Please note: Costs mentioned were correct at the time of writing (2021) and are subject to change at any time. Please contact your desired destination directly to confirm entry fees, costs and operating times. 

Joburg

CityROCK

Let the kids climb the walls in a good way at CityROCK in Randburg. It's the biggest indoor climbing gym on the continent, and best of all, it has some of the best coffee in town too! So, if climbing isn't your thing, at least you can enjoy a good cuppa joe while the kids go climbing. The gym boasts 2 000m² of high-wall climbing, 124 top rope anchors, nine automatic belay walls, 500m² of bouldering, a well-stocked outdoor gear shop, a beautiful yoga studio, a training area and a dedicated beginners’ climbing area perfect for birthday parties, kids and courses. Not only is it fun, but it gets the kids active too!

CityROCK

Montecasino Bird Gardens

Spend quality time as a family and experience the beautiful vibrant residents of the Montecasino Bird Gardens. This is the only wildlife and bird park of its kind in Africa and is a must when you're visiting Montecasino. Here, you can wander along walkways, explore the manicured gardens and marvel at a menagerie of colourful birds, mammals, reptiles and unusual animals from around the world. Also, enjoy their walk-through aviary where you'll find over 60 species of birds, reptiles and small mammals roaming freely. Due to the COVID-19 restriction, the Bird Gardens will be open from Wednesday to Sunday between 08:30 to 17:00. Also keep in mind that their Fantasy of Flight shows are cancelled until further notice.

City Sightseeing Johannesburg

How much of the city have your kids actually seen? We don't mean all the fun places, their friend's house down the road or the mall. We mean all the significant and historic parts of the city, including Nelson Mandela Bridge, Constitution Hill, the Apartheid Museum and the Johannesburg Zoo. City Sightseeing Johannesburg is all about experiencing the city and 20 of Joburg's leading attractions from the comfort of a big, red, double-decker bus. Fun for the whole family!

Croc City & Reptile Park

Sure, scaly critters make our skin crawl, but this cool spot is worth the visit if you and your kids are braver than us and are looking for thrills, chills and a whole lot of fun in between. If your kids are fearless and up for experiencing anything (even holding a creepy, cold, icky creature that sends us running for the hills), then the Croc City & Reptile Park is just the place for them. They can touch a baby crocodile or a slithery snake and get up close and personal with a hairy tarantula. Eeeek!

RollEgoli 

Today's kids don't understand the fun, excitement and concentration that goes into rollerskating. This was THE thing to do when we were kids and RollEgoli is bringing it back with a bang! If you see us rollerskating too, don't judge us! This is the perfect activity to get the kids out of the house to a place where they can hang with their friends and be active, showing off their skater tricks (like we used to do, back in the day). Skating works up an appetite, which is why RollEgoli has some of the best wood-fired pizzas in town! And for the younger ones, they also offer a tree garden with a few shy chickens and a jungle gym with a trampoline.

Escape Room

Need something entertaining for older kids, let's say from 12 years upwards? Then why not challenge their cognitive skills with real-life room games at the Escape Room? This is the type of adventure where they are 'trapped' in a room with friends and family. This is real, not a computer game, so there are no cheat codes! They'll need to use their noggins to get out. Here are a few crucial skills that'll get them through this challenge: they must use their sense of adventure, imagination, lateral thinking, powers of observation and, of course, teamwork. Once they have cracked a series of stimulating, challenging and fun puzzles and solve the mystery, they'll be freed. They just need to keep in mind that they'll have to do this within the time limit. Sounds like fun, doesn't it?

Top Escape Rooms In The City

Jozi X Adventure Centre

There is nothing like an adventure to get the adrenaline pumping! And to delight your kids' sense of adventure AND keep them entertained for hours on end, Jozi X Adventure Centre is a must. They have everything under the sun from bubble soccer, games of Arch Rivals, zorbing and loads of other fun and exciting obstacle courses. This makes for an epic day out for your kids and their friends.

Artjamming

We all know how kids LOVE making a big mess! So why not let them go bonkers with paint and creativity at Artjamming? Best of all, you don't need to worry about the clean up afterwards. Artjamming allows your little ones to indulge their inner artist and create their own inspired, colourful and interesting masterpieces. All they need to do is pick their canvas, decide what they want to paint and go wild.

party

Pretoria

Pretoria Zoo

Do you and the kids have a love for animals? Then we know just the place to visit! The 85-hectare Pretoria Zoo is the largest zoo in the country and the only one with national status. A staggering 9 500 animals call this popular destination home – ranging from mammals, birds and fish to reptiles and amphibians. There's also an aquarium and reptile park that forms part of the zoo. There's plenty for all ages to explore at the Pretoria Zoo. Visit their website and get your tickets now!

pretoria zoo

Image from Pretoria Zoo via Facebook.

The Ditsong National Museum of Natural History

Explore South Africa’s natural heritage at the Ditsong National Museum of Natural History. This is the only natural history museum in Gauteng and one of the largest in South Africa. Here, visitors will be able to view collections and exhibits that includes hominid fossils from the Cradle of Humankind World Heritage Site, other fossils, skeletons, skins and mounted specimens of amphibians, fish, invertebrates, reptiles and mammals and much more!

The Grove Ice Rink

For an easy entertainment solution perfect for both young and old, why not visit The Grove's Ice Rink for some cool fun on the ice? Hire some skates and take to the ice, race your friends with laps around the arena, practice your skills, or simply just have a great time. This is the perfect outing during the summer month when it's hot outside, the ice rink is sure to keep you cool and refreshed.

Ice Skating

Cedar Junction Theme Park

Make the most of our South African summer by visiting Cedar Junction Theme Park! Here, guests, both young and the young at heart, can spend the day hopping on train rides, making a splash with 16 water slides, dipping into four different pools to keep cool, floating down the Lazy River, climbing up and down Jungle Gyms, bouncing on trampolines and so much more! There's plenty of exciting outdoor activities to keep visitors entertained at Cedar Junction Theme Park.

Image from Cedar Junction Theme Park.

CryWolf

For an exciting day outdoors, filled with adventure and adrenaline, visit CryWolf in Irene. Here, visitors can spend the day doing exciting activities including two-speed go-karting ideal for both young and old, playing some paintball or laser tag (depending on whether or not you can handle being hit with a paint ball), or trying out laser clay pigeon shooting!

Cost: Click here for all the pricing details.

Venue: Smuts House Museum, Plot 53, Jan Smuts Avenue, Irene, Pretoria.

Paintball Johannesburg

Throughout Gauteng

BOUNCE Inc

Sitting on the couch with their eyes and hands glued to their cellphones is NOT the way kids should spend their school holidays, especially this festive season. They need to get out of the house, away from their gadgets and get active, which is why BOUNCE Inc is ideal. Not only does it offer a cure for boredom, but also loads of fun activities to keep them busy all day long. Think 3 000m² of interconnected trampolines, adventure features, padding and airbags, giving kids (and even adults) the chance to bounce around, throw balls, do backflips, show off their aerial skills and just have a blast.

Please note: All BOUNCE Inc venues will be reopening on 27 November 2020.

Acrobranch

Another great idea is to let the kids swing about and experience a treetop adventure at Acrobranch. There's something for all ages and all fitness levels, from ziplining and tricky crossings, to high ropes and much more. This is also a great family activity if you want to do something new together. There's no better place to get your kids out and about and reconnecting with nature than at Acrobanch. When last did you or your kids climb a tree? Hmmm, we thought so! Just make sure they wear the right gear — closed shoes, comfy clothes, long hair tied up and safety gear (provided by Acrobranch).

Papachinos

Sometimes, parents just need a bit of time-out. A place where they can relax unwind while letting the kids run wild and blow off some stream. Cue Papachinos. Not only is this an awesome hangout for mamas, papas, oupas, oumas and the little tykes, but it's a great place to grab a bite to eat (the pizzas are amazing) while the kids run rampant and blow off steam in the designated kiddies' play area. This is a family restaurant that caters to all your needs — kiddie entertainment, food, wine and chillaxing.

The Lion & Safari Park

Who doesn't love animals? And lucky for us, we don't need to drive too far to experience what South Africa is well known for — its wildlife! The Lion & Safari Park in Harties offers loads of outdoor activities for a fun day out for all ages. No need to travel all the way to Mpumalanga or the Kruger! Take your pick from interaction and walking experiences, guided tours and self-drive safaris. After all that excitement, relax and grab a bite to eat at the Bull 'n Buck Grill.

One of the highlights for all of us was a visit to the Lion & Safari Park – if you have not yet visited their new venue on a 600-hectare wilderness reserve in the Cradle of Humankind, then you need to make a plan to visit as soon as possible.

We honestly thought we’d be there for a while and move on somewhere else for the remainder of the day, but there was so much to do that we ran out of time! The children had an absolute blast, and despite our visit taking place in the middle of a heat wave, none of us wanted to leave!

lion safari park

What's On Offer

Our plan of action was to begin with cappuccinos and ice-cream, guided game drive, long lazy lunch, walk around the facilities, feeding giraffe, G&Ts and ice cream and a very long play on the playground. Plus, at least an hour spent in The 5 Dome Shopping Experience on the way out!

lion safari park

COVID-19 Safety Measures

Wondering how the Lion & Safari Park adhere to the COVID-19 rules and regulations and doing their part in flattening the curve? The Lion & Safari Park take special pride in their COVID-19 compliance procedures. Take a look at their ‘Safety Procedure’ video for more information.

They Have A Volunteer Programme

Volunteers from all over the world are welcome to apply for the Lion & Safari Park’s volunteer programme. We thought the tour guides were amazingly well-trained and passionate about their jobs – turns out that many of them were volunteers!

This phenomenal programme gives you the chance to:

Lion & Safari Park

What Are The Costs? 

Entrance to the restaurants, curio shops and children's playground is FREE – you only pay for activities such as self-drives, bush walks and guided game drives.

What Are Their Operating Hours?

The Lion & Safari Park is open all year round, at the following times:

Lion & Safari Park

For More Information

Tel: 087 150 0100 | 076 187 3883 | 071 681 6800

Address: R512, Pelindaba Road, Hartbeespoort.

Email: [email protected]

Visit: lionandsafaripark.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/LionSafariPark

Twitter: twitter.com/LionSafariPark

Instagram: www.instagram.com/lionandsafaripark