Far and Away: Adventurous and Secluded Honeymoon Destinations
By Jennica Peterson
Craving a honeymoon that's remote, romantic and just a tad adventurous? These five destinations will take you far from the crowds, close to nature and even closer to your sweetheart.
Africa's Sossusvlei Mountain Lodge can arrange a romantic dinner on the Waterberg Plateau through Namibia Expeditions.
After the bustle of your big day, you deserve a little alone time. But it can be hard to find a place to call your own when so many couples have the same idea. These off-the-beaten-track destinations may be hard to find, but they combine a naturally romantic locale with lots of luxury and a dash of adventure. Whether you want to ride a camel over deserted sand dunes, snorkel with sea turtles in a quiet cove, trek across a glacier or simply bliss out on an empty beach, we have a honeymoon hideaway just for you.
NAMIBIA This sparsely populated southwest African country made headlines when Brangelina decided to birth baby Shiloh here, but it was drawing adventurers long before the tabloids noticed it. Experience its extreme-sports side as you dune-board down a sand dune near Swakopmund. Find your courage as you look a lion, rhino or cheetah in the eye on a self-drive safari in Etosha National Park. Or head to the Skeleton Coast, a strip of shoreline scattered with the bones of 19th-century shipwrecks, and snuggle up on deserted beaches wrapped in fog. In the dreamscape of Damaraland, hike past camelthorn, shepherd's trees and desert elephants. At day's end, watch the sky-high dunes of Sossusvlei melt into the sunset, taking on its simmering hues. The sheer beauty of the country will stick in your mind long after you've gone.
With bronzy walls of stone that match the nearby mountainsides and wide windows that open to the pale-gold desert plain, Sossusvlei Mountain Lodge's 10 luxurious villas blend with their home: a 445,000-acre private nature reserve called NamibRand. Even the lodge's swimming pool, sourced by water from an underground spring, integrates its natural surroundings. Spend time watching the nearby watering hole, which lures wild animals like oryx, aardwolf and bat-eared foxes. When you need to escape the desert heat, chill in your air-conditioned villa, a gleaming respite with sleek furniture and spacious split-level bedroom and living areas. Villas also feature shaded verandas and indoor/outdoor showers with panoramic views. When temps drop at night, a central fireplace warms things up, while a skylight over the bed lets you fall asleep counting the stars. Need a hand identifying the constellations? The lodge's resident astronomer can help.
Take a guided safari through the surrounding NamibRand Nature Reserve. The spectacular seas of red sand dunes, dry river beds bearing wild ebony trees, and desert plains tufted with tussock grass are home to mountain zebra, springbok antelope, spotted hyena and African lynx. Spy smaller critters, including barking geckos, pygmy falcons and Grant's golden moles, on a naturalist-led walk to 3,000-year-old cave paintings. Thrill-seekers can zoom across the desert dunes on all-terrain quad bikes or soar above it all on a hot-air-balloon safari. The lodge also leads excursions to Sossusvlei in Namib-Naukluft National Park, where dunes tower 1,200 feet above the desert floor. Huff to the top of Big Daddy, one of the highest sand dunes in the world, or munch on a picnic lunch while you admire the shifting shapes and colors of the world's oldest desert.
No airlines fly direct from the U.S. to Namibia; instead, most pass through Johannesburg or Cape Town, South Africa. South African Airways offers direct 16-hour flights from New York or Washington, D.C., to Joburg; from there, it's a two-hour flight to Namibia's capital, Windhoek. Then, it's a short trip on the DuneHopper air taxi to Sossusvlei; the resort can arrange it.
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