Top Five Honeymoon Safari Destinations In Africa
An African honeymoon safari is the perfect way to celebrate your
marriage.
The pampering that you get on a honeymoon safari is second to
none and the surroundings are as beautiful as you will get
anywhere in the world. All you have to do is turn up and your
safari company caters to your every whim while you enjoy
excellent cuisine and the incomparable African wildlife.
So it's not in doubt that a safari is an awesome honeymoon
experience but Africa is a big place so it does beg the question
where the best honeymoon safari destinations are.
I speak from experience because I went on a honeymoon safari
myself in the Okavango Delta in Botswana and the Victoria Falls
in Zimbabwe and in the first hand accounts of previous
travellers in the trip reports at African safari journals these
are the top five honeymoon safari destinations in Africa...
1. Serengeti and Pemba Island - Tanzania
By combining a safari and beach honeymoon you are getting the
absolute best of both worlds and for this not much beats the
Serengeti and Pemba Island close to Zanzibar.
The Serengeti rightly ranks as one of the best national parks in
Africa and will give you a wonderful safari experience. You can
for example stay at the Ngorongoro crater lodge which is built
on stilts right on the lip of the fantastic crater which affords
you some awesome views and from there you can make forays onto
the Serengeti plains themselves too.
Then, once you have covered most of the Serengeti move on to the
secluded island paradise of Pemba and stay at one of the handful
of luxury resorts there like the Funda Lagoon beach resort. The
big advantage of Pemba island is that it is far less
commercialized than Zanzibar and offers you a true island
hideaway experience complete with azure blue, crystal clear
seas, white sands and palm trees. Magical.
2. Kruger National Park and Cape Town - South Africa
Another safari and beach combination honeymoon but with much
more variety. Cape Town offers far more than just stunning
beaches.
Visit the winelands in the area, take a trip up Table mountain,
watch whales at Hermanus, sip champagne at the Victoria and
Alfred waterfront and that's just for starters. There is more to
do and see than you will be able to get around to.
The Kruger National Park provides an amazing safari experience
also with a wider variety of wildlife than any other reserve in
Africa. Stay at the recently refurbished Lower Sabie camp in one
of the luxury tents situated right next to the Lower Sabie
River. I have watched elephants crossing the river sitting on
the veranda with a beer in my hand. Can't get much better than
that.
3. Victoria Falls and South Lungwa Reserve - Zimbabwe and
Zambia
My own honeymoon took me to the place that should rank as one of
the seven wonders of the world. The Victoria Falls lives up to
its reputation and is a natural wonder that must be experienced.
The Victoria Falls hotel provides good views of the deluge of
water as you take tea in the gardens of this charismatic hotel
oozing with colonial magnetism.
To get your dose of safari, mix your falls visit with a trip
across the border into Zambia for a visit to the South Luangwa
National park. This reserve was the birthplace of the walking
safari and is famous for its leopard sighting potential. Stay at
the Tena Tena camp which has been ranked as one of the finest in
Africa.
4. Okavango Delta and Chobe Game Reserve - Botswana
The Okavango Delta is unique in all the world and a stay at
Selinda camp will bring out its full potential for you. See all
the usual wildlife suspects and enjoy gliding along the river in
a canoe called a mokorro while you watch elephant and antelope
along the banks of the swamp.
Chobe National Park provides more opportunities to spot your
favourite wildlife especially elephant and buffalo. Take a
sunset cruise on the Chobe river and dine watching hippo and
elephant only a few feet away from the boat.
5. Timbavati and Sabi Sabi Nature Reserves - South Africa
The camps in the Timbavati and Sabi Sands nature reserves which
lie adjacent to the Kruger National Park in South Africa have
raised the bar on luxury worldwide. The Singita Boulders Lodge
in Timbavati is the first and only accommodation in the history
of Conde Nast Gold List Reader Poll to get a perfect 100 score,
an honour it has held for three years. It doesn't get better
than this in terms of luxury.
And on the wildlife front you are virtually guaranteed of seeing
the "big five" animals because these are private reserves and
the vehicles are allowed to go off-road to track the big game.