Safari Honeymoons

A truly unique destination; Africa is simply like nowhere else on earth. With big game roaming freely throughout the wilderness, you will find the most romantic of lodges and camps hidden away. Romantic, intimate and personal, an African safari really can deliver an experience of a lifetime... the only downside is that it can also become rather an addictive hobby! Choosing where to go on your honeymoon can be a very difficult decision – a few factors play important roles in making your decision easier:

Do you want to travel to the beach during your honeymoon?

East Africa has long been the destination of choice for safari and beach honeymoon combinations – primarily due to the sheer quality of safari in the area, and the fact that some of Africa’s best safari parks are within easy reach of the Zanzibar archipelago or Kenya’s beaches. The Seychelles are also not far away and are an option for people with higher budgets. South Africa is also an option, with the beach destinations of Mozambique and Mauritius within fairly easy reach. However, Botswana and Zambia are landlocked countries, and consequently travelling to the beach is both time-consuming and expensive – Botswana especially.

What kind of safari do you want – luxury or adventure?

Some of the countries in which we work, and some of the specific parks inside various countries, specialise in adventurous honeymoon safaris. Zambia is a great example of this – a country where the safari experience is the focus (no pools or spas etc), as opposed to the luxury on offer at other destinations such as South Africa. We encourage you to speak to us in person about this, as everywhere has subtle differences. However, as a general rule, we would recommend northern Tanzania, Namibia, Botswana and South Africa for truly luxurious honeymoon safaris where a high degree of comfort is required. For those of you with more adventurous spirits, we would suggest looking at southern and western Tanzania, Zambia and also Botswana.

Duration of safari?

The majority of our travellers have chosen Africa for their honeymoons for its safaris, so they tend to spend at least half of their holiday (i.e. a week or over) on safari. The majority of the countries in which we work, are perfect for this length of safari. However, we are also asked where is the best place to go for a short safari as part of a longer honeymoon. Our answer has always been Tanzania’s southern parks – specifically Selous or Ruaha – but also South Africa.

Authenticity of safari experience?

A controversial topic! The general rule on this subject when choosing a honeymoon is that the more luxurious your lodge is, the less authentic the safari experience. Clearly that is not a rule that can be applied to everywhere – there are luxury camps in the wildest destinations nowadays! However, if clients are looking for a truly authentic experience, we would recommend Botswana, Zambia as well as Tanzania.

Budget?

Budget is very important when choosing the right destination for a honeymoon. Although you can travel to any of the countries we work with on any budget, we are firm believers that if you have a set budget, some places are better to spend your money on than others! Obviously there are a number of factors involved in this – the style of African safari you want, for example. But as a whole, Botswana is the most expensive safari market, followed by Tanzania and then Zambia, South Africa and Kenya, albeit with incredibly expensive areas and specific top luxury camps, offer more economical safaris due to their more mass-market approach to tourism.