Honeymoon safaris

So many lodges and camps in wilderness areas are romantic in their way, being beautifully located and elegantly designed (whether simple or luxurious).

Almost all properties have one or two rooms that they refer to as honeymoon suites. These are typically the last room at either end of the camp, to provide privacy. They can feel surprisingly remote when a herd of elephants or a pride of lions comes through in the middle of the night!

The rooms in most camps are large and comfortable. Some of the high-end properties have lavish rooms, which could definitely be described as romantic, but they also tend to be extremely expensive.

If you were hoping for a private plunge pool on your veranda and such architectural embellishments, then you need to tread carefully. Whilst these might be signs of a high quality property in other locations, out in the bush they are often indicators of a lower quality mainstream safari experience.

To choose specific lodges for your honeymoon, have a chat with one of our Safari Experts, let them know what you have in mind and let them show you the best options. Click on the Get in touch button to initiate that process.

just a thin layer of canvas between you and the animals

How much effort lodges put into creating special experiences for honeymooners varies enormously from place to place.

Generally speaking, it is the higher quality properties on private concession areas that deliver their safari experiences with the most elegance, including those with a honeymoon focus.

Most of the properties that offer communal dining as their default setting (which is a major positive in many instances), will also go out of their way to offer private dining, either at a separate table in the dining room, or at a number of different locations around the lodge.

For honeymooners, most managers of quality lodges will try to deliver a special private dining experience at some point during your stay. Please do ask them about the options when you arrive. Conversely, don’t feel bad about telling them if you are not interested in that, it’s not compulsory!

The one private dining experience that we would really recommend is a bush breakfast or bush lunch, set in a scenic location away from the lodge. Actually, this doesn’t have to be just the two of you, it can be great in company too.

a lazy romantic lunch out in the bush

Almost all lodges in most countries deliver their safari activities as shared experiences with other guests. If you are on honeymoon, you might like to get out on your own (with a guide) every now and then.

If you are travelling through an area with a private vehicle and guide (for example, in the Serengeti, Rajasthan or Salta areas), then the following paragraphs may not be relevant.

Most managers at quality lodges, if they have a spare vehicle/boat and guide available, will try to offer honeymooners a private outing at some point. However, this can be a big ask, especially during high season, so you should consider it a bonus rather than an expectation.

If you want a private safari experience throughout your stay, then it is often possible to book a private vehicle and guide, in which case you will be on your own on every outing (except that you may encounter other vehicles at major sightings. However, this luxury comes at a very significant additional cost. It is usually not possible to book a private vehicle by the day, it has to be done for the duration of your stay.

The best way to get private safari experiences for free is to learn how to work the system a little. If the other guests in camp are planning to head out in the vehicles next morning, then ask the camp manager if you can go out on the boat. If the other guests are less mobile, then ask for a walking safari. It may not be possible, but most camp managers will go out of their way to try to make it happen, at no additional charge.

get out in the bush on your own

Lodges that specifically specialise in honeymoons are almost always worth avoiding, for the cheese.

The most important aspect here is the mix of other guests at each lodge.

Spending time with other people is one of the greatest joys of being on safari. We strongly recommend that you don’t cut yourselves off too much.

However, we do recommend that you check the guest age profile of the lodges you choose. Most camps cater for a decent range of ages, but some specialise catering for older guests. We have been in camps where a single honeymoon couple is sat around a lunch table with a dozen octogenarians. Actually, it’s always fun, but perhaps not ideal.

The age profile of most camps also varies seasonally, with families coming in during school vacations and retired folks hitting the low seasons in between.

Our best tip if you are looking for a more mixed group of guests is to look for camps that offer more serious safari activities, notably including walking safari.

Another option is to head to camps which specifically cater for families with kids. Ironically, some honeymooners specifically choose to avoid camps with kids, thinking they might be a nuisance, but this is rarely the case on safari. Kids bring an energy, enthusiasm and sense of wonder to the safari experience.

surprisingly, camps with kids can be a good idea

The centrepiece of your honeymoon will most likely be 3-14 nights on safari out in the wilderness.

You may well want to combine that safari portion with time in other complementary areas. You may do this to add variety of experience into the trip, or to save money (since the safari nights are usually the most expensive). Or both.

Many safari areas are within reach of high quality beach areas, quite often in the tropics, which opens up possibilities for diving and other watersports, possibly even some relaxation. Bush and beach is such a classic honeymoon combination.

Almost all safari areas can be combined with rural areas and urban locations, which can provide opportunities for a vast range of activities and cultural experiences.

We love to build longer trips with loads of diversity of experience. It’s so great to expose yourselves to a wide range of experiences, so long as it doesn’t get too fast-paced and hectic.

Having said that, we also love the purity of a safari-only trip, a more detailed focus and less moving around. In fact, that could be our ultimate favourite type of trip.

bush and beach is a honeymoon classic