I don’t know about you but I am longing for some sunshine now after yet another storm hits the UK this weekend. Whilst I’m stuck indoors I thought I would share our honeymoon adventure in case anybody is thinking of doing the same thing!
We went on honeymoon two days after the wedding in October 2019. Up until this point I had never travelled outside of Europe as I HATE flying so this was a massive deal for me to be able to do all this travelling - the final destination had to be worth it!
After countless hours trawling the internet and deliberating about destinations we decided to take the plunge and go on Safari. Our ideal honeymoon had to tick the perfect balance of adventure and relaxation - two weeks on a beach just isn’t us. The idea of relaxing on a sunbed is very appealing but the reality of sand in all places, red head skin that burns and a husband who doesn’t read books for longer than ten minutes makes it more stressful than relaxing for us!
When I found out you could do “twin centre holidays”, we knew it was the right choice for us.
I have a few friends who love planning all aspects of their trips from travel, changeovers and hotels. That person is NOT me. I needed someone to do it for me and after making several appointments with all the big luxury travel agents, I found Paper Plane Travel on Instagram and felt this was more up our street.
After a few emails and phone-calls, Charlie provided the quotes and once we all agreed, she arranged everything for us. From flights to transfers to little honeymoon touches that make it all the more special. I knew which hotels I wanted to stay in which was a starting point but this doesn’t always have to be the case. Charlie is fab at recommending hotels you would never have found on booking.com.
I fell in love with Marataba Safari Lodge from the moment I saw pictures and I can honestly say it is the best place I have ever stayed. It is pure magic!
Getting there though is a bit of a bitch especially if you don’t like travelling. We flew from Manchester to Johannesburg via Dubai with Emirates (no cheeky upgrade though, unfortunately). It was 6 hours to Dubai with a 3 hour transfer time. From there it was 9 hours to Johannesburg. After we landed in Johannesburg we had another 4 hour car journey to the lodge.
But my God was it worth it! The staff like to say “welcome home” and I really really really wish it was my home because everything is amazing. The facilities are pure luxury, the staff are amazing and the food is incredible.
Full disclosure - Safari is not for the fainthearted. You have 5am wakeup calls everyday sometimes before the sun comes up and probably only sleep about 4 hours maximum at a time during the whole trip. But we never felt more relaxed at Marataba even with no sleep.
We had a few hiccups along the way - the first being a storm on the first night which immediately took me back to a fateful camping trip in Snowdonia many years ago. It may be a luxury expensive tent - but it is still a tent when the wind blows!
We also had a family of warthogs make a den under our tent for a few nights. Ever wondered what a family of warthogs sounds like? Like they are sawing through the wooden supports that hold the tent up and at any moment the whole thing might collapse.
There was also a wildfire which started after the storm. Although it never came close to the lodge, you could see it raging across the mountain top and it really made you appreciate how dangerous and destructive these fires are.
I was not prepared for the immediate immersion in nature once arriving at the lodge. I thought we might have a few drives before spotting any of the “Big 5” but on our very first drive, just hours after arriving we saw elephants, lions and the elusive Black Rhino. It was so breathtaking, nerve-wrecking and beyond my wildest dreams all at the same time!
My top tips for Safari :
Be prepared clothing wise but bear in mind some blogs/advice maybe a little extreme. For example I didn’t need to buy walking boots, my gym trainers were more than suitable. We also didn’t need waterproof pants - we spent most of the time in shorts and hoodies.
Take naps in the day but also enjoy the facilities. Try the wine, the “exotic” meat. Order room service and book the massage on the balcony - it was insane!
Make sure your camera has the flash turned off before setting off on a game drive. I nearly had a nervous breakdown in the midst of a family of elephants when another guests flash went off!
Sit at the back of the car if your hearing is good enough. It’s the best place to see everything and if you’re a bit nervous like I was when a herd of rhino’s catches your smell downwind then you feel way more protected than lower down in the vehicle.
Be prepared to wee in the bush. Something I hadn’t really considered until I was squatting down behind a tree hoping that there wasn’t a lion waiting, or worse - a snake!
So if you are debating a safari for your honeymoon, or just because - I would say do it! Save the money, spend the money and you will never ever regret it. Unless maybe if you get eaten by a lion but even then that would be cute ;)
