Zimbabwe and Botswana Family Safari

Touch down in Maun where your family is received at the airport. With customs cleared and luggage collected, transfer to your light aircraft and fly to the Okavango Delta. Arrive at Shinde Footsteps, a standout camp for Botswana family safaris. For three nights, you have the entire run of this fully serviced camp, so set the schedule according to naps, meals, and bedtime.

Tucked within the private Shinde Private Concession, enjoy a wilderness that feels all your own. The camp’s unique location means your Okavango Delta safari unfurls on both water and land, at your own pace. Today, you might set out on foot with your specialist family guide who disguises learning through fun. On a walking safari, kids inspect animal tracks and spoor, and learn primitive fire making and bushcraft.

Greet sunrise with hot chocolate, then set out for a game drive that’s not too short, not too long, but just right. A mokoro ride brings safari to the water for a new perspective. Dinners unfold in surprise settings where picky-eater-approved meals are prepared by a chef in the bush kitchen. Afterward, gather around the firepit to hear your guide’s best wildlife dramas beneath a starry night sky.

Your endearing camp crew sings you farewell. Board a flight to Kasane and then drive to Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe. Arrive at Ilala Lodge, a family-run property sitting close enough to the superlative falls to see mist rising from the cascades. Wild-meets-refined, mustached warthogs and elephants commonly amble upon the manicured lawns. This evening, enjoy a sunset jet boat safari, weaving through a braid of islands above the waterfall.

To fully appreciate “the Smoke that Thunders,” you need to view it in cinematic widescreen. On a Victoria Falls helicopter tour, your family peers at the mile-wide curtain of water through bubble windows. Midday, we’ve made a reservation at The Lookout Café for lunch served with panoramic views. Afterward, a Shop for a Purpose experience leads you on a scavenger hunt through town that gives back to the community.

Board a short flight and arrive at Verney’s Camp to begin your Hwange National Park safari. Situated within a private concession, savor crowd-free wildlife viewing in the privacy of your own game vehicle. You’ll sleep under canvas for a traditional safari that feels a bit more rustic. The kids will enjoy the pool, but they’ll love watching the camp waterhole where thirsty elephants, zebra, and giraffe are frequent visitors.

Game drives at Verney’s ramble through a 25,000-acre private concession of open floodplain and mopane forest. This is the wild home of buffalo and elephant herds, leopard, lions, antelope, wild dogs, and kaleidoscopic birdlife. Take a midday pause for lunch, naps, or a dip in the pool. In the evening, experience the thrill of a night drive. Meals at Verney’s are casual and convivial, so parents can dine at ease.

Coffee and hot chocolate are conjured at first light. Perform a ritual check of the waterhole then follow your guide into the bush on foot. Zimbabwe’s guides are some of the most highly credentialed in Africa thanks to rigorous training, and in their capable hands you’ll feel well cared for. Together with your kids, learn to “read” the bush, scanning for clues like tracks and disturbed grasses.

The final leg of your safari winds down on the gentle shores of Lake Kariba. With animal checklists already ticked, this is your time to enjoy relaxed game drives and water-based activities in a lakeside setting. Make Fothergill Island your oasis for adventure. Your family will feel at home in a two-bedroom suite connected by a private lounge. Allocated a private vehicle, your days are shaped to your family’s unique interests and needs.

A Fothergill safari is an opportunity to learn about Operation Noah. Watching large herds of elephants and buffalo grazing the nutrient-rich lakeshore, your guide explains that Lake Kariba formed after the Zambezi River was dammed—and how Rupert Fothergill prevented a mass extinction by relocating the area’s wildlife to higher ground. (A tour of Kariba Dam can be arranged.) A conservation story still being written, feel good knowing your stay contributes to Fothergill’s enduring future.

Enlist your littles for a Mini Ranger Course for safari activities scaled to their abilities. Parents and kids will share profound moments, widening their appreciation of nature while enjoying hands-on activities. Archery, swimming, fishing, and stargazing are led by a charismatic guide fluent in the language of fun.

Dedicate a day to the water. A boating safari captures wildlife moments such as elephants playfully spraying water in the shallows, honking hippos, and sunbathing crocodiles. Teeming with tilapia and catfish, Lake Kariba invites anglers to cast a line for some catch-and-release fishing. For a longer outing, you might point your compass to Sanyati Gorge. Sundowners and canapés are served while adrift or set on a secretive slice of lakeshore.

After a final morning game drive, your family safari comes to a gentle close. Transfer to Harare to continue your onward journey or board your international flight home.