia, Selous etc.), but the combination of both is what marks Botswana out. This is also what makes it expensive, so if you find your budget is being stretched too far, then consider the following alternatives:
- If your focus is seeing Victoria Falls, you can easily combine safari in Kruger with Vic Falls and Cape Town in a lovely family holiday.
- If your focus is on an uncompromising wilderness family safari, then we find it hard to beat the Laikipia area in Kenya, where Camps such as Laikipia Wilderness Camp cater so well for families with a real outdoors adventurous ethos that takes the safari beyond the game drive to give a real feel for the African bush, from climbing rocky crags, to rafting gentle rivers, bush walking, horse riding and even camel safaris.
- If you just looking for a relaxing safari and beach combination, then we would instead recommend Tanzania, Kenya or Kwa Zulu Natal in South Africa.
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We had an extraordinary time. It was magical and we couldn't hav asked or hoped for more. Thank you both so much for all of your time and assistance.
Emma M
reviewing Best of Botswana for Families
on 18 November 2024
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We had an amazing experience - absolutely loved it.
Mohamed and Said were great and very patient especially with me going downhill - was quite nervous about the scree slopes and paths.Will be a trip we remember forever
Maritta B
reviewing Atlas Valleys & Villages Trek - Value
on 11 November 2024
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Trip was great and all the arrangements were excellent so thank you for all the help!
Drivers and transfers were all good - on time and very good service on each trip.
Accommodation was lovely - Douar Samra was amazing (weather could have been better but lovely regardless). Riad in Marrakesh was also great!
All in all a great trip and we loved the variety of the mountains, Marrakesh and the coast.
Thanks you once again!
Hardeep S
reviewing Boutique Marrakech & Atlas Mountains
on 15 April 2024
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I was also just about to email you to thank you and the team for arranging yet again, another wonderful experience.
Mount Kenya was spectacular and wild - I think I prefer it to Kili in many ways. The entire support team was professional, friendly and all round fantastic in making sure that we were safe, well fed and well looked after. In particular, we would commend Peter the guide as well as Paul one of the porters who doubled-up as his deputy on summit day. Our route was often shrouded in mist and rain that rapidly gathered in the valleys and moorlands, and we were very impressed at how Peter managed to navigate us safely through all of that notwithstanding. In addition, we loved learning about the history of Mount Kenya from him in the evenings. And ofcourse, I was blown away by the lovely birthday surprise at the end complete with balloons and a delicious cake that had journeyed with us from day 1. One thing we might recommend because of the sudden change in weather (it would sometimes get extremely cold and wet) is for the equipment list to be a little bit more detailed in terms of its recommendations e.g. layers to be moisture-wicking, walking boots be waterproof, doubling up on socks to avoid blisters etc.
El Karama is a beautiful conservancy and the lodge a true labour of love. Great hospitality in a relaxed environment. Delicious, fresh food. We enjoyed the drives, even if we didn't see much wildlife as the heavens opened on us for the last two outings. However, since it was very much geared towards families, I am not sure if I would stay again without kids. That said, I think it was perfect for a 3d/2n stay post mountain, and a much better choice than flying to the masai mara given the limited time we had.
Our transits were smooth. Samuel the driver was always on time, drove safely and kept the vehicle clean.
So it was a brilliant experience and one which I certainly will cherish for some time to come. It was great to work with you for a third time, and I certainly hope it won't be the last
Juhae C
reviewing Mount Kenya Sirimon Naro Moru Trek
on 01 March 2024
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Thank you, we had an absolute wonderful time, and everything was well-planned and as described. Carla was crying on the day of our departure from Ants Nest, she didn’t want to go home and for it all to end, and when I asked how much longer she would want to stay, she responded “four weeks”
Lars B
reviewing Best of South Africa for Families
on 01 March 2024
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We had the most amazing time. It exceeded all my hopes of what the trip would be. The guides, the hotels - everything was of such a wonderful quality. Thank you for organizing everything. I will absolutely recommend Tourdust and use you again.
Claudia L
reviewing Luxury Desert Holiday
on 11 January 2024
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We had a brilliant trip!
An amazing experience for parents, children and grandparents alike.
We are already planning a trip to Vietnam next yearKate B
reviewing Morocco Family Holiday: Kasbahs, Mountains & Souks
on 10 January 2024
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Dear Lisa. On behalf of the three generations of the Rowland family. Thank you, so much, for organising our wonderful holiday to Botswana and the Victoria Falls. The trip of a lifetime. The week mobile camping in the bush, with our guide Nandos and his crew was a fantastic adventure. How they manage to cook such wonderful food on an open fire is amazing. The sites were constantly visited by monkeys and once by elephants. We were even lucky enough to see two packs of wild dogs, once with a kill. Waterberry Lodge on the Zambezi River is a wonderfully tranquil place. Ideal to relax after the adventures of our safari and visiting Victoria Falls. Very many thanks once again
Godfrey R
reviewing Private Mobile Family Safari in Botswana
on 25 September 2023
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We had a great time - even with the flight between Governors and the coast being two flights and a car! We also experienced a power cut At Nairobi airport on the way home so 2+ hours late taking off. Governors. Wonderful people and dealt with the flight delay very well - taking us back and letting us know that we could stay there if the flight was delayed overnight. The game drives were excellent and our guide (Erick) obviously very experienced and managed to find all the key animals - no rhino in that part of the Masai Mara but everything else in abundance - never seen so many herbivores (many many elephants as well as all the others) as well as two prides of lions. Could not have asked for more. The ‘tent’ was excellent and comfortable and well serviced. The only ‘complaint’ would be that the food - especially dinner - could be improved (I think we got a bit bored of soup as a starter for every meal bar one) and the main courses were not at the same level as Kinondo Kwetu and while all were explained there was no choice offered. The breakfasts were just what was needed after an early game drive. Kinondo Kwetu. What a great location and the welcome when we arrived at just gone 11.00pm was better than you could have ever thought possible - they we’re disappointed that we did not at that time want the full dinner experience! The rooms we’re comfortable. The food was excellent but again no choice was offered - other than for allergy reasons (which we do not have). May be some choice would be nice. Having said that the food we did have was excellent as were the wines (albeit a short list!) and other drinks. There were (as you know) lots of facilities/sports options - but we spent our time relaxing which was exactly what we needed and there were lots of places to do that. Overall. We would go back to both places - perhaps a few more nights at Kinondo Kwetu next time but 3 nights at Governors was perfect for us. Thank you for organising and recommending both places. That you and your colleague for trying to find out about the plane (flat tyre) but communication by the flight company left a lot to be desired (Governors were furious that they were not told and had taken us to the airstrip). Phil
Philip R
reviewing Masai Mara Safari & Kenya Beach
on 01 September 2023
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It was certainly a holiday of a lifetime for us and we loved every minute!! The standard and location of each accommodation was excellent, as was the variety of each different accommodation type. Our schedule was perfect and we managed to achieve everything on our to-do task list. Your documents were also really helpful, as were the driving directions. We all thank you for making this such a wonderful holiday. Happy to leave a review publicly if you point me the right way. Best Steve
Stephen H
reviewing Classic Garden Route & Eastern Cape Safari
on 01 September 2023