A Kenya Honeymoon Safari, Done Properly

A honeymoon safari has different requirements of an itinerary than a family trip or a first time group tour. The pace should be slower, the accommodation should be special and not just functional, and the entire trip should be one that was designed for the two of you and not just a standard package. How we do it for Australian couples, and some itinerary structures to consider.

What’s Different About a Honeymoon Itinerary?

Less is more. A honeymoon isn’t the trip to maximise the number of parks visited. Two or three nights in two or three places is better than five parks in five nights, as you get to really enjoy each location instead of being in a cramped bag every other night.

Here, more than anywhere else, accommodation upgrades are worth it. This is the trip where a regular room and a private tented suite with a plunge pool really makes a difference. We’d prefer to see couples spend more money per night for fewer nights, rather than less money for more nights and more frenetic travel.

Romantic details and privacy. Sundowners at a pre-booked location, private dinners in the bush, and rooms with private decks or plunge pools are all common requests from couples and most of the better properties we work with can accommodate these requests with little notice.

A slower daily rhythm. Honeymoon itineraries may be able to forgo the pre-dawn game drive now and then for a slightly later start, or include a full rest day at one property instead of traveling every day.

A Classic Two-Park Honeymoon: Masai Mara and Amboseli

This is the most popular honeymoon combination, and for a good reason. The Mara provides the concentration of wildlife and, if timed right, the Migration itself, from July through October. Amboseli provides the backdrop, elephant herds moving across open plains with Mount Kilimanjaro rising behind them, creating some of the most stunning couple photography anywhere on a safari.

A 7 to 8-night version of this trip (three to four nights in each park at a luxury or premium mid-range property) will allow you to settle in properly in both parks without feeling rushed between them. This is an excellent product based on our 7-Day Southern Circuit or 8-Day Luxury frameworks, adapted to fewer, longer stays and more private facing accommodation.

For Something Different, Add Samburu

For those who want to experience a different landscape and species mix from the more popular Mara and Amboseli, then Samburu is the one to add to the mix: the Samburu Special Five (reticulated giraffe, Grevy’s zebra, Somali ostrich, gerenuk and Beisa oryx) are found nowhere else in Kenya. It’s a quieter, more remote option and a great option for couples who want a true wilderness experience as well as the classic safari stops. The Samburu is part of our 10-Day Kenya Explorer, which can be adapted to a more leisurely, honeymoon-friendly itinerary.

Combining with a Beach Extension

This is where a Kenya honeymoon actually lives up to its reputation, a pairing that Magical Kenya, the national tourism board, also promotes as one of the country’s strengths. A safari with 3-5 nights on the coast, either Diani Beach for uninterrupted relaxation or Mombasa for some culture and history thrown in to wind down, provides a natural arc to the trip: adventure and wildlife first, then slow down and relax before heading home. We’d actively encourage building in a beach extension rather than flying straight home from the bush, for couples travelling from Australia, due to the distance. It makes the entire journey seem different in hindsight, ending on rest instead of an early morning transfer to the airport.

Beachfront villas, private dining and a more relaxed island pace after the more regimented safari side makes Diani in particular an ideal choice for honeymoon pacing.

Experiences Worth Building In

A private hot air balloon safari over the Masai Mara, followed by a champagne breakfast in the bush. This is the #1 add-on requested for honeymoon itineraries we create and it’s worth the extra expense for the setting alone.

A private conservancy stay, which borders the main Mara reserve and is organised through the Maasai Mara Wildlife Conservancies Association, which controls the number of vehicles in each conservancy and offers walking safaris, night drives and a more exclusive and quiet experience than the national reserve itself.

A private bush dinner or sundowner set up, which most premium and luxury properties can provide with a little advance notice. A little extra that can make a big difference in the way a couple of nights will feel in the future.

Planning Your Honeymoon in Australia

If your honeymoon is soon after your wedding, you may not have the luxury of planning your Kenya trip to coincide with Migration season exactly, and that’s okay. The resident wildlife of Amboseli, Samburu and the Mara offer great sightings outside the July-October period. If you do find yourself in green season (December-January), you’ll have the added benefit of newborn wildlife, stunning scenery for photos, and reduced rates at lodges, which may come in handy if the wedding itself has already been a budget buster.

With the flight time from Australia (14 to 23 hours depending on departure city) we would recommend allowing at least one rest day in Nairobi at the beginning of the trip before embarking on an early morning game drive, rather than transferring straight from a long haul flight. It’s a simple change that will make the first few days feel a lot better.

A Sample 12-Night Structure

• 2 nights: arrival in Nairobi and rest, or direct transfer if you are not interested in the buffer day in Nairobi
• 3 nights: Masai Mara, private conservancy stay with a balloon safari option
• 3 nights: Amboseli, elephant herds under Kilimanjaro
• 4 nights: Diani Beach, private villa, pure relaxation to close the trip

This type of structure is longer and more luxurious than our regular packages, but it’s all about pacing and privacy, not about covering ground, which is what a honeymoon should be about. For other lengths and combinations, our guide to how many days you need for a Kenya safari can help you weigh up the trade-offs.

Let us know your wedding date, the number of nights you have to spare, and the approximate level of accommodation you are looking for and we will create a proposal that is designed specifically for the two of you, instead of being a standard group proposal.