Kenya honeymoon ideas

Sunset: your table for two awaits, illuminated by lanterns strung through the tree branches. With views across the plain gently fading into darkness, the sounds of the bush become ever-more prominent: the bark of hyenas off in the distance, the excited yelp of a zebra... and the sizzle of a steak on the open fire as your personal chef gets down to work.

It’s often said of Kenya that it’s one of the ‘easiest’ countries for a safari – in terms of price, in terms of getting there and getting around, in terms of the sheer amount of wildlife you can see there. That convenience has given Kenya, one of the earliest pioneers of safari vacations, a mass market appeal. But don’t for a moment think that you won’t find luxury here. If anything, Kenya has perfected the safari honeymoon, and so adding a few extra flourishes to make your stay even more memorable is easy.

“I’m a big believer that spending a little more can give you a much more special experience,” says Simon Mills of our partner Native Escapes. “Safaris are a great example of that, where you can make them more personalised so you’re traveling with fewer people and you can get those amazing one-to-one encounters with animals. It’s definitely worth going the extra mile if you can.”

What do our Kenya honeymoons involve?

Encounters with Maasai communities

Kenya offers some of the finest wildlife watching in all of Africa. Twice a year you can witness the epic Great Migration, as vast herds of wildebeest make the dangerous journey between the Masai Mara and the Serengeti, while parks including Amboseli are home to elephants as well as predators like lions and cheetahs.

But a Kenya honeymoon safari is about more than just animal sightings. And the Maasai guides on our vacations do far more than simply point out different animals. They will typically come from villages near where you’re staying and are trained to an exceptionally high standard. Our guides can tell you how community-run elephant and rhino conservation projects work, what the training is like for a Maasai warrior or what medicinal uses a particular plant has – and they’re never short of a campfire story.

Our Kenya honeymoon safaris may spend a morning in a local village, where you can meet women who make a living from crafting leather and beadwork for tourists – when you buy something it comes with a personalised message from the maker so you know exactly how your purchase has made a difference. Our trips also financially support Maasai communities, such as by helping to fund scholarships in schools like the Koiyaki Guiding School. Many of the school’s students are Maasai women and this education gives them a pathway into a tourism career.

Private conservancies

While the Masai Mara National Reserve is open to anyone who has paid the entrance fee, our Kenya honeymoon safaris often spend time at one of the numerous private conservancies situated mostly to the east and north of the reserve. Often remote, with their own landing strips for small planes, they can be accessed only by guests of the lodges and camps in the conservancy themselves.

Responsible low-volume tourism on these conservancies is organised by and in partnership with local Maasai communities, who crucially maintain their grazing rights on the land . Staying on a private conservancy during your Kenya honeymoon offers you luxury not only through stylish, very comfortable accommodation, but also a greater sense of privacy. You’ll never feel crowded at viewpoints or rushed to move on and make way for others.

Luxurious accommodation

The most luxurious accommodation for honeymoons in Kenya is not so much about the fixtures and fittings but about the experience. Think private vehicles and guides just for you and your other half rather than sharing the seats with half a dozen other guests; or private dining in the bush or on your room’s own balcony and extensive menus of massages and treatments to help you unwind when you get back from a long drive.

Another essential part of the experience is getting you as close as possible to the action. In luxury tented camps, you’ll enjoy surround sound direct from the bush, perhaps with salt licks or waterholes within sight of your own tent. And if you plan to continue on to the beach afterwards, we can accommodate you in resorts that are moments from the sands, perfect for a moonlit dip or a sunrise stroll.

Alternatives to the traditional game drive

Game drives by jeep are a fundamental part of any safari, but they’re far from the only way to see and experience Kenya’s wildlife or its landscapes. Our Kenya honeymoons can liven things up with horseback or mountain bike rides so that the animals don’t hear you coming. You can take walking safaris with Maasai guides which offer fascinating new perspectives on life in the bush. And for something very special, you can try a morning hot air balloon flight, soaring weightlessly above herds of zebra or still-dozing lion packs as the sun rises over the Mara.

All-inclusive Kenya honeymoons

You can enjoy a very affordable safari honeymoon in Kenya. It is less expensive than most safari destinations, which means you can splash out on a few luxury trimmings. With our tailor made Kenya honeymoon packages you can include pretty much everything from start to finish, so you know exactly what it will cost you, besides a few gratuities and a glass of bubbly at the airport. Well, you’re on honeymoon aren’t you?

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Safari & beach honeymoons in Kenya

A safari honeymoon is an incredible experience but it can be tiring, with early starts (you’re on the animals’ schedule), long days and sometimes rough terrain all part and parcel. So it makes sense to add on a few nights or longer on the coast afterwards to relax, iron out the kinks and thoroughly wash off all the dust. Our safari honeymoons in Kenya can easily be combined with time on the beach everywhere from Zanzibar to Mauritius to the Seychelles.

Fly from luxury lodge to luxury resort. From Nairobi it’s just a few hours by plane to Seychelles or Mauritius and just 90 minutes to Zanzibar. And you needn’t even bother with another international flight or new visas, with gorgeous beaches only a short drive from Mombasa. Once you arrive on the coast you can enjoy activities from snorkelling to windsurfing or just stretch out on the sands to lose the t-shirt tan that marks out the safari-goer.

LGBTQ+ honeymoons in Kenya

Homosexuality is illegal in Kenya and can carry a long prison sentence. Society here is also very conservative. Despite this, many LGBTQ+ travelers visit Kenya on vacation every year, some of them on honeymoon, with no issues. While discretion is advisable, when you book through our partners, you can travel here with confidence. Our safari honeymoons are welcoming to all.
Written by Rob Perkins
Photo credits: [Page banner: Sergey Pesterev] [Encounters with Maasai communities: Keyur Nandaniya] [Luxurious accommodation: Make it Kenya] [Safari & beach honeymoons in Kenya: Danai Tsoutreli]