With its range of experiences, South Africa is honeymoon heaven. Whether you fancy wine-tasting, watersports, beaches, safari drives, the Garden Route or Cape Town, a romantic trip of a lifetime is eminently possible.
One classic location is the rolling Cape Winelands, where some of the continent’s finest food and wine accompany hip boutiques and elegant chateaux. Newlyweds can stay on luxurious vineyard estates with glorious valley vistas, eating in chichi towns like Franschhoek and browsing craft studios and galleries. Cape Town’s under an hour’s drive away should you need a city fix, too.
Or there are gobsmacking, paraffin-lit game lodges in or just outside Kruger National Park: places with spas, two-person bathtubs, plunge pools beside which wander the Big Five, secluded private-dining locations, sparkling wine and beckoning four-poster beds shrouded in wispy netting.
Perhaps you could hole up near to a pristine sandy beach along the Garden Route, with the opportunity to play golf, join a whale-watching cruise, stroll trendy towns or hike into the Tsitsikamma Mountains whenever you desire. That said, if you prefer to remain mostly horizontal then that’s wholly possible.
Up in the Drakensberg Mountains, comfy lodges light roaring log fires in the evening, and the views are to die for. Couples can also cruise along the Sterkfontein Dam in a bijou boat, embark on a private guided hike and go horse-riding before scenic sundowners.
We know some of South Africa’s most romantic hotels, and the bedrooms within them which positively scream ‘amour’. Among our favourites are Lions Sands’ and its wonderful Treehouses, Sea Five in Cape Town and Tsala Treetop Lodge in Plettenberg Bay.
Special experiences will also be included for honeymooners. How does dinner above a animal-rich waterhole sound? A meal under Table Mountain is another possibility, with the Atlantic glittering in the near-distance?
When to go? South Africa suits honeymoons year-round, but honeymooners are advised travel between November and March for guaranteed sunshine. See our Climate page for individual weather advice per region.
If nuptials need consummating, there’s a reason that so many newlyweds choose South Africa as the venue for their inaugural holiday as a married couple. Tell us your wishes, and we’ll suggest how you can spend your first week (or two) of wedlock together.
