Most camps and lodges set a minimum age of six for game drives, occasionally lower at family-specialist properties with private vehicles, and this is a genuine safety and enjoyment consideration, not an arbitrary rule — long, quiet hours in a vehicle are hard for younger children and can be unsafe around unpredictable wildlife on foot at camp. Six to twelve is, in our experience, the sweet spot: old enough to sit through drives, genuinely fascinated rather than bored, and young enough that the wonder is uncomplicated. Teenagers get real value from more active add-ons — walking safaris, cultural visits, a Kilimanjaro trek for older, fitter teens — that younger children cannot safely do. Gorilla trekking has a firm minimum age of fifteen, set by park authorities, not a preference, so it is simply off the table for a family trip with younger kids regardless of fitness. For families with children under six, a beach-forward Zanzibar or Seychelles stay with a short, easy wildlife add-on (a day trip rather than a multi-day safari circuit) is usually a better match than a full game-drive-heavy itinerary. We plan every family trip around the youngest child's actual age and temperament, not a generic 'family safari' template.