How We Chose South Africa and Mauritius as our Honeymoon Destination
Traveling is really important to Chris and I, so choosing our honeymoon destination was as big a decision for us as choosing our wedding venue. We have been to a lot of amazing places and we wanted to make sure our honeymoon stood out and was really a once in a lifetime trip. South Africa and Mauritius didn’t disappoint.
Considering a honeymoon in South Africa and Mauritius? Pint it for later!
Some major bucket list items of ours that were top contenders for the honeymoon were Australia and New Zealand (snorkeling in the Great Barrier Reef, of course), an African Safari, Thailand, and Chile. We often go on adventurous trips with a lot of nature and hiking, but for our honeymoon, we wanted to be sure to include at least some luxury and relaxation as well. Our wedding was planned for June and we didn’t want any off season weather. This ruled out a lot of our options as most of them were in the southern hemisphere. Although you can really go to Thailand any time of year, June is part of their wet season. And although June is winter in South Africa, it’s also the dry season at Kruger National Park and apparently one of the best times of year for game viewing. South Africa had the safari, but Thailand had the beaches. Once I realized that the islands of the Indian Ocean were not that far from Africa, my mind was made up.
In an effort to take the stress out of planning a wedding AND an epic honeymoon, we decided to book with an agent. We went with Yellow Zebra Safaris and they ended up getting us a price that we couldn’t have beat if we tried to book on our own. They were very accommodating when helping us create our itinerary, and they really made the trip stress-free so we could focus on enjoying ourselves! If coming from the US, the exchange rate is also in your favor, making prices once you’re there more than reasonable, so you don’t have to feel bad about splurging to enjoy some ostrich fillet!
Itinerary Overview:
Stop 1: African Safari (days 1-4) Sabi Sand Game Reserve – Notten’s Bush Camp
For the safari, we decided to go to the Sabi Sand Game Reserve, which borders Kruger National Park’s unfenced boundary. It is supposed to be one of the best places in the world to view the Big 5 (elephant, lion, leopard, Cape buffalo, rhino). We stayed at Notten’s Bush Camp, an affordable, family-owned and operated safari lodge. Notten’s was small (with only 8 guest rooms), rustic, simple, friendly, and laid-back. They didn’t have electricity in the rooms, so the entire lodge was lit by candlelight at night, which made for a really great atmosphere. The experience, food, and service were even better that I could have possibly imagined, and I was almost in tears when we had to leave.
Each day, we went on two game drives, in the early morning and evening. In between, we went on bush walks, had spa treatments, and spent time lounging by the pool. By our third drive, we had already seen all of the Big 5. A safari really is the perfect combination of luxury and adventure, making it an unforgettable honeymoon experience.
Getting ready for your first safari? Check out this post on how to pack for a safari.
Insider Tip: There are no bathrooms in the bush. Avoid drinking lots of water and coffee right before you are about to go out on a 3 hour game drive! If you do have to relieve yourself while on a game drive, you may want to have someone keep an eye out for hyenas, leopards and lions.
Stop 2: Cape Town (days 5-8) Cape Cadogan Boutique Hotel
You can’t go to South Africa without visiting Cape Town! We stayed at the Cape Cadogan Boutique Hotel, which was in a great location, right off of Kloof Street near a lot of bars and restaurants. It was far enough away from all the major tourist attractions to get away from the congestion, but close enough that it’s all still easy to get to.
There’s so much to do in Cape Town and we wanted to get a little taste of everything in our short time we had there. We spent some time walking around and eating at the V&A Waterfront, which reminded me a lot of Fisherman’s Wharf in San Francisco. We spent a day driving around the peninsula, stopping at Camps Bay, Hout Bay, Cape of Good Hope, Cape Point, Simon’s Town and Boulder Beach. Along this drive, we saw wild ostriches, penguins, and even came close to being attacked by baboons.
Insider Tip: The huge signs around Cape Point warning you that the baboons are dangerous are not just there for your entertainment. Don’t walk around outside eating a sandwich. The baboons will come after you and one of you will go hungry (and it probably won’t be the baboon).
We explored the Cape Winelands for a day and had an amazing lunch with spectacular views at Delaire Graff Estate. I ate my first ostrich fillet, which was better than filet mignon! Our last day in Cape Town, we hired a guide to hike up Table Mountain (of course we needed our dose of adventure). If you enjoy intense rock scrambling, heights, and rugged terrain, request the Blind Gully route. There was enough adventure in this one hike for our entire two-week trip. After getting chased by a baboon and scrambling up a cliff, we were ready to relax.
Need more tips for traveling to Cape Town? Check out my post with more detail on how we spent our 3 days in Cape Town.
Stop 3: Mauritius (day 9-12) Constance Belle Mare Plage
When choosing our beach destination, prices started to become a little overwhelming. We definitely wanted to go luxurious here as this was where we planned on doing nothing but relaxing! But we also didn’t want to empty our bank account to do that. Belle Mare Plage in Mauritius was a good compromise. It was no bungalow over the water and we didn’t have our own private infinity pool, but we were in a beach front suite in a beautiful resort and the service was great. Water sports were included, so we snorkeled and water skied, which was a first for me. And because we’re not very good at just relaxing, we decided to pay extra to take a scuba diving lesson.
Insider Tip: In scuba diving, thumbs up does not mean ‘I’m good.’ It means, ‘I need to get up to the surface now.’ Avoid freaking out your diving buddies by using the correct hand signals underwater.
Trip Highlights:
- Safari
- Hiking up Table Mountain
- Cape Winelands
- Scuba Diving in Mauritius
Bottom line: I can’t stress enough how much I would recommend South Africa as a honeymoon destination. There is something for everyone and there are ways to make it affordable. Sure, the flights are really long, but nothing worth experiencing comes easy. And I promise, it will be so worth it.
To see more of our pictures from South Africa and Mauritius, click here.
Liked this article? Pin it!