Hi Willow. Two places keep springing to mind as I read your questions: South Africa and Namibia. The Cape Provinces of South Africa are malaria free, as is the Madikwe/Waterberg region to the northwest of Jo?burg. We?ve taken our twins to both areas and they are fantastic family holiday destinations.
If you pick the Cape, for example, you can combine the Cape Peninsula (brilliant Two Oceans Aquarium at Cape Town, swimming with penguins at Boulders, visiting Robben Island [for older KS2?s] and taking the cable car up Table Mountain) with a self-drive tour of the Garden Route (dolphin watching at Plettenberg Bay, shell-seeking at Nature?s Valley, steam train ride at Knysna) with a safari in one of the reserves to the north of Port Elizabeth. Some of the private ones, like Madikwe and Shamwari, can be pricey but you?ll get superb accommodation and wonderful guides who will capture your children?s imagination with nuggets of bushlore.
In Northwest South Africa, stay at Madikwe Safari Lodge and kids can qualify as ?Planet Managers?, while Ant?s Nest offers a home-from-home experience deep in the African bush. To cap it all, the water wonderland of Sun City makes a convenient stopover en route to your safari.
We found Namibia had similar appeal to South Africa with good infrastructure for independent touring and excellent value family accommodation. Windhoek won?t leave your kids gawping (unless they?re into German colonial architecture), but Swakopmund is Adrenaline Central with all kinds of activities, from paragliding and kayaking to dune-boarding and 4x4 tours along the Skeleton Coast. Malaria is present in northern and eastern parts of Namibia, particularly from November to June, so that may strike Etosha National Park from your itinerary. Ultimately, though, a family trip to Namibia is about getting sand between your toes (and just about everywhere else). Sossusvlei?s giant sand dunes are the setting for the world?s ultimate roly-poly.
Out of Africa, malaria-free top spots would have to include the northeast coast of Brazil. Praia do Forte Ecoresort (www.ecoresort.com.br) has a good range of accommodation and is close to a turtle conservation project. You can learn to snorkel in reef-protected lagoons, visit the Historic District of Salvador, go humpback whalewatching (July to October) and explore the ruins of the medieval Garcia d?Avila castle.
Moving on to your general point about malaria, I think it?s too serious to ever stop worrying about it, particularly with very young children who are unlikely to relish the prospect of being smothered in mossie repellant or taking anti-malarials! We?ve taken our children to malaria zones a few times and even when you take every precaution (covering up at dusk, treating clothing with premetherin etc) you still find yourself lashing out at every winged insect that passes within a few feet of them. It?s not my job to give medical advice, but all I would say is think hard before taking children under five to a malaria zone and speak to your doctor/health advisor well in advance of your trip.