Shamwari Private Game Reserve – Riverdene Family Lodge 

Kids on Safari

Riverdene Family Safari Lodge has been specifically designed to ensure that families may enjoy a safe safari experience.

This spacious lodge is perfect for those travelling with a family. Complete with a pool, kids' club and Adventure Centre, cosy indoor fires and an outdoor boma where you can socialise with other families and gaze up at the night sky, blanketed in stars, there’s plenty to keep you entertained when not out on a safari. This is the ideal place to discover the beauty of the bush.

Children from 4 years old are welcome on game drives at Shamwari; younger children will be taken care of by the childminders at the lodge. The Rangers at Riverdene are used to taking children on safari and will work with them to complete their ‘junior ranger’ books and teach them about the African bush. Back at the lodge, kids can run around the huge outdoor Adventure Centre where they can play on tree houses, ziplines, rock climbing walls and a big slide.

Why we love Shamwari Private Game Reserve – Riverdene Family Lodge

  • Children are given a safari backpack, with water bottle, compass and a book which they complete during their stay

  • As part of the 'Kids on Safari' programme, each family has its own safari vehicle and ranger

  • If parents wish to keep a routine for their children, mealtimes are flexible

  • Whilst children under the age of four are not permitted on the safari vehicles, there are plenty of activities to keep them busy including arts and crafts and pizza making

5 stars
Riverdene Family Safari Lodge is located within Shamwari Private Game Reserve in the Eastern Cape between Port Elizabeth and Grahamstown
It’s a 1-hour drive from the airport at Port Elizabeth
Suitable for children

Facilities

  • Restaurants & bars
  • Board
  • Activities
  • Sustainability
  • Families

Meal times are flexible at Riverdene so that parents can keep a routine for their children.

Whats Included

Full Board • All meals • Twice daily game drives

The Kids on Safari activities are fun and educational so they may get to collect dung samples, be taught some words in Xhosa and the collective nouns for the animals that they see. A visit to the Born Free Sanctuaries and Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre are educational and informative.

Fully Inclusive & Conservation Levy rate Lodge Package • Breakfast, lunch and dinner • Selected drinks including soft drinks, house wine, local beer and local spirits • Conservation and tourism levy • 2 shared games drives per day • Guided walks • Visits to educational centres • Wi-Fi

There are the two Born Free sanctuaries, where visitors can see and learn about big cats that have been rescued from zoos and circuses from around the world so that they can live their remaining years in a natural habitat. The Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre takes in injured animals with the aim of treating them and releasing them back into the wild.

This family-friendly lodge has plenty to keep children occupied. They'll be amazed at how big The Adventure Centre is and will soon be climbing the rock wall, exploring the treehouse, losing themselves in the maze or learning how to zip line. If parents want to go on safari or have a meal on their own, they have child-minders at the lodge. For added peace of mind, the swimming pool has a shallow area for children and the area around the lodge is fenced to try and prevent curious animals exploring too close.