Tahiti, Hawaii, the Caribbean, and Fiji. All popular places to enjoy a luxurious, romantic honeymoon. But what these destinations lack in their famous reputations is the pure energy that is unique to only one continent in the world: Africa. Although famous for their reputation as honeymoon destinations, these tropical paradises lack some of the greatest elements that only Africa has to offer.

Because Africa is comprised of various countries, all with differing characteristics and cultures, experiencing variety

on your honeymoon is a constant. Whether you want to enjoy a combination of safari tour adventures, spa treatments,

scuba diving, beach lounging, wine tasting, historical insight, or cultural tours, Africa boasts the best of it all.

For newly-weds looking to experience everything Africa has to offer, a three to five night stay in Cape Winelands, South Africa is an itinerary staple. Catering to budding chefs, art admirers, history buffs, food lovers, cheese enthusiasts, and wine connoisseurs, Cape Winelands’ various regions have something unique and exclusive to offer each of its visitors.

So, whether you prefer to taste the white wines of Paarl or the delectable olive oils of Franschhoek, or observe old-world architecture in Stellenbosch, your specific tastes and desires dictate where you go while on your honeymoon. There are no set boundaries.

Below are a few highlights of Cape Winelands to set the scene for your future honeymoon:

Romantic Accommodations

Nothing is more rejuvenating after a long day wine tasting or walking through local villages than spending romantic evenings in one of Cape Winelands’ most exclusive and lavish accommodations, overlooking rolling vineyards, profound mountains, and lush countryside.

Enjoy peaceful nighttime strolls through the winding paths that surround your hotel, or reminisce about the day’s events over a cocktail in the bar area or in the privacy of your own terrace.

And when it’s time for a good night’s rest, retire to your plush bedding in the comfort of a lavish suite.

Delectable Local Fare

Indulge in culinary riches at some of Cape Winelands’ most renowned cafes and charming bistros. Ranging everywhere from contemporary cool to rustic Italian, Cuban to Indian, seafood to tapas, and South African to French, Cape Winelands is a haven for international culinary delights.

On wine tasting afternoons, enjoy a pleasant picnic among the vineyards or oak-filled forests, as you delight in a fresh salad or sandwich, accompanied by a crisp bottle of Pinot Grigio.

Horseback Wine Tasting Tour

Begin your marriage with a romantic adventure through the rolling foothills and sprawling vineyards of Cape Winelands. As you ride side by side, the sensual aroma of the earth, the surrounding lush scenery, and the Dutch-inspired estates combine to emit an indescribable energy that is unlike any other feeling in the world.

As you ride upon charming dirt paths, stop by strategically chosen local estates for a VIP wine tasting or private wine cellar tour. Each of the wine estates you visit will be chosen based on your specific tastes and preferences. Therefore, if you prefer to only taste velvety Merlots for the day, you will only be taken to estates known for their Merlots.

Perfect for: Couples who are adventurous, active, and who love wine tastings, and horses.

Wine Tasting Tours

Aside from horseback wine tasting tours, Cape Winelands is also home to intricate walking and hiking trails, and bike paths. You may choose to explore these paths on your own or take part in a personal wine tasting tour via bike or by foot.

When you partake in a wine tasting tour, no matter your source of transportation, you will experience various wine tastings, wine cellar tours, and VIP tours at some of Cape Winelands’ oldest and most prestigious estates. In addition to wine tastings, many estates also offer brandy, olive oil, and cheese tastings.

Perfect for: Couples who enjoy the outdoors, who love wine tastings, and who want to take in the beauty of Cape Winelands. It’s important to note that wine tasting tours, whether by foot or bicycle, do not require any vigorous physical prerequisites, as you decide how much walking you partake in.

Village Tours

As you walk past century-old Cape Dutch, Victorian, Edwardian, and Art Deco architecture, through quaint, winding streets, and past local bakeries and bistros, indulge your senses with the many sights, sounds, and aromas of Cape Winelands.

You may explore the many culturally and historically rich villages of Cape Winelands on your own or on a customized walking tour, where you will travel off the beaten path to learn about the intricate history of the buildings, streets, and people of Cape Winelands.

Perfect for: Couples who enjoy leisurely strolls, photography, art, history, and architecture, and for those who have a natural curiosity.

From Cape Town to Mpumalanga, South Africa is a golf lover’s paradise where travelers can experience everything from half a day of golf to a three-day golf safari.

Below we’ve highlighted four of South Africa’s most prestigious and highly acclaimed golf courses:

1. Leopard Creek County Club: Upon your first arrival to this manicured estate, you may be shocked to discover that this is in fact a prestigious golf course and not a wildlife sanctuary. With hundreds of varying species including birds, baboons, other primates, giraffes, impalas, hippos, and elephants, you’re getting more than a round of golf when you play at the Leopard Creek Country Club. Located in Mpumalanga, South Africa, Leopard Creek Country Club is known by the golfing world as one of the most prestigious courses to play on the globe–not to mention it’s arguably South Africa’s number one golf course. With a unique design that adds a challenge and excitement to your game, you’re sure to find a completely new golfing experience at this one-of-a-kind course. In fact, one of the course’s most acclaimed holes is the sixteenth–a par three–which takes your ball over hippo-populated waters onto a fresh green.

Adding to the peaceful nature of golf, Leopard Creek’s pristine grounds are tastefully infused with hints of the bushveld and the surrounding African plantlife, which all work in sync to create the ultimate, tranquil setting. Even if your performance isn’t quite up to par while playing on this course, you can’t help but remain joyous as you journey through this golfing paradise.

Additional Information about Leopard Creek: Primarily reserved for members and their guests, Leopard Creek does offer some booking for travelers staying at a list of particular lodges in the area including Sabi Sabi, Singita, Lion Sands, and more.

Leopard Creek

2. Links at Fancourt: Situated along the glistening coastline of the Garden Route, Links at Fancourt’s Scottish and Irish inspired golf course design fills each and every golfer who visits with a unique combination of excitement, anticipation, peace, and sheer joy. With miles of lush forests, wetlands, beaches, seaside beauty, and the infamous Outeniqua Mountains, Links at Fancourt is much more than an astounding golf course–it’s paradise. Known for its twists, dips, small lakes, and lush marshes, Links at Fancourt is in fact South Africa’s most challenging course and arguably it’s most beautiful.

For those wishing to experience a few days of golf, the Fancourt estate is a truly magnificent accommodation that is just as luxurious and detail-oriented the golf course it overlooks.

Additional Information about Links at Fancourt: All of Fancourt’s golf courses are restricted to members and hotel visitors.

Links at Fancourt

3. Pearl Valley Golf Estates: Inspired in design by the legendary Jack Nicklaus, Pearl Valley Golf Estates was named “Best New Golf Course” by Golf Digest in 2005 and 2008. Each and every detail was considered during the design of this mountain-bordered course, and each par-three and par-five course varies in direction for a consistent round. As an aesthetically-stunning masterpiece, the Pearl Valley Golf Estates is every golf lover’s dream to experience. With shallow bunkers, fast greens, sprawling fairways, and white sand-encrusted bunkers, Pearl Valley Gold Estates is arguably one of the most stunning and carefully crafted golf course in the world.

And keep your eye out for hole 4 and 13 as they are both dramatic challenges that incorporate testing creeks and waterways.

Additional Information about Pearl Valley: This course offers accommodations for visitors as well as excellent corporate travel arrangements.

Pearl Valley Golf Estates

4. Durban Country Club: Celebrating gorgeous views of the Indian Ocean, lush treetops, glistening lakes, and rolling dunes, the Durban Country Club is a one-of-a-kind visual masterpiece. In addition to its riveting beauty, the Durban Country Club is one of the most thought-provoking courses in the world. Each and every hole you take on begs careful thought and precision with each swing, making this course one of the most challenging and exciting to play. With one of the most popular third holes in the entire world, Durban’s par-five, hole three, takes golf balls from a high tee, past tall trees and bush, and a profound bunker–all while testing your take on the power and direction of the ocean breeze.

Additional Information about Durban Country Club: Booking is essential at Durban; therefore, always book your tee time as far in advance as possible to ensure your spot.

Durban Golf Club

Photo from Lion Sands Game Reserve website

Making a name for itself as one of the most extravagant destinations for a romantic honeymoon, Africa has been impacting the lives of newlyweds for decades. With accommodation options from highly-adventurous and rustic camps to luxurious and lavish hotels and villas, Africa has something for every couple.

For the nature-enthusiasts, adventurists, and romantics, the Chalkley Treehouse on the Lion Sands Private Game Reserve is where it’s at. With a panoramic view of South Africa’s magnificent wilderness and an open-air layout, the Chalkley Treehouse allows you to watch the transformation from day to night. As you watch the sunset from your completely private bush bedroom you’ll witness one of the most hypnotizing night skies as the navy blue sky melts into a black, velvety blanket speckled with crisp stars. Just one night in the Chalkley Treehouse and you’ll find yourself in paralyzing awe.

A night in the treehouse unfolds like this  . . .

* At sunset, you will be escorted to the treehouse, which is a secure bush bedroom above the treetops and sprawling plains.

* Private service is provided for you when you arrive to your destination–this includes cocktails,  a bush dinner under the stars, and anything else you desire from the five-star service.

Photo from Lion Sands Game Reserve website

* After your meal you will have complete privacy where you can soak in the soothing sounds, scents, and sights of the African bush with your loved one. The experience of being completely immersed in nature without any exterior sounds and sights from civilization is an extremely rare and highly-rewarding treat.

* Once you’re ready to retreat to a comfortable, goodnight’s sleep, you have the luxury of preparing for bed in a completely private bathroom facility.

* In the early morning, you will be brought by your personal ranger for a morning game drive and afterward, enjoy a delicious breakfast in the bush.

What does the treehouse look like?

Situated securely on a 500 year-old leadwood tree, the Chalkley Treehouse is lit by the subtle glow of 19th-century-style lanterns, and exudes romance and intimacy. Above the white, linen-lined bush bed you will find sheer, white-canopying cloths to keep bugs from entering. The dark wood platform of the treehouse is fenced by thick, unobtrusive branches that take away nothing from the gorgeous view surrounding you. In addition to these features, the treehouse also includes a bedside table, bathroom facilities, and a bush vanity table.

The Sirois family having a Cape Malay cooking lesson

Thanks to Hills of Africa we had a very unique and personalized experience on our visit to South Africa. We would never have been able to find all the wonderful places we visited without their invaluable advice. We even learned to cook a traditional Cape Malay meal in a home in the Bo Kaap District of Cape Town! Tour books don’t come close to what they did.
We had a fairly rigid time line and lots of things we wanted to do. They put together a fabulous itinerary that not only allowed us to fit in all the things we wanted (touring, shopping, wineries, safari, etc…) but also gave us some flexibility to add things along the way. They booked us with hotels, game reserves and tour guides that they KNEW would be top notch. Hills of Africa met all our expectations and more. We can’t wait to go back.

The Sirois family having lunch in Kalk Bay, Cape Town

I love Africa, I love planning vacations to Africa, and I think it really shows.

Have you been to Africa?  What were your lasting impressions of your trip to Africa?

Botswana is possibly one of the best safari destinations in the world

Botswana’s Economy is the Shining Gem of Africa
Botswana emerged as a sovereign nation in 1966. At the time, it was ranked as one of the 10 poorest nations in the world. It had no infrastructure – with only 7 miles of tarmac on its limited roads and no schooling system whatsoever – it relied heavily on missionary work.

Today, Botswana is one of the most successful countries in Africa. Its economy has grown by 8% per annum, consistently, year after year, for more than 4 decades. The reason? Diamonds. Botswana is so rich that the second largest contributor to its GDP is interest earned on its foreign investments. Tourism, comes in third.

A strong economy results in benefits for its locals, relative to its neighboring countries. A local Botswanan drives on state of the art roads, has a modern telephone system, broadband internet access, free health clinics with nearly 100,000 citizens receiving free anti-retroviral drugs in treatment for HIV aids, piped drinking water to every village and free primary schooling for more than 300,000 pupils.

Botswana’s Entrance into Tourism Was Slow and Calculated
Tourism may seem like an obvious choice for economic growth for most southern African nations, however, Botswana was not focused on tourism for many years. It was not until they took notice of their heavy reliance on the diamond industry, that they considered tourism as a strategic move to diversify its economy.

However, they didn’t just jump into tourism. Rather, they did it in a very calculated way, which has lead to a successful tourism industry that appeals to the high end of the market. Realizing they didn’t want Botswana to end up over-run with tourists and let things get out of hand with respect to the environment and the wildlife, the first step the Botswana government did was to control the amount of tourists arriving.

Concessions Control the Number of Travelers – The Supply
If you want to open a safari lodge in Botswana, you must first get a “concession” which is a right to build and operate a tourism business on their land. You cannot buy the land. You can only get a lease and the term of the lease is quite limited, often as short as 3 to 5 years long. In essence, the government is controlling the number of beds available to tourists – the supply. Fewer beds in the wildlife areas result in far greater demand.

Demand Exceeds Supply – Driving up the Price
For example, a geographic area in Botswana might have a total of 40 beds, where in South Africa, the same size area would have 400 beds. Having so few people out there with you, experiencing the wildlife, makes it feel as authentic as possible. This type of experience certainly drives up demand and with a limited supply, prices get driven up too.

So, this is why Botswana is one of the most expensive safari options in all of Africa. The higher cost of a safari does not translate directly into a more luxurious experience. The safari experience in Botswana is more expensive because of the exclusivity, the awesome wildlife, and the tremendous variety available in one location.

Outstanding Wildlife, Tremendous Variety and Very Few Visitors
This is a country where the vast, dry Kalahari Desert, meets the calm, quiet waters of the Okavango Delta. Chobe National Park is your quintessential national park and is home to over 300,000 elephants. Then there is the Moremi Game Reserve where, you will find the big predators like lion, leopard, cheetah, and wild dog, but also all the herbivores like zebra, giraffe, and antelope.

Perfectly complimenting this experience is the Okavango Delta. This authentic safari experience appeals to lots and lots of people. It is still less expensive than an exclusive, private camp experience in Tanzania. So, Botswana offers the traveler a stable country and stable politics, no safety issues whatsoever, great access, incredible wildlife. All around a fantastic experience.

The most expensive camps are definitely luxurious, but the separation between your bed and the bush is less than what you would find in South Africa. Most accommodation is tented due to strict building guidelines from the Botswana government. In addition, as a safari camp owner, if you have 3 to 5 years to make your money back, you are not going to invest heavily in permanent structures.

Botswana appeals to people looking for a truly authentic safari experience and embrace the idea of being close to nature. If you like the sound of Botswana, but are having trouble with availability, Zambia is a good alternative. If you don’t have the budget for Botswana or have been there, then Zimbabwe is a great alternative.

An extravagant world of mystery and enchantment awaits you in Botswana. Allow Hills of Africa Travel to take care of all your travel needs with their expert private guides, detailed destination planning and advice, dedicated customer service, and personalized travel itineraries, guaranteed to provide you with memories that will last forever.

At the end of each year, Eat Out magazine presents ten highly-acclaimed Cape Town restaurants with a Prudential Eat Out Restaurant Award. The award ceremony is “known as the Oscars of the restaurant industry in South Africa,” according to Eat Out’s website. This past year, The Tasting Room at Le Quartier Fran?ais, located in Cape Winelands, South Africa, was one of the ten restaurants to be honored with this prestigious award.

Chef Margot Janse is a true mastermind behind the scenes at the world-famous Tasting Room at Le Quartier Fran?ais. Her dishes are created from a true talent, and each dish dazzles every palette it touches.

Unlike most restaurants, The Tasting Room likes to keep diners on their toes with a frequently changing menu that adds a sense of mystery and delight to the dining experience. Choose from the four-, six-, or eight-course menu and relish in the vibrant flavors.

The fusion of an elegant, simple, and classy atmosphere, with the rich flavors of local produce and ingredients makes this restaurant one of Africa’s finest. The deep crimson chairs, dim lighting, contemporary art, and soft, orange colored walls makes dining at The Tasting Room a joyful experience for all. Find scrumptious wild-game, delectable seafood, precise wine pairings, and heaven-on-earth desserts on The Tasting Room’s menus.

A little “taste” of what’s on the four- to six-course menu:

• Norwegian salmon tartare, avocado, beetroot, pineapple and ginger air. Pair with a Porcupine Ridge viognier grenache blanc 2007.

• Bacon mousse and banana beignet, maple dressing, rocket. Pair with a Môreson pinotage 2007.

• Magret duck breast, cherry quinoa, prawn, goats cheese, black pepper jus. Pair with a Rupert & Rothschild classique 2006.

A little “taste” of what’s on the eight-course menu:

• Lemon Poached Crayfish tail, prawn wafer, marshmallow. Pair with a Graham Beck brut.

• Roasted wildebeest loin, aubergine soufflé, butternut, tomato. Pair with Waterford cabernet sauvignon 2006.

• Lime brûlée, blueberry cheesecake ice cream, sesame praline, granadilla. Pair with a Rickety Bridge natural sweet chenin blanc 2007.
The wine list is extremely extensive, boasting internationally acclaimed wines, local wines, sparkling wines, cider, beer, and so much more. The wide spectrum of alcoholic drinks alone will have you coming back for more!

Fine dining is one of Cape Winelands’ greatest offerings and is one of the best places in Africa to enjoy spectacular wine with savory dishes. Let Hills of Africa Travel create for you a personalized itinerary tailored around your every preference. Whether on an African safari honeymoon or family safari, we promise you the trip of a lifetime. Contact us today at (877) 845-4802.  We’re looking forward to making your dreams come true . . .

Create moments you’ll treasure for life . . .

• Unwind together in a bush bath under the African sky

• Sip morning coffee while watching an elephant herd graze

A romantic African honeymoon safari is the trip of a lifetime, and Hills of Africa Travel can make it happen for you. We like to surprise honeymooners with elegant touches that make their romantic African honeymoon safari even more exceptional:

• Rose petals leading from the game-drive vehicle to your room and into the bathroom
• Bubble-filled bath and bottle of champagne
• Private bush dinner
• Picnic with champagne on the beach

We will work closely with you to carefully plan the African honeymoon safari you’ve always dreamed of. Get started planning your honeymoon getaway, and contact us today.

Hills of Africa Travel specializes in customized honeymoons that will give you the perfect beginning to the rest of your life. Contact us today to plan the most amazing start to your married life.