Best African Safaris for Couples: Our Top Picks

There are few destinations as romantic as Africa. Vast blue skies curve down to golden grasslands that roll to the horizon, framed by distant mountains marching away in shades of navy and purple. Africa awakens your senses: the scent of wild sage, the cry of a fish eagle, and goosebump-inducing leopard sightings. The days are deliciously hot and the nights comfortably cool. African hospitality is warm and sincere, and when it comes to fine dining or lavish luxury, a leading safari lodge is hard to beat.

If you and your travel partner are looking for a setting steeped in adventure and romance, an unforgettable honeymoon, or a last jaunt before you cross over into the realm of family travellers, look no further. Here are our best African safaris for couples:

East Africa

East Africa Year-Round Migration Safari

Take an intimate and authentic trip through Kenya and Tanzania, two of Africa’s big safari destinations – an adventure that easily makes it to the top of our best African safaris for couples list. You start with a night at Arusha Lodge on Gibbs Farm, nestled against the jungle-like slopes of the Ngorongoro Conservation Area – it’s not unusual to see the Big Five in a single game drive in the Crater!

The next part of your journey takes you to the Serengeti, where you will stay at Ubuntu Migration Camp, a semi-permanent safari camp. You can expect the most authentic experience of the Great Migration, following massive herds of wildebeest as well as a scattering of antelope and zebra across the vast plains.

Your final destination is the Masai Mara, where you will stay at Rekero Camp. Some of the best guides on the continent will make sure you have prolific wildlife encounters. You will also experience immersive cultural visits, understanding how African tribes have adapted to living in such wild places alongside its fierce inhabitants. 

Tanzania’s Tarangire, Crater & Serengeti

Tanzania in East Africa has a rich history of safari, and this 9-day action-packed itinerary is a fitting tribute to that. Your starting point is Arusha Coffee Lodge, at the gateway to the northern Serengeti plains and home to some of the country’s finest coffee farms. Get ready to enjoy early mornings and nights around the crackling fire at Oliver’s Camp in Tarangire National Park.

After the fun of a walking safari and night drives in Tarangire, you will transfer to one of the most game-filled places in Africa: the Ngorongoro Crater. Your home here is Gibb’s Farm and a game drive through the crater is likely to be one of the biggest highlights of your vacation.

Tanzania’s Classic Northern Circuit 

For the best African safaris for couples, spend 8 unforgettable days exploring famous safari destinations like the Serengeti, Ngorongoro Crater and Tarangire National Park (a hidden gem and protected area of colossal baobabs, grassy plains and huge herds of elephants). Fantastic game viewing is a big drawcard in all three destinations, but you will also enjoy staying in luxury tented camps, scaling the crater of a dormant volcano and bush walks.

Between January to March, you will also have the bucket-list opportunity to witness the Great Migration. This is truly one of nature’s most wonderful spectacles and attracts people from all over the globe. It is the largest herd movement of animals on the planet and is simply not to be missed for couples seeking wild adventure!

Uganda Fly-in Gorillas, Chimps & Wildlife

This 7-day adventure takes you into the pristine rainforests of Uganda, home to the endangered mountain gorilla. Step into the wild heart of Queen Elizabeth National Park and Bwindi Impenetrable Forest in Uganda and experience authentic gorilla trekking, as well as the opportunity to search for rare birds or golden monkeys.

A gorilla trek is an unforgettable experience: after trekking – sometimes for a few hours – through the dense rainforest, your guide will alert you to the presence of the gorillas. You’ll be able to spend up to one hour observing them in their natural habitat, feeding, eating and sleeping. Little ones are often quite curious and may even approach. Be sure to remain still and sensitive to the animals and the environment.

This life-changing experience is at the top of bucket-list trips for couples. And with a trip that combines this extraordinary experience with stays in comfortable, upmarket lodges, you’ll want to come back for more.

Southern Africa

Romantic Chobe, Delta & Mozambique Island

Experience the classic romance of Botswana’s Okavango Delta in the legendary Chobe National Park. It’s with good reason that Botswana appears regularly in the Top Ten bucket-list destinations in Africa. Since the 1960s, the government has encouraged low volumes of visitors at higher rates per person. This means luxurious lodges that host an intimate average of 24 guests in vast tracts of unspoiled wilderness. It’s your assurance that there won’t be a traffic jam at every leopard sighting.

Once your safari journey is complete, you will be whisked away to Mozambique’s Azura Benguerra Island, where you will spend a week in a secluded Indian Ocean paradise, snorkelling and relaxing on powder-soft sand beaches. Often, the best travel moments are the simplest ones – when you find yourselves sitting side-by-side in the hushed radiance of a fiery sunset, raising a toast to the utter beauty around you, and to each other.

Classic Cape Town, Kruger & Victoria Falls

Designed with passion, you can enjoy this romantic 11-day sojourn through the southern reaches of the African continent. This is a trip idea geared for couples and honeymooners that leads you from Cape Town, through the untamed wilds of Kruger, to the ‘Smoke that Thunders’, Victoria Falls – the aptly dubbed, ‘Adventure Capital of Africa’.

In Cape Town, take a cable car above the clouds on Table Mountain, savour fine dining and award-winning wines, or laze on white-sand beaches sun-soaking. In Kruger, you will encounter Africa’s famed Big Five, revelling in dawn and evening game drives and end with a stay in a gracious Edwardian masterpiece that epitomizes the romance of the grand tours of yesteryear.

South Africa’s Cape Town, Kruger & Kalahari

This luxury trip idea is perfect for a truly glamourous experience, complete with spa treatments, fine dining and exploring some of South Africa’s most remote and beautiful game reserves – for a decadent 15-day adventure. It’s tailored for secluded romance in Africa and is one of the best African safaris for couples.

You will begin in the Sabi Sands Private Game Reserve, a place that provides an exceptional African wildlife safari. You will then spend two pampering nights in Johannesburg, before heading off to the Tswalu Kalahari Private Game Reserve, which sits on the edge of the Kalahari Desert.  Your journey ends in Cape Town, a city of vibrancy, where Table Mountain takes you above the clouds, white-sand beaches beckon with the promise of sun-soaked days and the V&A Waterfront has some of the best shopping options on the continent.

Luxury Kruger, Livingstone & South Luangwa

Southern Africa’s greatest wilderness areas are waiting to be discovered on this 12-day luxury tour, taking you from the Greater Kruger and Victoria Falls to Zambia’s South Luangwa National Park.

Beginning at Londolozi Pioneers Camp, you will have exceptional wildlife encounters while indulging in pure safari luxury. Once you have had your Kruger fill, it’s off to Victoria Falls. You will stay at Thorntree River Lodge, perched on the mighty Zambezi River, just upstream from the Falls – the thunderous wonder. Your final leg is spent in the epic wilderness of South Luangwa, the birthplace of walking safaris. This trip is designed for impeccable service, exceptional cuisine, luxurious lodges, and some of the best wildlife viewing in Africa.

Ready to Start Planning Your Safari?

Get in touch with one of our Africa Safari Experts to help tailor-make your vacation from our top picks of the best African safaris for couples: