Advice on planning a first safari honeymoon for 2027

[chocolateforthewin]

Hello,

I am looking to organise a safari for 2027.

We have never been on a safari before and this would be for our honeymoon.

Any advice? Area to head?

Thanks

We went to the Masai Mara. Loads of animals, and travel was pretty easy too. The flight to Nairobi isn’t too long, and then you transfer to the domestic airport and get a light aircraft from there. We used a specialist safari travel agent.

What time of year? What budget?

We went to Tanzania on safari for our honeymoon. We had 2 weeks- essentially 1 week on safari then 1 week in Zanzibar. Of that we spent 2 days in stone town (capital of Zanzibar) then the last 5 days at a beach resort. As a honeymoon I’d really recommend it as we essentially got 3 types of holiday in 1.

Where depends on when and budget

We are lucky to be able to go whenever in 2027 - possibly would prefer avoiding the school holidays. Our budget is around £6,000/£7,000 PP, I would prefer to stick to the lower end. We would like to see lions and elephants but honestly as long as we are seeing some animals we arent particularly fussed. As long as its not anything harmful - drugged animals and the such.

I dont think I would mind missing out on the migration either, sounds like it could be fairly traumatic.

I would consider either South Africa or Tanzania. Easy to get to an lots of options for all budgets c

The best safari I’ve done was in Kruger in South Africa. Fantastic for the big 5 and we did some evening and night drives, and a couple of half-day walking safaris. It wasn’t overly expensive. We flew direct to Johannesburg and then took a transfer from there. Best time of year is September.

Think of which time of year you want, then you can work out the best location.
If you're not fussed on timings, I would recommend South Africa in their winter (July/August) for best chance of viewings.
Contact a safari specialist company, tell them what you want and they will tailor a trip for you. I'd recommend Aardvark Safaris, who are fantastic. Definitely spend as much as you can possibly afford (warning: it's not cheap!).
Whoever you book with, make sure they take no more than 6 guests in the vehicle on game drives, which means you'll always be able to see properly. There should be a guide/driver plus tracker, on every drive - usually twice a day, sunrise and sunset.
Enjoy - it's a fantastic holiday.

Sorry, I've just seen your budget, which seems low - we spent more than that for 10 days back in 2015.

The budget would really depend, we could go more but I would be comfortable sticking to the lower end.

Do you just want safari or do you want to combine with beach/wine region/activities as that would influence the area.

Ah just so many options. We have been looking at Tanzania with a stop at the end at Zanzibar - just to decompress.

Would Tanzania be a recommendation for a first trip?

My DSis was in Uganda recently doing charity work. On their weekend off they spent a day in the rainforests on the border between Uganda and Rwanda visiting mountain gorilla families. On there drive to the forests they saw all the big five and more. She has done organised safari in Kenya but said the Uganda trip was so much more because it was unexpected. You can organise trips from Entebbe airport for a two day trip to see the gorillas. The videos she sent were amazing.

We are also lucky to have a BIL with a fishing boat in Cornwall who is a retired marine biologist so are often treated to dolphin and seal safaris. The dolphins are attracted to the fishing boats so are much more likely to approach them. The dolphin spotting boats are l ss interesting since not likely to be fishing. The last time we saw them a large pod swam alongside with lots of youngsters who were curious and came within touching distance. It was an incredible experience.

Friends combine Kruger with other parts of Sth Africa and really liked it.

Ensure you see a travel clinic a few months beforehand to check your vaccines etc are up to date. Also consider rabies vaccines- even if you don't plan to stroke/touch animals. Not such an issue on a safari, but lots of cats/dogs/monkeys roam around some parts and in towns.

I’m looking at Botswana which is more expensive for flights but I’ve found locally owned operators which I think is more ethical, I really dislike the way tour companies underpay the local agents. I’ll try and find the details of the women’s cooperative I found, all profits to education too. It includes a canoe safari, game drives, stay with a local family and other interesting unusual things

I loved Tanzania. To me it was more ‘real’ as the parks are open and unfenced so the animals could wander off. Yes the parks are protected, but it’s natural. I feel that the fenced, stocked reserves, are more like fancy parks. Great for kids, but hardly nature in the raw.