Quality time with your loved one is precious these days and adding a bit of romance to your Safari is a perfect time. These are my personal favorite romantic experiences on Safari
Ngorongoro Crater Lodge, Tanzania
What is more romantic than a rose bubble bath, champagne and handmade chocolates overlooking the magnificent Ngorongoro Crater?
A bit of information on The Ngorongoro Crater Lodge:
Steeped in romance, each stilted, handcrafted banana thatch suite at andBeyond Ngorongoro Crater Lodge is adorned with graceful antiques and unforgettable opulence. Ensuite bathrooms, with a centerpiece of fresh roses, feature huge showers and chandelier-lit bathtubs, while floor-to-ceiling windows ensure breathtaking views from all around.
Rating – Unforgettable
Lions Sands Tinga Lodge, South Africa
Sleeping under the stars—no further explanation needed!
The Tinyeleti Treehouse, which translates to Many Stars, is not merely a vantage point from where to observe the splendor that is the Sabie River and all the life it sustains, but rather an open-air invitation to take your place and become part of it.
Tinyeleti Treehouse is fully equipped for your relaxation and you can expect all the comforts of a luxury stay—such as the option of a relaxing head massage. Enjoy your choice of tapas or a full meal, and then settle in with a cocktail as the animals come to drink at sunset.
Expect to hear the constant rush of life from the Sabie River on your doorstep, as well as a few animals, night predators and birds chiming in.
Tinyeleti is an uninterrupted overnight experience that cannot be replicated, but that will most definitely be re-told.
A bit of information about Lions Sands Tinga Lodge:
The lodge, like the Narina Trogon bird after which it is named, is astonishingly beautiful, yet blends unassumingly into the natural environment. Perched on stilts under a canopy of 100-year-old trees just up from the water, Narina Lodge offers you a wonderful sense of remoteness and peace.
Narina Lodge has an air of relaxation, enhanced by natural décor and an open design extending out to generously furnished decks from where you can enjoy panoramic views of the Sabie River. Here you can watch the animals feeding on the riverbank and engage in the social chatter this inevitably stirs, or meditate on the rustle of the leaves. Leading off from the main lodge, raised wooden walkways connect to a spa sala and nine individual Suites. Narina Lodge offers exclusive accommodation, with private plunge pools and viewing decks overlooking the river.Breathe deep and take it all in…
The lodge’s nine luxury Suites are built to afford complete privacy in a wilderness where you can watch the animals come down to the water from your pool and deck, as well as bed and bath. This is where those in search of space and peace come to be in nature.
Glass sliding doors and windows open your sanctuary to the outside, while a canopy bed, sink-into-me couches, an egg bath you can wallow in up to your chin, and personal bar all add to the delight of being on safari – in style. Adding to your sense of escape, spa treatments are offered in the open-air bush sala.
Rating – Unforgettable
Singita Faru Faru Lodge, Tanzania
Yes, you have to get up early, but it is worth every moment floating over the Serengeti!
This once-in-a-lifetime experience takes game viewing to new heights and gives photography buffs an amazing new perspective on the world below. You’ll skim above the grasslands and acacia forests, and at other times ascend to 1 000 feet to see the enormity of the reserve. The Singita Balloon Safari is a romantic and evocative way of experiencing the wilderness as you gracefully and silently glide over the plains, observing the wide variety of wildlife below.
A bit of information about Singita Faru Faru Lodge:
Situated in the western corridor of the legendary Serengeti, Singita Faru Faru Lodge overlooks a natural waterhole and the tree line of the Grumeti River. The nine stone, canvas and thatched suites (including a family suite and a 2-bedroom villa) have the air of a classic safari camp, yet the interiors offer the ultimate in contemporary chic with panoramic glass windows, mirrored room dividers and claw-foot baths.
Due to the natural watering hole on-site, guests needn’t ever leave, as here, the safari comes to you. The surrounding grassland is so awash with wildlife that guests can lounge in the swimming pool overlooking the waterhole, recline in the Lodge’s elevated viewing decks, or unwind in the comfort of your luxurious room and watch as predators and prey are drawn right up to the lodge.
Rating – Unforgettable
Victoria Falls Hotel, Zimbabwe
High tea in the gardens at The Victoria Falls Hotel overlooking the famous Victoria Falls.
A bit of information about the Victoria Falls Hotel:
The Victoria Falls Hotel, popularly known as “the grand old lady of the Falls,” is situated in the Victoria Falls National Park, a world heritage site, and is a member of the exclusive Leading Hotels of the World group. It is one of only three IS0-accredited hotels in Zimbabwe.
The Edwardian-style five-star hotel, built in 1904, combines the charm of the old with the convenience of the new. Set in lush tropical gardens with lily ponds, palm trees and semi-tropical shrubs, it provides the tranquillity and seclusion that many guests seek. The famous Victoria Falls are just a ten-minute walk away using the hotel’s private pathway, and “the smoke that thunders” or “Mosi-O-Tunya” in the local dialect, is clearly audible and visible from this luxurious landmark.
World-class service, and food and beverage choice and preparation second to none, make the hotel a magnet for international visitors and locals alike. The opulent Livingstone Room for fine dining and dancing, the Jungle Junction with its famous breakfast and dinner buffets and ethnic entertainment in the evenings, offer variety and wide choice. Stanley’s Terrace, with its clear view of the Victoria Falls Bridge, connecting Zimbabwe and Zambia, is renowned for its cocktails and afternoon teas. The Terrace has been a rendezvous for adventurers in Africa for over a century.
The ambience of the hotel is steeped in that history with all suites decorated in the gracious Edwardian style of Zimbabwe’s colonial era.
Waking up to the sound of “the smoke that thunders”, seeing the sun rise beneath the mist of one of the seven natural wonders of the world and the lunar rainbow at night, all the while soaking up the history and ambience of a bygone era, is more than unforgettable – it is unique.
Rating – Unforgettable
Emily Lockard-Furry began selling travel in 2014. She specializes in destination weddings and honeymoons, but also plans itineraries for multi-generational families and incentive reward travel.