If you grew up with animals, and watching Nat Geo, and can’t forget about elephants, rhinos, zebras, giraffes and all the other exotic animals A Destination wedding ceremony in Africa or a safari honeymoon can fulfill your dream!
In reality, deciding the best African destination to hold your ceremony or the honeymoon can be a challenging task in itself. There are many well-known and popular destinations with a myriad of tours and guides, as well as all sorts of information to be study. In the spirit of social and environmental concern first, I’ve done some study for you, and then shared the stories of my own three weeks of safari hoping that it will help you in making the right choice!
1. Africa as a wedding location
Africa is a vast continent, and each of the countries has luxury to offer in its unique way. From lodges, hotels, camp sites, and resorts there is something for all. The journey from one place to the next may be costly, however trains will transport you with style from A to B, with a particular focus on the south. The scenery varies from lush green landscapes and rivers, to dense forest with game roaming through the land. The exploration of the possibilities is part of the excitement. The typical wedding reception in Africa is approximately 30 guests. It’s enough to allow exclusive use of a number of properties that give you the full access of the area for at minimum two nights.
2. Keep a close eye on yourself.
Destination weddings here, as well as safari honeymooners often try to take on too much. The wedding ceremony could take place in a 2-1/2 – three-day time frame. If you’re planning on an entire week for your honeymoon, two locations are more than enough. If you’ve got two weeks after the wedding, you could take the time to go at least five. We spent two weeks traveling and then the third week we spent time in the game lodge and watched the wildlife at the watering holes as we enjoyed a cocktail every night while the sun set over the horizon.
3. Don’t be expecting to be sending emails or using mobile phones.
While technology has definitely advanced however, in the absence of Nairobi, Capetown, and some other major cities, the internet may be slow and cell phones might not work properly. Take your time and enjoy the scenery, but ensure you have binoculars as well as a camera! The wedding is going to be amazing and you’ll be enjoying an adventure on safari!
4. The best time to go
Africa is a true all-year-round destination for wedding safaris of a high-end nature. Fresh produce, vegetables and meats arrive every day at the majority of camps and lodges from the region’s lush agricultural land. The food is delicious with influences from Indian, French and Indonesian food, and much more. Africa is a paradise for vegetarians with plenty of culinary talent! Every person here makes an effort to be a good host.
5. Be assured that the tents aren’t exactly what Dennis the Menace used to sleep in.
Our trip included Kenya as well as Tanzania. When I first heard that we’d stay in tents, I thought about it for a while. After arriving, I was stunned. Tents in the camp come “en suite” with bathrooms built inside. It is not possible to drink the water and bottled water is offered to clean your teeth.
We returned to our campsite in the late evening and found cozy beds that were filled with hot water bottles, tucked in as part of the nightly turn-down. Our guide promised us that we would be greeted by a Masai will guard the lions at night right from our campsite (we heard their roars clearly and loudly). The guide suggested we secure the strings of the zippers of our tent so that the monkeys with dexterity couldn’t get them opened. They’ve already learned how to use zippers! We had the most delicious coffee we’ve ever tasted in safari, even if the monkeys were able to reach the sugar cubes that were on the tray we left outside our tent early in the morning!
6. Visas, immunizations, etc.
It is possible that you will require visas to travel to Kenya and Tanzania. Visas for entry into Zimbabwe and Zambia are available upon the arrival (at the moment of writing).
My favorite part of my Safari
The whole trip was awe-inspiring for us and for you and your guests too. The short-haul flights from one destination from one to the other, while somewhat frightening for the nervous flyer (like me) are extremely safe. The jeeps which could accommodate more than six passengers provided the passengers plenty of room to enjoy uninterrupted views and amazing photos. The visit to the Masai tribe’s lands, getting to know the people who live there, visiting their dung huts, and listening to their stories was interesting. However, for me taking a hot air balloon flight through the Serengeti was the best part. I’d never been in one before, and was unsure of what it took to lift out of the ground as well as how many people are able to be in the basket and what breathtaking the views once we had reached an altitude.
The sky is magical
We could see our shadow when we flew up in the air and we were awestruck by the huge massive herds of ostriches as well as giraffes and elephants that walked over the vast plains. The sheer amount of animals were amazing as we were like angels looking at the wonders in the universe. We’ll assist you in choosing the ideal destination in Africa and help you get on the right path to plan, design and create the wedding destination you’ve always wanted! After that, you and your guests can travel and have a wonderful safari honeymoon!