This is part of our global guide to the Best Places to Go in 2024—find more travel inspiration here.
01.11.2023 - 10:27 / lonelyplanet.com
Botswana makes for a memorable trip with kids. From quad biking across Makgadikgadi Salt Pans to encounters with elephants, lions, and giraffes, few countries can match it for variety.
It doesn’t matter if you’re on a multigenerational safari, a self-drive adventure, or simply camping beneath the stars, its vast, unspoiled landscapes serve as a playground for young explorers. Here’s how to visit Botswana with kids.
Botswana with children, teens and tweens can be wonderful and rewarding, though it's a bit more challenging for those with very toddlers and babies. The country is vast and many of its most popular places are remote, with long travel distances between them. For example, it’s more than 930km between the Okavango Delta and the Makgadikgadi Salt Pans. However, if your kids don’t mind flights or long journeys in a 4WD, Botswana’s vastness can make it a mesmerizing destination for little ones. Public transport is limited.
Preparedness is key. Botswana is generally safe, but remote areas lack certain facilities. In Gaborone, Kasane, and Maun, the toilets are generally clean. Out on the road, however, bathrooms can be small, not very clean, and often lack toilet paper. Carry a well-stocked first-aid kit, wet wipes, toilet paper, hand sanitizer, and any necessary medications. But leave the stroller at home; a baby carrier or backpack is much more practical in the thick sands of the Kalahari Desert.
Bigger towns will often have basic family-friendly facilities, such as baby-changing areas, highchairs and children’s menus. Diapers and baby food are widely available in supermarkets too. All become scarce in more remote areas.
If you’re here to see wildlife, most safari companies and luxury lodges don't accept children under 12 years old (sometimes seven) and game-drive vehicles don’t have car seats. However, there are several safari camps with family-friendly accommodations and kid-focused activities to keep kids engaged and entertained. Babysitting and child-minding services are rare in Botswana.
Chobe National Park is ideal for family safaris, especially with younger kids. Under eights enter the park for free, and those aged eight to 17 get half-price entry. Shorter game drives and boat cruises with no age restrictions provide up-close encounters with Chobe River's wildlife such as elephants, hippos, and crocodiles.
The gateway to the park is Kasane, which has various family-friendly hotels with swimming pools, air-conditioning, TVs, and babysitting services. Victoria Falls is also a short trip away and makes for a diverting day trip for kids.
Good accommodation options include the luxe family suites with plunge pools at Chobe Game Lodge or relaxed riverfront Chobe Safari Lodge, which has plenty of activity
This is part of our global guide to the Best Places to Go in 2024—find more travel inspiration here.
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I have been watching a pride of nine lions slowly waking up from their siesta. The adolescent siblings playfully nudge one another. One stretches against a log, reminding me of my dog back home, almost prompting me to hop out of the open-sided Land Rover and get closer. But then I catch a glimpse of a paw the size of my head, with claws so sharp they could slice through mosquito netting with no effort at all, and I’m reminded that this is Botswana’s Moremi Game Reserve, home to a rich array of wildlife like bush elephants, leopards, plains zebra, giraffe—and I am just a guest here.
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