For many, relaxation is top of the list after the stress of planning a wedding and a trip to the Seychelles is the epitome of total tranquility. The secluded beaches are often free from visitors and bordered by a forest of coconut palms. Island hopping is a great way to see more while you’re there; Mahé is the largest island with a lot to offer in terms of culture, and there is a daily food market and weekly handicraft bazaars. La Digue, on the other hand, is a tiny island with a slow, backwater feel. It’s a great place to take gentle bicycle rides before unwinding on a white-sand beach. For more seclusion, we love Bird Island which, as the name suggests, is wonderful for bird-watching. You can walk around the entire island in under an hour while spotting bird species such as bridled tern and barred ground dove. Bird Island is also home to giant tortoises, hawksbill turtles and colourful marine life.
If you are looking to honeymoon in July or August and want an element of adventure, Tanzania is a fantastic option. The Great Migration takes place during this time, where two million wildebeest make their annual journey from the plains of Tanzania’s Serengeti to the grasslands of Kenya’s Masai Mara. In addition to this powerful spectacle, you’ll have the chance to see giraffes, zebras, big cats, elephants, rhinos and lots more with an expert guide. You can also take on the challenge of climbing Mount Kilimanjaro which towers over the plains of Kenya and Tanzania. This is a non-technical climb which means it is accessible to those with a reasonable level of fitness.
Chile may not spring to mind as a typical honeymoon destination, but with new direct flights from London to Santiago, this could be set to change. Once a trade hub, Valparaíso is a working port in Santiago that’s now home to brightly painted buildings which lie scattered down hillsides towards the ocean. Many have corrugated iron façades, giving the whole city a raw, rough-and-ready look. The best way to explore Valparaíso is on foot so that you can take in the interesting graffiti and street art.
Chile is also known for its dramatic scenery and otherworldly landscapes, such as the humbling Atacama Desert which is the driest place on earth. To discover the desert from a new perspective, take a hot air balloon ride – from here you’ll see the endless expanse of tawny rock and dunes while experiencing the deserts vast scale and topography. The rough terrain of the desert also offers active honeymooners the option of hiking, cycling or even sand boarding before retiring at one of the fantastic hotels nearby.
Many visitors travel to Cambodia to see its famous Angkor Wat which was largely ‘forgotten’ until Frenchman Henri Mouhot rediscovered it in 1860. It is now the largest religious building still in use on earth and one of the world’s great travel highlights. There is much more to discover in this emerging country for honeymooners, though, including the interesting culture and complex history of Phnom Penh and the jungle-clad Cardamom Mountains.
After discovering Cambodia’s cultural highlights, you could finish your trip at the island resort, Song Saa. With its soft white sand and over-water villas, it could easily be mistaken for the Maldives. If you want to extend your time in Southeast Asia, you could fly over to the small palm-fringed island of Koh Samet in Thailand, or head to neighbouring Vietnam to continue with the cultural theme.
The Kinabatangan River in Malaysian Borneo’s northern state of Sabah sustains one of the richest ecosystems in the world and is a fantastic place for wildlife spotting. We suggest giving yourselves at least two nights here based in one of the rainforest lodges. You’ll head out on a small boat early in the morning and as dusk falls which is when the animals are most active. Your guide will help you spot orangutan nesting and eating fruit from the trees and, if you’re lucky, you may also see proboscis monkey and pygmy elephant moving through the undergrowth. You can then move onto Sepilok, a fantastic orangutan sanctuary which sits close to the river’s estuary. If you have a keen interest in wildlife, we suggest an overnight stay in the area as this will enable you to visit the sanctuary at quieter times and you can explore the surrounding jungle in greater depth.
