With family travel on the rise it is becoming increasingly important for children to be incorporated in the African travel experience. But the question on everyone’s lips is “how old is old enough?” The common feeling among parents who have done it is that kids being old enough to enjoy it is younger than you may think!

Owing to the nature of the environments there are strict rules and regulations when it comes to children at most of the camps and lodges in Botswana… and there is not one hard and fast blanket rule that applies to every establishment, each have their own restrictions! Generally most of the camps in the Okavango Delta will not allow children under the age of 7 and there is a rule that children under 16 are not permitted on walking safaris and children under 12 are not permitted on mokoros. This means that a water-based camp in the Delta is not advisable for families with kids as the activities they will be allowed to take part in will be limited to only boat excursions. Combination land and water camps that offer game drives as well as water activities will be preferable. Another common rule is that families with young children need to have a private game drive vehicle, and this is usually an additional cost. Very often where larger family groups book an entire camp on a private basis the rules regarding children can be slightly more flexible.

When it comes to accommodation, most of the family-friendly camps do have family tents allowing up to two children to share with two adults, but because the total number of tents available in each camp is on average five or six there is usually only one family tent per camp, making early booking essential. Where family tents are not available children are not permitted to sleep in a tent without an adult, therefore a family of four for example will need to be split into two tents, with one parent per tent.

Ker & Downey are recognised as being a great family option in the Okavango Delta, they allow children from the ages of 7 up and their camps do have family tents. Their Footsteps Camp offers a wonderful 4-day Young Explorers program for families. Emphasis is on learning how to track game – both on foot and in 4×4 safari vehicles. Children are taught how to make small animal traps and how to start a fire from nothing more than two sticks. The children learn how to: recognise different animal spoor; identify a range of birds; try their hand at poling a Mokoro (subject to water levels); drive a game drive vehicle; fish; and shoot an air rifle at tin cans. On completion of the safari children receive a Young Explorers certificate, t-shirt and cap.

Wilderness Safari’s Seba Camp is also known as a great family friendly safari option in the Okavango Delta, as are Delta Camp and Oddballs who do not place any age limitations on guests and activities as they believe parents know their children best! Machaba Camp also welcomes children of all ages, however families with children under six require a private game drive vehicle and children under twelve are not permitted on walks and mokoros.

Outside of the Okavango Delta area Chobe National Park is also a very popular Botswana safari destination, regularly sold in combination with Victoria Falls owing to their close proximately. Restrictions regarding children here are less strict than in the delta, although once again each lodge is different with their own set of rules!

Contact us to plan the ideal family safari to best suit you and your children!

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The nine-room lodge is on an island in the middle of floodplains. It looks out over a lagoon and is just north of the Vumbura and Duba Plains. The lodge is surrounded by permanent channels, seasonal floodplains, open grasslands, mopane woodlands and belts of hardwood forests.

The rooms are a combination of canvas and thatch, and have king-size four-poster beds fitted with mosquito nets. All the rooms overlook the lagoon and have indoor sitting areas and private outdoor decks, as well as en-suite bathrooms with outdoor showers.

The open-plan lounge is fitted with sofas, chandeliers and a long dining table. Outside there is a fire pit and a swimming pool with views over the water.

Water activities include traditional mokoro safaris, boat trips and fishing. Other activities include game drives, walking safaris and bird watching.

Guests can also opt for a night under the stars at Mapula’s fly-camp, or dine around a camp fire in the middle of the bush.

Extra activities include a helicopter or a hot air balloon flight.

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The Sawanga Mall will have mix of retail, commercial and entertainment activities and a major anchor, family supermarket chain Pick n Pay. The mall will be at the corner of Livingstone and Pioneer Roads.

Steven Kapfunde, ZIMRE Property Investments (ZPI) Senior Executive said construction was already under way and is expected to create 400 jobs during construction and 450 jobs in operations after opening.

Kapfunde said they were aiming to complement the government’s efforts in boosting tourism in the region with appropriate tenants such as financial services currently missing from the town. “We are creating a world-class shopping experience commensurate with expected international standards at the same time, without losing the local identity,” he said.

The mall is expected to become a place for both locals and international visitors to shop. “In itself, the mall should be a tourist destination while at the same time being consistent with all major tourist destinations,” said Kapfunde.

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Originally located on the coastline of Table Bay, following land reclamation the fort is now located inland.

In 1936 the Castle was declared a historical monument and following restorations in the 1980s it is considered the best-preserved example of a Dutch East India Company fort.

The Castle of Good Hope is a priceless piece of Cape History as it is the oldest surviving building in South Africa.

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In 1913 a botanist called Harold Pearson set about transforming the land into a botanic garden devoted to the country’s indigenous flora.

It now contains over 7000 species of plants from southern Africa. The 528 hectare Kirstenbosch Estate falls under the Cape Floristic Region, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

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Spokesperson for SAA, Tlali Tlali said: “Our priority remains customer assistance in the best way possible in order to minimise the inconvenience caused by the suspension of SA Express services.”

The following flights have been cancelled for Friday, Saturday and Sunday:

• Johannesburg-Sun City
• Johannesburg-Mmabatho

The following flights have been cancelled for today (May 25):

• Cape Town-Sun City
• Cape Town-East London
• Cape Town-Walvis Bay

To access the SA Express’s relief schedule for May 25 click here. 

“We sincerely apologise to all affected customers for the inconvenience caused by the suspension of SA Express services,” concluded Tlali.

SAA will provide the next flight schedule update as soon as it is finalised. “We encourage our customers to continue to visit our official communication channels for regular updates on the status of the flights.”

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The full name will be The Kingdom of Eswatini and means the place of the Swati people in the local siSwati language.

During his speech at the celebration Mswati explained: “The name Swaziland was inherited from the British. If we are to give true meaning to our independence, the time has come to give our country a name of its people.”

Eswatini Tourism has adopted the change as well and will be rebranding across all platforms over the next few months.

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