Johannesburg with kids

7 min read Updated November 2026 Compare all tours

Most family outings from Johannesburg involve a drive, and many tours include pickup from your accommodation. Before booking, look at the age column: several mines, caves, safaris and flights set minimum ages or heights, and some museums advise against younger children. On some tours, such as the Cradle of Humankind trip with Stephenson Adventures, baby car seats are available on request.

Lions, cheetahs and wild dogs

The Lion & Safari Park lies in the Cradle of Humankind near Hartbeespoort, 13 km from Lanseria Airport and about 40 minutes from Johannesburg, according to the park. There are three ways to see it. The park’s own guided tour takes two hours in a game truck, through the antelope area and past the lion, cheetah, wild dog and leopard enclosures. It runs in all weather, and the restaurant is open for lunch afterwards. Reviewers mention guides who answer questions patiently and with humour.

With your own car, the self-drive route goes through the same enclosures and an extended game drive area with antelope. Soft-top and convertible cars are not allowed, and at weekends and on public holidays the lions are fed at 12:00 and 15:00. Without a car, a half-day tour from Johannesburg or Pretoria includes the transfer and a two-hour drive in an open safari vehicle; it does not take children under 4, and the park has a supervised playground. Not every visitor is comfortable with what is, in the end, an enclosed park.

The Ann van Dyk Cheetah Centre has bred cheetahs and African wild dogs since 1971. Its Cheetah Run does not take children under 7 or under 1.2 m. More parks are compared on game reserves near Johannesburg.

Safaris without malaria

For a real safari with young children, the malaria question decides a lot. SANParks calls Kruger a malaria zone and advises visitors to follow their doctor’s instructions. Pilanesberg, about two hours from Johannesburg in the crater of an extinct volcano, is described by the Pilanesberg Wildlife Trust as malaria-free, and so is Dinokeng, which calls itself Gauteng’s only Big Five game reserve, about 40 minutes from Pretoria. The Pilanesberg day tour starts with a pickup between 06:00 and 06:30 and lasts about 12 hours, so it suits children who cope with long days. It does not take children under 4, and those up to 5 need a private tour. Details on Pilanesberg safaris.

Gold Reef City and the zoo

Gold Reef City, at the corner of Northern Parkway and Data Crescent in Ormonde, is a theme park with its own mine tour. It has 14 thrill rides, 9 family rides and 20 children’s rides, and opens from Thursday to Sunday and on public holidays: 09:30 to 17:00 on Thursdays and Fridays, 09:00 to 17:00 at weekends, with last entry at 16:00 and different hours in the school holidays. The mine tour descends 75 m underground, with an emergency exit of more than 150 steps, and children under 4 cannot join. Some rides have height limits, and tickets are sold online only.

Johannesburg Zoo covers 54 hectares in Parkview, at the corner of Jan Smuts Avenue and Upper Park Drive, and is open 364 days a year, with last entry at 16:00. From 1 July 2026 to 30 June 2027 the zoo charges R135 for adults and R81 for children. Both Gold Reef City and the zoo are stops on the hop-on hop-off bus, which also runs a return shuttle from selected Sandton hotels.

For a morning outdoors, the Johannesburg Botanical Gardens and Emmarentia Dam, entered from Olifants Road in Emmarentia, open from sunrise to sunset. There is a rose garden, picnic lawns and canoeing, kayaking and sailing on the dam.

Fossils and caves

The Cradle of Humankind is a UNESCO World Heritage Site north-west of the city. At the Maropeng Visitor Centre, open daily from 09:00 to 16:00, exhibits trace the story from the formation of the planet onwards. The Sterkfontein Caves, where the Mrs Ples and Little Foot fossils were found, are open from Tuesday to Sunday. The cave tour has many steps and narrow passages and is not suitable for anyone with claustrophobia, and reviewers note that the Maropeng exhibition involves a lot of reading, which older children manage better. Visitors pass airport-style security. More on Cradle of Humankind.

Water, cable cars and balloons

At Hartbeespoort Dam, a two-hour boat cruise leaves at 10:00, 13:00 and 16:00 with South African finger food on board; it is not recommended for anyone prone to motion sickness. The Harties Cableway above the dam is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays and charges a children’s rate for ages 4 to 14. Balloon flights over the Magalies River Valley start before sunrise, and Bill Harrop’s takes children only if they are older than seven and taller than 1.3 m.

History with older children

The Apartheid Museum does not consider itself suitable for children under 11. With older children and teenagers, plan around two hours. A gentler introduction to Soweto is the guided bicycle tour, which starts at the Hector Pieterson Memorial and stops for a kota halfway. It suits confident riders: the route covers roughly 12 to 13 km with some moderate hills, according to reviewers, and basic cycling ability is required. See Apartheid Museum and Soweto tours.

Papers for children

South Africa has had strict rules for minors at the border. The German Federal Foreign Office lists an international birth certificate, or a birth certificate with an English translation, and a consent letter from the parents in English for minors who travel without an adult. The rules for children travelling with one or both parents have been relaxed in recent years, but carry the full birth certificate anyway. If only one parent travels, a copy of the other parent’s passport and their contact details are also advised. Check with your government before departure.