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Wild days out

KZN wildlife

KwaZulu-Natal is one of the few places where you can build sandcastles in the morning and see zebra and giraffe in the afternoon.

Zebra and giraffe on a family game drive

Game reserves nearby

Smaller reserves within driving distance offer game drives that suit young children.

A young child watching colourful birds in an aviary

Bird & animal parks

Close-up encounters for little ones, usually in a morning.

Lioness in a KwaZulu-Natal game reserve

The Big Five

For older children, a longer trip north to KZN's famous Big Five reserves.

Want more ideas, events and opening times? See Cabana Mio's map of KZN and its area guides.

Animals within a morning's drive

For a first game drive with young children, Tala is about an hour inland: rhino, giraffe and hippo, and no big predators. Book a drive in advance and go early, when the animals are most active.

Closer to home, Crocworld, uShaka's aquarium and Mitchell Park's aviaries are all under half an hour away, and two of them are under cover on a wet day.

Up in the Valley of a Thousand Hills, PheZulu Safari Park combines a crocodile and snake park with a short game drive and Zulu dancing at its cultural village; check the show times before you go. Further south, near Margate, Pure Venom Reptile Park and Riverbend Crocodile Farm make a full day out.

Take snacks, water and binoculars, and plan to be back by mid-afternoon.

Open the family map

Drive times from your duplex

  • Tala Private Game Reserve
    Rhino, giraffe and hippo with no big predators; book a drive. Good with children · Animals & nature    58 min · 63 km
  • PheZulu Safari Park
    Crocodile and snake park, a short game drive, and Zulu dancing at the cultural village. Good with children · Animals & nature    50 min · 58 km
  • Crocworld Conservation Centre
    Crocodiles, snakes, birds and a farmyard; set feeding times. Good with children · Animals & nature    27 min · 29 km
  • Umgeni River Bird Park
    Exotic birds from around the world in walk-through aviaries; daily guided tours. Good with children · Animals & nature    28 min · 34 km
  • Pure Venom Reptile Park
    One of Africa's largest reptile parks; daily snake shows, croc feeds on Sundays. Good with children · Animals & nature    73 min · 106 km
  • Riverbend Crocodile Farm
    Crocodiles, snake demonstrations and a tea garden near Margate. Good with children · Animals & nature    81 min · 117 km
  • uShaka Marine World
    Aquarium with a shark tunnel, Kids World and a water park. Good with children · Animals & nature · Rainy day    25 min · 30 km
  • Mitchell Park
    Small zoo, aviaries and a new playground in a garden park. Good with children · Animals & nature · Free    27 min · 30 km

By road, without traffic. Each place checked as open in October 2026; check opening times before you go.