What makes safari and beach honeymoons so special? Few things solder themselves into shared memory quite like seeing an elephant or lion in the wild for the first time, or experiencing that shiver of humility as an intense, trembling sun sets the bush ablaze in reds and canary-yellow.
Before even embarking on a morning drive, the sheer romance of it all spins couples back to the golden age of travel – nights under canvas, in the dim glow of lanterns; the post-shower clink of ice in a gin and tonic, pouring over a backgammon board amid the hot, dry grass to the distant grunt of hippos. It’s Streep and Redford reverie, shirts billowing in the hot wind, planes lost in the vast, evocative landscape like teeny tiny flies, khaki shorts pulled up excessively high. While there’s always plenty of downtime on these epic safaris – wallowing in a lagoon-style pool, or tucking into a book on a verandah-strung hammock – it can be high-energy, high-adrenaline and early wake-ups.
Pairing it with beachtime is, in Turquoise’s expert opinion, the ultimate formula for a hopelessly romantic, well-balanced honeymoon. As an unrivalled authority on luxury honeymoons, Turquoise has curated hundreds of life-shifting safari and beach honeymoons for couples, solely to places they’ve personally tried-and-tested and with those insider tips that ensure a smooth, thrill-a-minute honeymoon.
They’re there for couples at every step, from the bespoke process of curating the trip to the fuss-free transfer details, even a tailormade gift list can be crafted by these honeymoon aficionados – with gift cards cleverly linked to various stages of the itinerary. And as luxury travel experts go, they’re surprisingly approachable, in the way only a family-run company can be. From South Africa and Mauritius to Kenya and Zanzibar, here are Turquoise’s best safari and beach honeymoons for 2024.
Lelapa Safari Lodge, South Africa and LUX* Le Morne, Mauritius
Located in South Africa’s oft-overlooked north west, on the striking edges of the Kalahari Desert, Madikwe Private Game Reserve is big five territory, spanning almost 200,000 acres of bush. Lelapa Safari Lodge sits atop a raised clearing – the perfect vantage point for spotting wildlife flocking to the watering hole below (particularly from the restaurant). As one of three lodges in this malaria-free reserve, Lelapa treats honeymooners to intensely private suites that feel all burnished wood, brooding in the lanterns’ glow and enveloped in wilderness. Only 12 of these are suspended above the bush, for those spine-tingling moments where wildlife eases beneath your suite during a cool outdoor shower, or the sunset (a spiritual affair in these stretches) sends the vast Madikwe Plain through endless shades of pink, orange and red.
It’s hard not to be bowled over by the expert trackers here, who appear acutely tuned-in to big game, showing the utmost respect for these magnificent creatures and sharing their wisdom and infectious passion with couples. From hearing the gravelly, menacing roar of lions on night drives to tuning into the rustle of springbok or grunt of warthogs on guided walks, safaris here prick the senses and immerse couples in the spectacular wilderness they find themselves in – just with their own plunge pool and meringue-crisp sheets welcoming them back at base. Exquisite food is woven into the safari formula, and couples will enjoy sharing tales from the bush with other guests over boma – a barbecued feast, grilled and devoured under a surreal vast sky of stars. Breakfasts are taken seriously at Lelapa, with Lion King-worthy shots of the watering hole ahead, and staff offer a little Amarula top up for safari shakes (South African cream liqueur).
Once you’re khaki’d out and full to the brim with intrepid bush anecdotes (and boma), a car will whisk you back to Johannesburg airport where you’ll jet to lush, voluptuous Mauritius. Here, honeymooners can drop their bags at LUX* Le Morne Resort, and forget the early morning wake up calls, or really anything as the turquoise dappled shallows and bone-white sand sends them into a castaway trance. Occupying its own ethereally pretty peninsula at the foot of its namesake mountain, where a rush of tropical green meets the sea, LUX* Le Morne offers up divine, exotic views from every angle.
It’s all about superlative, tailor-made experiences here (tastefully done, of course), but real honeymoon catnip: Cinema Paradisco in a treehouse overlooking the beach, romantic dinners unfolded along empty spots of beach, or even on Le Morne’s slopes, an afternoon kite surfing with Vik who can whip up some traditional Mauritian food from his namesake shack on their return. An easy-to-navigate layout oils the ‘drifting’ mode that honeymooners like to activate after some high-energy safari… as does the treatment list in the LUX* Me Spa, where therapists lather on the group’s own organic products for couples’ massages. Fresh, modern suites with Balinese-style exteriors trap the Mauritian light, their windows glowing like fireflies as couples meander back through the tropical gardens or along the beach after supper. With five restaurants to hop between, sinfully delicious homemade ice cream to devour (curiously fat-free) and three lagoon-like pools to stretch out safari legs in, there’s no room for cabin fever, only perhaps a pang of woe on the final night.
Fact file
Visit between: May and October
Travel time: 11 hour direct flight to Johannesburg then either a 4 hour drive or a 1 hour scenic flight to the lodge. To Mauritius it is a transfer back to Johannesburg and a 3 hour 50 minute flight
Enjoy 4 nights at Madikwe Lelapa Safari Lodge in a suite, on an all-inclusive basis, then 7 nights at LUX* Le Morne in a Sunset Junior Suite, on a bed and breakfast basis, including all transfers and international flights
Marataba Mountain Lodge, South Africa and The Oberoi, Mauritius
Classifying this lodge as glamping does it little justice. Marataba Mountain Lodge in the foothills of Waterberg Mountains is more of an architectural marvel, cleverly stitched into the showstopping Marakele National Park landscape. Crafted from wood that mirrors the hues of the surrounding bush, and with bricks that blend in with the reddish Waterberg Mountains, the entire lodge appears to have grown as organically from the bush as the Marula or Mopane trees. Honeymooners have their very own slice of the malaria-free park, and the utmost privacy in elevated canvas suites – all spilling onto teak balconies, with only a driftwood fence between them and the wild below, and with a fire pit keeping toes warm during those big, blazing African sunsets.
The conservancy here is privately managed and the lodge 4th generation-owned, which guarantees a deeply personal safari, one that dodges the Disney style drives. What’s more, the adult-only hotel keeps things grown-up and sophisticated at supper and, right when you need hushed tones, at breakfast with zebra edging past or warthogs snuffling their way through the cooler early hours. Drives here are spectacular, with a high chance of spotting the Big Five during dry season along the watering holes, and with charismatic guides imparting their knowledge and effortlessly allowing their enthusiasm to rub off as various animals and birds spontaneously move into view. Romantic bush picnics or dinners under the stars are laid out in particularly scenic spots for honeymooners (with guides able to cater to special requests) and, when the time’s right, couples can mingle with other guests around the firepit, or after a day’s safari with sundowners in dramatic, hillside spots throughout the park. As well as a refreshing all-included approach to meals and extra snacks, Marataba Mountain Lodge likes to surprise its guests towards the end of their stay with a water safari – an impossibly romantic jaunt, drifting past wallowing hippos and various birdlife, with tea and hot chocolate, against the vast, theatrical backdrop of the Waterberg Mountains.
A four-hour transfer will take the stunned and satisfyingly humbled honeymooners back to Johannesburg for a Mauritius-bound flight. All those safari thrills and adrenaline-filled drives can fuel poolside conversation at The Oberoi – whose endless white stretches of beach and tropical gardens serve up a more leisurely, supine daily itinerary. Having been immersed in the scrubby, reddish African bush, the sheer contrast and intensity of Mauritius’ green, white and turquoise is the first thing to hit. The Oberoi’s setting is a privileged one, overlooking Turtle Bay, with 20-tropical acres that roll on to meet a powder-soft beach. There’s a Far Eastern theme, with Buddhist statues and thatched, eco-forward suites and pavilions scattering the grounds. Turrets crowning a large, glassy pool shoot flames from their tops and it all feels a little temple-like with statues dipped into the water and weathered pillars separating the pool area from the parasol-studded beach.
Couples can lean into the hotel’s tropical country club rhythms – an early game of tennis before breakfast; spotting turtles and exotic fish in the bay together with snorkels; an afternoon cocooned in the Oberoi’s impressive, Eastern-inspired spa. Couples may struggle to hoick themselves out of the spacious pavilion or walled villa suites’ four poster beds for the locavore restaurants, but with moreish dishes such as foie gras cured in rum and sugarcane, and grey snapper curry, it’s more than worth it.
Fact file
Visit: between May and October
Travel time: Fly direct to Johannesburg for 11 hours then either a 4 hour drive or a 1 hour scenic flight to the lodge. To Mauritius it is a transfer back to Johannesburg and a 3-hour 50-minute flight to Mauritius
Offer: Enjoy 11 nights, on an all-inclusive basis, in an eco-suite at Marataba Mountain lodge, followed by bed and breakfast, in a Luxury Pavilion at The Oberoi, from £5,259 per person, including all flights and transfers
Ol Seki Hemingways Mara Camp, Kenya and Zuri, Zanzibar
Elevated high on a ridge in the green, scrubby heart of the Masai Mara, Ol Seki is one of Kenya’s most upmarket camps, consisting of a handful of striking, high-domed Nina tents, draped in fine linens and with panoramic views to watch dawn quiver and crack in its rich, yolky tones across the plains. The camp lies in the Masai Mara’s community-owned Naboisho Conservancy, with a limited number of game vehicles ensuring a more exclusive feel than other parks. A fresh spin on an Out of Africa theme pervades – one that feels quite the antithesis of the jarring contemporary design house overhauls of some camp. Here, it’s still dark, Victorian explorer-era furniture, Persian rugs and excessive white linen: all romantic notions of Africa linger, even oil lamps and brassy telescopes. There’s also the sense that spontaneity is genuine, uncontrived – with exceptionally warm and knowledgeable guides (all sourced from the Koiyak Guiding School) leading couples out on twice daily game drives, night drives off-road drives deep into the bush, and thrilling walking safaris, where senses are heightened and primal instincts kick in.
When not tracking down lion prides following a bush breakfast, or pelting across the tree-scattered landscape on horseback (highly recommended for honeymooners), couples can visit the Maasai villages or simply soak in the endless, dappled plains from their elevated terraces, spotting bushbuck, hyena or impala from their vantage point. The food here (particularly the banana pancakes at breakfast) is legendary, as is the camp manager whose charisma rubs off on all guests and accounts for many loyal returnees. When couples return from sundowners or private dinners in the bush, in achingly romantic settings, they’ll edge towards a magical scene of the Nina tents’ cream canvas caught in the lanterns’ nostalgic amber-hued glow. Downtime here can be spent in the pool, elevated like a theatre balcony over the wildlife drama below, or sharing a nightcap around the fire with fellow guests, exchanging hair-raising moments from the day’s drive – the first sighting of a cheetah, hippo or even a kill. Honeymooners can look forward to special treats, and even (at certain points of the year) complimentary nights for the bride.
The beachy part of this African epic is a short (and gloriously scenic) 2-hour flight away from Nairobi airport. Zuri occupies the best beach in the north west of the island – one that’s not affected by the tides and stretches on, all ash-blonde and powdery, from dense tropical green to meet an intensely blue, warm lagoon. Thatched, eco-friendly bungalows, suites and villas are peppered amid the palm-heavy tropical gardens, where couples can tip off the edge of the earth and gaze out across the Indian Ocean, the dhows on the horizon all inky at dusk.
Rooms are all fiercely private – the resort took a restrained approach to room count to guarantee this – and are fitted with outdoor showers and large terraces (where honeymooners can exist in their own little castaway world). Complimentary sundowners along the beach typically lure them out, along with discounted couples massages and divine dishes spanning European, African and Indian cuisine – all incorporating the fishermen’s spanking fresh bounty. Couples unable to shake off the safari-awe can head out into the Indian Ocean for reefs teeming with colourful seahorses, nudibranch and leaf fish, or gorge on the watersports menu. But the agenda here is an unequivocally chilled one, with yoga sessions after breakfast, private relaxation pods scattered within the Spice Garden, and curling up with your soulmate, nutmeg and cloves hanging in the warm air, birds chattering in the trees above, the Indian Ocean’s great mass of blue winking ahead.
Fact File
Visit: between June and October
Travel time: 8 hour 40 minute flight to Nairobi, 9:30pm land 1 night stopover, and then a scenic scheduled light aircraft flight from Nairobi to Ol Seki’s airstrip. Light aircraft back to Nairobi and 2 hour connecting flight to Zanzibar
Offer: Enjoy a 12 night Kenya Zanzibar safari beach honeymoon combining 1 night at Hemingways Nairobi on a bed & breakfast basis in a Deluxe Suite, followed by 4 nights at Ol Seki Hemingways Mara Camp on an all inclusive basis in a Nina Tent and 7 nights at Zuri Zanzibar on a half board basis in a Bungalow from £6,625 per person, including all flights and transfers. Based on travel in February 2024.
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