Jungle & safari gifts & toys — the best gift ideas
The best jungle and safari gifts and wild animal toys for children: from cuddly toys, wooden animals, Schleich figures and puzzles to LEGO, craft sets and cheerful jungle books — from giraffes and zebras to monkeys and crocodiles.
By Sonja ·
How lovely that you’re looking for a jungle or safari gift! 🌴 From soft cuddly toys and wooden animals to Schleich figures, puzzles, LEGO safari sets and cheerful jungle books — we’ve lined up the best gifts for you, sorted by type. Further down you’ll find a handy overview by age.
Our favourite jungle & safari gifts
Our selection by category — deliberately beautiful, sturdy and sustainable toys that last a long time.
The product links are affiliate links: if you order through one, you support Kindkado with a small commission — at no extra cost to you. The shops are Dutch online shops that deliver in the Netherlands and Belgium, and the product names are in Dutch.
Jungle & safari cuddly toys
A soft giraffe, monkey or crocodile lasts for years. We love the beautifully designed cuddly toys by Little Dutch — from a hippo and a flamingo to a funny monkey.
Looking for something for a baby? See the jungle baby gifts →
Little Dutch — knuffel nijlpaard
Little Dutch — knuffel aap
Little Dutch — knuffel flamingo (35 cm)
Little Dutch — knuffel krokodil
Little Dutch — knuffel giraf
Figures & safari sets
Beautifully detailed Schleich Wild Life animals to act out the whole savannah with — from a meerkat and a rhino to a giraffe, hippo, zebra and a roaring lion.
HEMA Jungledieren
Schleich Wild Life — neushoornbaby
Schleich Wild Life — brullende leeuw
Schleich Wild Life — ara (papegaai)
Schleich Wild Life — giraf
Schleich Wild Life — nijlpaard
Schleich Wild Life — zebra
Schleich Wild Life — chimpansee-baby
Schleich Wild Life — set 4 dieren
Wooden animals
Timeless and sustainable: the hand-painted Holztiger animals (flamingo, crocodile, giraffe, gorilla, zebra…) last for generations. Also lovely: the wooden zebra by Tender Leaf and the cheerful stacking figure by Grimm’s.
Tender Leaf — houten zebra
Holztiger — zebra
Holztiger — flamingo
Holztiger — nijlpaard
Holztiger — neushoorn
Holztiger — gorilla
Grimm’s — houten steker flamingo
Holztiger — krokodil
Holztiger — babygiraf
Music
Discovering music through play: a complete music set, a wooden guitar or a piano from the Little Dutch Safari Friends range — beautifully designed and years of fun.
Little Dutch — muziekset (safari, 3+)
Little Dutch — houten gitaar (safari)
Little Dutch — houten piano (safari)
Jungle & safari puzzles
From a wooden first puzzle with animal sounds for toddlers to 1000 pieces for the big fan. The Crocodile Creek puzzles have nice big pieces.
Safari dieren - Houten puzzel
Tooky Toy — houten geluidspuzzel wilde dieren
Crocodile Creek — beginnerspuzzels jungle (10×2, 2+)
Crocodile Creek — Zoo (24 st.)
Crocodile Creek — superlange jungle-puzzel (30 st.)
In de dierentuin — puzzel (48 st.)
Crocodile Creek — holografisch jungle paradijs (50 st.)
Crocodile Creek — nacht & dag (100 st., 5+)
Crocodile Creek — Afrikaanse dieren (150 st., blik)
Ravensburger — dieren in de jungle (200 st.)
Ravensburger — juwelenjungle (500 st.)
Ravensburger — Jungle Tiger (1000 st.)
Cobble Hill — Into the Jungle (1000 st.)
Educa — Afrikaanse jungle (2000 st.)
Games
From first games like Bij de dierendokter (“At the vet”) and Kom maar mee, luiaard! (“Come along, sloth!”) to the stacking classic Rhino Hero, the crocodile game Kroko Loko and a BrainBox full of dangerous animals.
HABA — Bij de dierendokter (mijn eerste spellen, 2+)
HABA — Kom maar mee, luiaard! (mijn eerste spellen, 2+)
SmartGames — Safari Park Jr. (3+)
Kwartet — Junglelife (4+)
HABA — Style Safari / Lasse Giraf (4+)
HABA — Rhino Hero (5+, stapelspel)
Jungle Trip — kaartspel (6+)
BrainBox Pocket — gevaarlijke dieren (6+)
Jumbo Kroko Loko
Let’s build: LEGO, Plus-Plus & magnetic tiles
Building and wild animals in one: Plus-Plus jungle animals, LEGO Creator safari sets and magnetic tiles. From sturdy DUPLO for the little ones to challenging sets for the bigger builder.
LEGO DUPLO — families van wilde dieren (1,5+)
LEGO DUPLO — bos met wilde dieren (2+)
Magna-Tiles — safari dieren (25-delig)
Magna-Tiles — jungle animals (25-delig)
Little Dutch — magnetisch speelbord safari
Janod — magneetboek Afrikaanse dieren (3+)
Plus-Plus — tube jungle (100 st.)
Plus-Plus — Learn to Build dieren (275 st.)
LEGO Creator — tropische toekan (3-in-1)
* Amazon-prijs van 24 sep, kan afwijken
LEGO Creator — safaridieren (3-in-1)
LEGO Creator — majestueuze leeuw
Crafts & creative
Get stuck in yourself: paint a papier-mâché crocodile, scratch out some animal scratch art, make an animal mosaic or pixel a whole animal world.
Decopatch — papier-maché krokodil
Decopatch — papier-maché neushoorn
SES — scratch art dieren
Little Dutch — magnetisch tekentablet (safari)
Djeco — mozaïek wilde dieren
Djeco — mozaïek jungle (luipaard)
Djeco — maskers maken (jungledieren)
Panduro — Bling Dots giraf (diamond dots)
Pixelhobby — Pixel Set Dierenrijk
Leer tekenen — dieren in 10 stappen
Leer tekenen — de natuur in 10 stappen
Colouring & stickers
Colouring books and sticker sheets full of wild animals. The sticky colouring roll by Freek Vonk (the Netherlands’ best-known TV biologist) is a cheerful long roll; the colouring books by Djeco are always beautifully designed.
Djeco — stickers Kenia (safari)
Djeco — stickers jungledieren
Deltas — eerste stickerboek dieren van de wereld
Djeco — kleuren wilde dieren
Nature Planet — safari kleurboek
Especially for monkey fans
Crazy about monkeys? From a big, floppy cuddly monkey and a Plus-Plus gorilla to a crochet kit, a monkey to paint and a gorilla card game.
Ravensburger CreArt — aap schilderen
Plus-Plus — tube gorilla (100 st.)
Djeco — kaartspel Gorilla
Little Dutch — slungelaap XL
Goliath — Banana Joe (apenspel)
Holztiger — chimpansee (hout)
Eén aap is geen aap — het grote apenboek (8+, met Apenheul)
Het allermooiste boek over apen (8+)
For school & the lunch table
A little bit of jungle every day: a water bottle, lunch box, pencil case or backpack with cheerful crocodiles or safari animals. The crocodile range by A Little Lovely Company is beautifully designed and nice and sturdy.
Drinkfles Falk 350 ml Around the World Sandy
Liewood — drinkfles Falk krokodil
A Little Lovely Company — bento lunchbox krokodil
A Little Lovely Company — RVS drinkfles krokodil
A Little Lovely Company — etui krokodil
A Little Lovely Company — rugzak krokodil
Jungle & safari books
Reading aloud and discovering — from award-winning picture books to thick fact books and Freek Vonk. Handily sorted by age and type. (Most are Dutch editions.)
🏆 Award winners & gemsall ages
Stem op de okapi (8+) — Zilveren Griffel + Woutertje Pieterse
Spreekbeurt over de anaconda (9+) — Zilveren Griffel
Het hart van een giraf is ongelooflijk groot (9+) — Zilveren Penseel
Kleine Aap — Prentenboek v/h Jaar 2026 (Mies van Hout)
📖 Reading aloudages 0–6
Lieve dierentuin (1+) — flapjesboek (Dear Zoo)
nijntje en de wilde dieren (Dick Bruna)
De lieve krokodil (2+) — Leo Timmers
Zoevende zebra (3+) — Jenni Desmond
Een giraf kan niet dansen (4+)
Ik zou wel een kindje lusten (grote editie) — krokodil
Een tijger in de trein (Bette Westera)
📗 Reading on their ownages 6–9
Aap & Mol (AVI-Start) — de hut van kaas (Gitte Spee)
Het doeboek van Aap & Mol (Gitte Spee)
Naar de bron van de Nijl (AVI E3-E5) — samenleesboek
Superjuffie op safari (7+) — Janneke Schotveld
Superjuffie in de jungle (7+) — Janneke Schotveld
Zookids — Actie voor de apen (AVI-E5)
De reuzenkrokodil (6+) — Roald Dahl
🔍 Facts & discoveryages 6–12
Het dikke boek van alle bijzondere dieren (7+) — Ben Hoare
Wat niet in de safarigids van je ouders staat (9+)
Het grote reptielenboek (7+) — Sterrin Smalbrugge
De grote junior dierenencyclopedie (8+)
Het allermooiste boek over wilde dieren (8+)
🌟 Wild van Freek Vonkages 8–12
Freeks wilde avonturen (8+) — deel 1
Op expeditie met Freek Vonk (9+) — Nat Geo Junior
Freek Vonk & Kamili (3+) — geluidsboek
Freek Vonk — vriendenboekje
Even more fun ideas!
A few more cheerful jungle and safari finds that are just a little different — from a melamine cup and a finger puppet to golden animal charms, jungle vests and a jungle birthday calendar.
Rice — melamine beker jungle
Zaklampboek — speuren in de jungle
Sleutelhanger — giraf (klein cadeautje)
Panduro — gouden bedeltjes (olifant, toekan…)
HEMA — vingerpoppetje giraf
&INK — verjaardagskalender jungle
More from the jungle & savannah
For elephants, big wild cats such as lions and tigers, and the very youngest jungle fans we’ve written separate blogs, packed with great gift ideas.
Which gift suits which age?
A handy guide — above all, choose by interest.
Babies & little ones (0–2)
The very youngest jungle fans have their own blog: comforters, natural rubber teethers, music boxes, a personalised name garland and sweet baby books.
To the jungle baby gifts →Toddlers (2–4)
Reading aloud from “Kleine aap” or Aap & Mol, playing with wooden animals or a set of jungle animals, a first (sound) puzzle and plenty of colouring. Discovering together comes first.
Young children (4–6)
Now the real playing starts: Schleich Wild Life animals and Playmobil zoo sets, bigger puzzles, LEGO DUPLO, papier-mâché crafts and games like the crocodile game or Rhino Hero.
For the true fan (6–8+)
Building the LEGO Creator safari sets, a challenging jigsaw (1000 pieces), a mosaic or diamond dots set, a BrainBox with animal facts or an exciting search-and-find fact book such as “Jungleavontuur”.
Jungle or savannah? Fun animal facts
Wild animals are full of surprises — fun to discover together with your child.
Jungle or savannah?
The jungle (the dense, green rainforest) is home to monkeys, parrots, snakes and sloths. On the savannah (the wide, grassy plain) you’ll see lions, giraffes, zebras and elephants instead. “Safari” means going on a trip to see those wild animals in real life.
The giraffe
The tallest animal in the world! Its neck alone is about two metres long. And did you know a giraffe has a blue-purple tongue up to 50 cm long — handy for plucking leaves from between thorny branches.
The crocodile
Crocodiles were already around when the dinosaurs were still here — real prehistoric animals. They have the strongest bite of any animal, but the muscles to open their jaws are actually very weak.
The monkey
Monkeys and apes are incredibly clever: gorillas and chimpanzees even use twigs as tools to get at something tasty. And just like us, each one has its own fingerprints.
A gift that helps: protecting wild animals
Many wild animals are under threat — from poaching, and because their habitat, such as the rainforest, keeps shrinking. From the giraffe to the gorilla: they could really use our help.
A lovely idea: combine a jungle or safari gift with a symbolic adoption. At the Wereld Natuur Fonds (the Dutch branch of WWF) you can, for example, “adopt” a gorilla, giraffe or other wild animal — you often get a cuddly toy and an adoption certificate with it, and you support the protection of these animals. A playful way to teach children why we need to take good care of nature.
Spotting wild animals: a real jungle adventure
Nothing beats seeing wild animals in real life. At these zoos and safari parks in the Netherlands — and even on a gigantic film screen — you can see giraffes, lions, monkeys and crocodiles up close.
Safaripark Beekse Bergen· Hilvarenbeek
🌴 A real safari — and stay the night among the animals
Here you go on a real safari past lions, giraffes, zebras and hippos — by bus, by boat or simply in your own car through the park. You can even stay the night, right in the middle of the wild animals. See the website for all the options for tickets and a stay.
Visit Safaripark Beekse Bergen →Burgers’ Zoo· Arnhem
🌴 Walk right through a real tropical rainforest
In the Bush you walk straight into a steamy tropical rainforest, with free-flying birds and monkeys. And in the Safari you’ll feel you’re on the African savannah among the giraffes and zebras — jungle and safari in one day.
Visit Burgers’ Zoo →Apenheul· Apeldoorn
🌴 Here the monkeys roam freely around you
The place for monkey fans: gorillas, bonobos and tiny little monkeys live here in large woods, and the cheeky Barbary macaques even walk freely among the visitors. Keep your bag firmly closed!
Visit Apenheul →Diergaarde Blijdorp· Rotterdam
🌴 From gorillas to giraffes
Rotterdam’s zoo has beautiful enclosures for gorillas, giraffes and many other wild animals. Only up close do you see how big and special they are.
Visit Diergaarde Blijdorp →ARTIS· Amsterdam
🌴 Wild animals in the middle of the city
The oldest zoo in the Netherlands, with giraffes, zebras and monkeys among others — and a beautiful old park to stroll through. Combine it with the insect house or the aquarium.
Visit ARTIS →Omniversum· The Hague
🌴 Nature films on a gigantic dome screen
At the Omniversum you watch beautiful nature films on an enormous dome screen — you’ll feel you’re right among the animals of the jungle or the savannah. Check the programme to see which film is showing now.
Visit Omniversum →Or make it a jungle film night!
Don’t fancy going out? Snuggle up on the sofa with a bowl of popcorn and an animal film. A few tips (check they’re on your streaming service right now):
- 🐒 The Jungle Book (Disney+) — Mowgli grows up among the animals of the jungle; a real classic
- 🦁 The Lion King (Disney+) — the story of lion cub Simba on the savannah
- 🦒 Madagascar (rent/streaming) — four zoo animals end up on an adventure in the wild; funny for the whole family
- 🐘 Tarzan (Disney+) — a jungle adventure with apes, elephants and a leopard
Frequently asked questions
What is a nice jungle or safari gift for a child?+
A gift with wild animals goes down well with almost every child. Think of a soft cuddly toy (giraffe, monkey or crocodile), Schleich Wild Life figures, a wooden animal by Holztiger, a puzzle, a LEGO safari set or a beautiful jungle book. Tip: choose something that suits their age and their favourite animal.
What age are jungle and safari toys for?+
Wild animals appeal to children of almost any age. For the very youngest, cuddly toys, wooden animals and lift-the-flap books are ideal; toddlers and young children love playing with figures, puzzles and Playmobil sets; from about 6, LEGO safari sets, big puzzles, craft sets and fact books come into their own.
What is the difference between jungle and safari?+
The jungle is the dense, green tropical rainforest, with animals such as monkeys, parrots, snakes and sloths. The savannah is the open grassy plain, with lions, giraffes, zebras and elephants. “Going on safari” means travelling to see those wild animals in real life. In this blog you’ll find gifts for both.
What is a nice jungle gift under €10?+
Definitely possible! Think of a Schleich Wild Life animal, a Plus-Plus jungle tube, a papier-mâché crocodile to paint, a kwartet (the Dutch version of happy families) or memory game, a colouring book or a picture book like “Kleine aap”. Plenty of lovely little gifts for a small budget.
Where can you see jungle and safari animals in the Netherlands?+
Among others at Burgers’ Zoo (Arnhem, with a real tropical rainforest and a safari), Apenheul (Apeldoorn, especially for monkeys), Safaripark Beekse Bergen (Hilvarenbeek, where you go on a real safari), Diergaarde Blijdorp (Rotterdam) and ARTIS (Amsterdam).
More gift inspiration?
Love animals? Also see our blogs about elephants, big wild cats, horses & ponies, sharks and dinosaurs, or our gift ideas by age.
Looking for more? See our complete gift ideas for boys aged 4, girls aged 4, boys aged 5–6, girls aged 5–6 and all children aged 7–8.