Is South Africa a Good Honeymoon Destination?

When Brian and I told people we were planning a trip to South Africa for our honeymoon, some of our friends and family expressed concern about the idea.

Apparently, we looked like the kind of people who could be eaten by a wild animal or catch malaria or whatever else people worry about when you say you’re going to Africa. 

I won’t include the full list of concerns here, as some of them were pretty off-color.

Now that we’ve been, South Africa remains at the top of our list for not only honeymoon destinations but trips overall. This country is ridiculous in the best way.

I’ll get into our favorite reasons why with the hope that you’ll be on board to book your own honeymoon there, too.

Why Honeymoon in South Africa?

South Africa is a standout honeymoon spot. Here’s what you can expect:

• Epic wildlife safaris and unforgettable game drives
• World-class wine regions and gourmet cuisine
• Adventure and luxury options for every couple
• Stunning beaches and dramatic landscapes
• Rich culture, history, and welcoming locals

A South African honeymoon is worth the effort.

You will feel SO far away from the obligations that hound you in your real life and be able to truly let go of the stresses you may have felt around planning that wedding. 

I’m talking about the last-minute relatives who said they wouldn’t come, but came anyway, or vice versa. Or the moment your aunt told you her son would “have the beef” two days before your wedding, after the 40-something failed to RSVP on his own.

All of that will disappear when you’re sipping some pinotage, South Africa’s best wine, on a deck in the middle of the savanna. 

We worked with a travel agent for our South Africa honeymoon planning, but you don’t have to. Whether you’re sticking to a Cape Town city break or doing something more intense involving safari drives, you can plan a South Africa honeymoon on your own.

Note: Most travelers need a tourist visa only if staying longer than 90 days. Otherwise, many nationalities get a 90-day entry automatically.

A South African safari is unlike anything else.

A safari is one of the most romantic things to do in South Africa.

You hear your safari guide’s walkie crackle and start racing to the scene. You know you’re about to see something awesome.

As a true crime fanatic, it’s the closest rush I’ll get to chasing down some baddies outside of the safety of my couch while devouring the latest in that genre’s streaming offerings. 

That something awesome might be lions chowing down on a fresh kill or a sighting of a rare or endangered animal, like a black rhino. It could also be a bird sitting in a tree that the birders in your jeep have been wanting to see for days now.

Birders are intense and will stop at nothing to check birds off lists in their pocket bird books.

There are also times you’ll be thankful to be in the capable hands — or in this case, a vehicle — of a good guide. That elephant may be looking calm one minute, and then all of a sudden it’s stomping. Oh, look, now it’s flapping its ears.

They’re big ears because they’re African elephants in this case.

That’s when your helpful guide reverses out of there and takes you back to the safety of the giraffe herd because you were not going to outrun that shit. 

You have options for your honeymoon safari.

We knew we wanted to target Kruger National Park, the jewel of South Africa’s safari parks, on our honeymoon. You have other options, though, when you’re in South Africa.

Here are a few more:

• Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park: This is the second-largest park in South Africa. If you’re at all interested in adding Botswana to your trip, you can do that with this park in the Kalahari Desert region of both Botswana and South Africa.
• Sabi Sands Game Reserve: This park, also known as Sabi Sand Wildtuin or Sabi Sand Game Reserve, is located very close to Kruger. It’s an option for travelers seeking private game reserves and more luxe accommodations.
• Waterberg Biosphere Reserve: This mountainous region in the Limpopo Province is focused on sustainability. You’ll find several parks within the reserve, including Marakele National Park and the Lapalala Wilderness.
• Addo Elephant National Park: South Africa’s third-largest park is home to, you guessed it, large herds of elephants. It’s also a haven for Cape buffalo and a fragile population of the endangered black rhino.
• Madikwe Game Reserve: Madikwe also borders Botswana, but it’s a park with less traffic than the larger reserves. That isn’t a bad thing. It means you’ll have less competition — and potentially friendlier pricing — on a visit here.

A South African honeymoon is an adrenaline rush.

Apart from a safari, there are all kinds of other activities to get the blood pumping while you’re traveling through South Africa.

How about some cage diving with great white sharks for starters? Just make sure your life insurance paperwork is all in order before you send that fresh spouse down into those murky waters. 

We booked a tour through African Shark Eco-Charters, and everyone on board returned alive.

We didn’t see a ton of activity under the water — I didn’t go, but Brian did, as visibility underneath the surface just wasn’t great that day — but we did see sharks breaching. It was pretty thrilling to hear our captain yell, “PREDATION!” when one hit the surface.

Shark Week’s got nothin’ on this. 

You can also bungee off the Bloukrans in Plettenberg Bay, the world’s highest commercial bridge, or go white water rafting down the Doring River.

You can cage dive with crocodiles at the Cango Ranch in Oudtshoorn in the Western Cape, the world’s first crocodile diving activity.

If you survive that, you can have a nice dinner and drink some yummy wine, because there’s lots of that, too.

South Africa has delicious wine.

If you’re in Cape Town, a day trip or two (or three) to the Cape Winelands will expose you to several varieties of the local pinotage. This is a red-grade variety that is the signature grape of South Africa.

All three towns in the wine region — Stellenbosch, Franschhoek, and Paarl — are worth a visit for your romantic getaway.

The wineries here aren’t just stunning in the landscapes they’ve been carved into, but the wines they’re pouring are next level. As you’re on your honeymoon, you’ll probably want to try the country’s version of Champagne, known as Méthode Cap Classique.

It’s made in the same way as the French method, with a more accessible price tag. Staying on budget is sexy.

READ MORE: You can visit wine regions like Sonoma on a budget, too, if you have the right tips!

One of our favorite stops on our day trip to South African wine country was the Fairview Wine Estate in the Paarl region.

In addition to delicious pours of South African wine, the winery also features the Goat Tower. That should be enough for most of you to book a flight right now. The tower is just what it sounds like, a spiral staircase inhabited by goats.

If you’ve got a golfer with you, he or she may want to check out Ernie Els Wines in Stellenbosch. There are some good golf trinkets there that may be worth a gander for the golf fanatic, but the wine is so-so. Do with that what you will. 

Interested in letting someone else do all the work? Check out these guided tours to the Cape Winelands:

South African food is delicious.

South Africa offers the adventurous eater a diverse mix of food options, but there’s also enough variety that even the picky eaters among you will feel satisfied. If all the curry is too hot for you, a warm plate of minced meat bobotie will make it all better.

Cape Town is an excellent base for some honeymoon eating. We had a fantastic experience at the Pot Luck Club, a tapas restaurant with views of Table Mountain. Their share plates are divided up by flavor profile:

• Salty, e.g. chickpea fries, South African cheeses
• Umami, e.g. fish sliders, venison loin
• Sweet, e.g. calamari in a tamarind sauce, rabbit terrine
  Sour, e.g. ceviche, roasted vegetables in a fermented turnip, and apple dressing
• Sweet ending, e.g. ice cream sandwiches, raspberry curd

I like a sour ending myself, but their house sorbet is divine. 

Reservations, available on their website, are a great idea. They do take a deposit on each reservation that’s refunded if you cancel with notice.

Here are a few more options for delicious meals in Cape Town:

• Mama Africa Restaurant & Bar: Mama Africa is a staple, serving up all kinds of unique proteins (e.g. warthog, kudu, ostrich) and South African specialties. This is where you try your first bobotie, made of minced meat, fruit, spices, and an egg top.
• Baia Seafood Restaurant: Baia is where you fancy things up with fresh seafood. The interior is gorgeous, but the food, seafood with a Portuguese influence, is even more so. Try a heaping plate of prawns or langoustines.

Fun fact: If you stay in a decent safari lodge, your food will be included with your nightly rate. It’s typically family or buffet-style and representative of South African cuisine, which is awesome.

There’s just something about those animal noises.

Let’s say you’re in bed with your honey when you hear a low rumbling in the distance. It crescendos, and you tap your spouse, but they’re still sawing logs. You give them a shake and proclaim the following, right in their ear: “LION!”

If that doesn’t make for some romance, I don’t know what else would.

If you’re going all the way there, one of your honeymoon destinations in South Africa will probably be a safari. If you’re on your honeymoon, you’ll probably want to stay in a lodge that’s close to the action. (I mean action in the wild, not in your cabin/tent/lodge/etc.) 

You may then hear all kinds of critters right outside your door in the middle of the night or at dusk when animals like to wake up for the day.

Fun fact: We confirmed our thought of, “Is that hyenas?” one morning when we walked outside our cabin to find paw prints on our welcome mat. They knew they weren’t welcome there, like a door-to-door solicitor.

If you’re like most people, you don’t often hear that kind of wildlife outside your door. There’s something exciting about that.

You may hear the odd owl or perhaps a catfight in the street, but you’re probably not hearing elephants huffing or wild buffalo munching on leaves for breakfast. It’s amazing.

READ MORE: Love trips that involve communing with the wildlife? You’ll want to visit Glacier National Park while the glaciers are still a thing!

Your honeymoon itinerary is easy to customize.

We knew we wanted to spend some time in Cape Town and Kruger National Park on our trip. Beyond that, we used the expertise of our travel agents and our own research to fill out our South Africa honeymoon itinerary.

We ended up adding some beach days on Mozambique’s Benguerra Island, an Indian Ocean beauty, at the end of our trip. Mauritius is another popular stop if you’re less about game drives and more about perfect beach vacays.

You can certainly find more to do in the country if you so desire. If the weather is warm enough, Cape Town is home to Camps Bay, known for its white-sand beaches with views of the Twelve Apostles mountains.

We’d love to return and spend more time along The Garden Route, a coastal trip that requires at least a few days to travel its length. (The full drive is 300 kilometers, or about 186 miles.)

A honeymoon South Africa-style is yours to create, and the country truly has something for everyone.

Sample South Africa Honeymoon Itineraries

Adventure & Safari (10 Days)

• Days 1-3: Cape Town — Table Mountain, V&A Waterfront, Cape Winelands wine tasting
• Days 4-7: Kruger National Park — safari drives, sunset game viewing, stay in a romantic lodge
• Days 8-10: Mozambique’s Benguerra Island — beach days, snorkeling, relaxing in the sun

Romantic & Relaxed (7 Days)

• Days 1-3: Cape Town — scenic drives along Chapman’s Peak, sunset at Camps Bay, spa day at a luxury hotel
• Days 4-6: Stellenbosch & Franschhoek — wine tastings, vineyard picnics, gourmet dinners
• Day 7: Fly home via Johannesburg, or add a short safari stop at a nearby private reserve

Luxury & Adventure (14 Days)

• Days 1-3: Cape Town — private helicopter tour, Table Mountain sunrise hike, romantic dinner at Signal Hill
• Days 4-7: Sabi Sands Game Reserve — private safari drives, couples’ spa treatments at your lodge
• Days 8-10: Plettenberg Bay — bungee off the Bloukrans Bridge, relax on pristine beaches
• Days 11-14: Mozambique or Mauritius — beachside villa, water sports, and cocktails at sunset

Everyone will treat you like royalty.

This may be true for anywhere you go on your honeymoon, but since I’ve only had the one, I can say I’ve never encountered more kindness than we did in South Africa. 

At every place we stayed, the staff bent over backward to make us feel welcome and to make our trip special.

When we arrived back from our first game drive on safari, the staff drew us a bath and laid rose petals on the bed. I expected some towel swans, but this was next level.

Note: While I’m not talking about Mozambique here, I do have to acknowledge that the staff at our resort there carved romantic scenes into our butter with our dinners every night.

South Africa will welcome you with open arms.

I’d like to think we were treated well not only because we were shelling out some dough for our honeymoon, but because we were visiting a place where the people are kind.

Outside of the realm of the honeymoon, meaning our hotel rooms and our safari lodges, if we had questions, everyone we encountered was happy to answer them.

Everyone we met wanted to make conversation with us and learn about where we came from and how we arrived in South Africa.

I’m getting sentimental.

Basically, South Africans are the best. 

Tips for Planning Your South Africa Honeymoon

Planning a honeymoon in South Africa can feel overwhelming. Here are some practical tips to help you get started:

• Book accommodations early for popular lodges, safari reserves, and Cape Winelands wineries, especially if your honeymoon falls during peak travel season.
• Consider a mix of activities. Combine city exploration, wildlife safaris, and beach days so you get a variety of experiences without feeling rushed.
• Factor in travel time between destinations. South Africa is huge, and flying or driving between regions takes more time than it seems.
• Pack versatile clothing for safari, city, and beach days, keeping layers, neutral colors, and sun protection in mind.
• Plan for transportation in advance, whether that’s rental cars, private transfers, or domestic flights, to avoid last-minute stress.
• Include a few surprise romantic touches. A private sunset drive, wine tasting, or couples’ spa treatment can elevate the honeymoon experience.
• Check local events or festivals during your stay. Participating in one can give you a unique, memorable experience you won’t get anywhere else.
• Set a realistic budget for activities, meals, and accommodations. South Africa offers options from affordable to luxury.
• Keep your itinerary flexible so you can linger longer in places you love or change plans if the weather, wildlife sightings, or your mood dictate.

FAQs About Honeymoons in South Africa

A honeymoon in South Africa meets the highest expectations.

Quite a bit of time has passed since our honeymoon in South Africa. We thought we’d return for our 10th anniversary, but we moved to France instead.

While I’m not going to cry about that incredible turn of events, I do owe South Africa a visit. I’m sure we’ll be back, as it remains at the top of our favorite destinations in the world.

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