Our Top 10 Honeymoon Safari Lodges
Here is a guide to our top 10 Safari Lodges and Camps that we feel offer that extra bit of romance, making them perfect for a honeymoon safari to Africa.
A honeymoon is a once in a lifetime trip. You’re caught up in the excitement of being a newlywed and in starting a new chapter with your life partner, and a vacation together is the perfect way to celebrate that. We love honeymoon safaris because we think there’s nothing quite as wonderful as witnessing the power of the natural world alongside your loved one. That is what makes honeymoons so exciting for us to plan. In this blog post, we’ll share our top 10 safari honeymoon locations across Africa.
SOUTH AFRICA
1. Londolozi Private Granite Suites
Our first selection for best honeymoon locations is Londolozi’s Private Granite Suites in South Africa. This lodge in the Sabi Sands Game Reserve has just 3 rooms, creating an intimate and private environment to enjoy the wonders of a luxury safari with your loved one. Each suite has a private heated swimming pool nestled into the rocks along the sand river, as well as an outdoor bath. There’s almost no reason to leave your room, but should you like to, the sunset river bar or sunken cocktail lounge are sure to enthrall you.
2. Lion Sands Ivory Lodge
Also situated in the Sabi Sands Game Reserve, Lion Sands Ivory Lodge is another of our favorite honeymoon safari locations. Ivory and black colors are used throughout the lodge, something rather unusual on an African safari. There are 9 villas in all, each offering complete privacy away from any other guests. Massive windows invite the outdoors inside, perfect for keeping an eye out for wildlife, while you spend chilly winter evenings soaking up the heat by your own open fireplace. During warmer days, spend time relaxing on your private viewing deck or cooling off in your own plunge pool.
ZIMBABWE
3. Nyamatusi Camp
If you’re seeking luxurious romance in Zimbabwe, look no further than African Bush Camp’s Nyamatusi Camp in Mana Pools. The camp is fully solar-powered and holds 6 romantic suites, each fully equipped for a luxurious safari stay. Soft drapery, a private viewing deck, a plunge pool, and indoor and outdoor showers are on offer in each suite. Mana Pools, on the banks of the Zambezi River, is renowned as one of Africa’s wildest, most remote locations, making it the perfect location for adventurous honeymooners. Spend your days on walking safaris, game drives, canoeing or catch-and-release fishing on the great Zambezi River before retreating back to the comfort of your suite.
BOTSWANA
4. Zarafa Camp
Great Plain’s Zarafa Camp offers 5-star luxury in Botswana’s Selinda Reserve, between the Okavango Delta and the Linyanti waterways. This intimate camp holds just 4 suites, all over 100 square meters (1000 square feet) in size, that come complete with a decadently draped bedroom, lounge and bathroom including a copper claw foot bath. Wander out onto your private deck to relax under the stars or take a dip in your private plunge pool. Everything at this camp revolves around incredible food, excellent wildlife sightings and understated indulgence, and is sure to exceed expectations for a romantic honeymoon safari.
5. Jao Camp
For romantic opulence in the heart of Botswana’s famous Okovango Delta, Jao Camp is the place to be. Located in the private 60 000-hectare Jao Reserve, bordering the renowned Moremi Game Reserve, this lodge offers indulgence and total privacy off the beaten track. There are 7 rooms in total, 5 double suites and 2 villas. Each one has been meticulously handcrafted to create a space that is both beautiful to look at and comfortable to stay in. There’s plenty of activities to keep you occupied during the day, including going in search of the animals that call Jao Reserve home, mokoro adventures, visiting Jao’s impressive museum and gallery, or enjoying a treatment at what is known as the best spa in the delta.
ZAMBIA
6. Chinzombo
Zambia too holds some truly spectacular honeymoon safari locations. One of our favorites is Time + Tide’s Chinzombo Lodge in one of the most game rich areas of the South Luangwa National Park. The lodge features 6 airy suites, nestled into the Albida trees overlooking the river, that come complete with a private deck, plunge pool and free-standing bath. They exude a sense of simple yet elegant luxury. Enjoy day and night game drives, guided walks and boating safaris in season. Back at the lodge, relive the day in the open-air library and enjoy a meal under the stars, made out of the freshest ingredients produced in the area.
7. Royal Chundu
Perched on a remote island in the mighty Zambezi River, Royal Chundu’s Island Lodge is the type of place you dream about. Private and exclusive, the luxury lodge only has 4 villas, each with a deck overlooking the river and a bath outdoors, perfect for unwinding underneath the stars. It’s the ideal romantic getaway and with such comfort in your room, you won’t want to ever leave it! Should you decide to though, river cruises, birding safaris, canoeing, walking tours of the famous Victoria Falls and more, await you.
TANZANIA
8. Mwiba Lodge
Clinging to massive boulders overlooking the Arugusinyai River and beyond, Mwiba Lodge in Tanzania’s Arusha Region is a feast for the senses. The lodge offers luxury in the midst of an untamed land, the perfect secluded location to enjoy a Tanzanian safari with your loved one. Guests can enjoy unparalleled views, a private deck, outdoor shower and big bath perfect for soaking in their suite, as well as an infinity pool, spa, gym and wine cellar in the camp’s main lodge. We love the activities on offer here as well, including helicopter safaris, fly-camp experiences, incredible cultural tours and so much more. For the adventurous couple that doesn’t want to miss out on comfort, Mwiba Lodge is the perfect honeymoon location.
9. Singita Sabora
If you wish to combine your honeymoon with a migration safari or a Serengeti adventure, Singita Sabora is the place to do just that. We love this 9-tent camp because it offers a truly authentic Tanzanian safari, while still providing guests with a luxurious base in true Singita style. After a day doing game drives, walking safaris, cultural visits, Singita’s incredible hot air balloon safari or swimming at the camp’s pool, you and your partner can retreat to the comfort of your tent. Here you’ll find ample space to relax and unwind, including a pantry and dining area, spacious bedroom and bathroom, as well as a large deck with unrivalled views over the watering holes, where you’re sure to see some of the Grumeti region’s wildlife up close.
KENYA
10. Mara Plains
Last, but certainly not least on our list of the 10 best honeymoon safari locations is Great Plain’s Mara Plains in Kenya. This classically beautiful camp is exactly what you picture when you think of the classic East African safari. Canopied ceilings, wooden floors and deep colours with brass accents make you feel like you’ve stepped back in time. Enjoy total privacy on your own veranda or wash off the excitement of the day in the deep copper bath. There’s sure to be plenty of it as the Olare Motorogi Conservancy in which Mara Plains is located, is known for having the lowest vehicle density in the Maasai Mara, as well as the highest big cat concentration in all of Africa!
Everyone wants their honeymoon to be a trip they’ll always remember and for good reasons! There are a lot of magnificent places to visit on this earth, but a safari honeymoon at any of these locations is sure to be memorable and exciting. It will be a vacation spent with your life partner in some of the most incredible locations in Africa, up close and personal with mother nature herself, with your loved one right beside you.
If you’re planning a honeymoon and like what you see, get in touch and we’ll help you create the trip of a lifetime!
