Our Honeymoon: Botswana
Botswana: a country located in the southern region of Africa + the destination we chose to drop a pin in to represent the very first place we traveled to as Mr. & Mrs. Westerlind.
How’d we land on traveling across the globe to a country I truthfully had never heard of before? A little bit of research & a lot of ‘you only live once’ mentality. For a girl who had her heart set on either the Maldives, Bali or Bora Bora, Africa was a total curve ball I threw Richie. He was convinced that our honeymoon would be wasted by sitting on a beach halfway around the world — don’t get me wrong, that sounded lovely to me, but when you grow up in Fort Lauderdale, the beach is quite literally your backyard.
So why Botswana? For me, the answer was simple: it’s known as the elephant capital of the world & I love elephants — for Richie, a safari was always at the top of his bucket list + he’s a wild soul so anything unique *especially when it comes to countries* he is all in for!
HONEYMOON LOCATION ✓
Once we agreed on where we’d go, the reality of planning such a massive vacation settled in. I started browsing online for some boutique hotels around the region looking for something that was in-between a tented-safari experience & a luxury hotel in the middle of nowhere. I landed on Go2Africa.com, a Cape Town based travel agency site that features all of the best African travel destinations, accommodations, excursions & so much more. It was truly a God-send! After reading more about Botswana, we learned that May-October was the ideal time to visit because it’s the dryer and cooler winter months — think typical African plains with little greenery — aka no obstructed views & better animal viewing! The only downfall: we couldn’t hop on a plane right after we were hitched given our wedding was at the end of February. A small sacrifice to avoid traveling in the country’s peak rainy season.
HONEYMOON TIMING ✓
After weeks of research & cross-referencing Instagram, I fell in love with two hotel chains that each had 3 lodging options within Botswana to chose from. Belmond Safaris appealed to me for so many reasons — the first was their iconic Savute Elephant Lodge with a viewing deck that overlooks a private waterhole which famously hosts elephant herds during the dry season.
Sanctuary Retreats also peaked my interest for their Sanctuary Baines’ Camp — a luxurious retreat in the Okavango Delta featuring private sky beds & star baths — perfect for honeymooners.
Since we planned to safari for two weeks, we wanted to experience as much of Botswana as possible by traveling to three different areas of the country. Narrowing down the final camp wasn’t an easy feat, but we landed on Belmond’s Khwai River Lodge within the Moremi Game Reserve.
HONEYMOON HOTELS ✓
Once we knew when we wanted to travel & which camps we wanted to stay at, I inquired with a Go2Africa specialist who put together a tailor made itinerary to encapsulate our two-week honeymoon. Local flights, airport transfers, safari schedules, and food + drink were all inclusive of our trip package.
If you’re thinking about planning a safari of your own, I can’t stress enough how important it is to book via a travel agency or someone who is familiar with local airliners, neighborhoods, etc. because that could make the world of a difference!
Our agent Monique was phenomenal & took the time to answer any question that popped up during & after the booking process *even providing us with her What’sApp contact to get ahold of whenever we needed.
Monique handled the entire African portion of our trip once we landed in Johannesburg — the only thing left on our end was to secure flight from the US.
HONEYMOON ITINERARY ✓
Airline travel is 100% Richie’s domain and truthfully the portion he was most excited for me to experience first hand. Keep in mind that this was our honeymoon & because it takes roughly 15+ hours to get to Johannesburg, we agreed to go ‘all out’ with two seats in Qatar’s renown Qsuite.
If you ever have the chance to fly Qatar airways business class, do yourself a favor and BOOK IT!
From the lie-flat seats, to the fine dining menu, flying Qatar business was nothing short of truly amazing.
We opted to fly from JFK to Johannesburg, with a layover in Doha, Qatar which gave us the chance to enjoy the business-class lounge — complete with sushi bar, table-side service and oh ya, private showers + restrooms (!!!). Showering in between flights easily made my list of top five memories from our trip.
HONEYMOON FLIGHT ✓
on safari
Going on safari was by far one of the most incredible + memorable experiences I’ve ever had — and easily will remain a trip I cherish for the rest of my life.
Our original travel plans for May 2020 got nixed thanks to a world-wide pandemic which led to our second failed attempt in September 2020. We ultimately rescheduled a third time & finally took off from JFK International Airport one full year later in May of 2021. Although some amenities were altered due to Covid restrictions, I’m so grateful for the Qatar Airways crew who recognized the importance of this trip for us - understanding that this was our honeymoon & allowing us to take several photos mask-free for memories.
The kindness and hospitality continued as we made our way from Doha to Johannesburg & eventually onto Botswana. Once on the ground at Maun International Airport, we met up with a Belmond representative who escorted us to our local bush plane connection. We met our MackAir pilot Joe & we’re off ‘to the bush’ for a two week adventure like no other!
Our Belmond land transfer met us at the airstrip with personalized canteens filled water accompanied with snacks for our ride back to camp. Upon arrival at the Savute lodge, we were greeted in song and dance by the entire staff — a true traditional African welcome!
The Savute Elephant Lodge was an absolute dream and 100% exceeded my expectations from everything I’d seen online. Within minutes of entering the camp, we were standing above two elephants drinking at the iconic waterhole.
Safari schedules vary camp to camp, but generally speaking, there’s two daily opportunities to track game out in the bush (morning + late afternoon). Our AM safari called for a 5am wake up, a quick breakfast & to-go coffee. Every day was a new adventure & left to chance of what game we’d see. The landscape in Chobe National Park offered a wide range of terrain including sandy, dry areas + lush, greenery with pockets of rocky mountains. This offered a wide range of game sightings as well — from jaguars, elephants, and giraffes, to lions & wild dogs. On any given day, the temperature started out in the low 50s and peaked in the mid 80s — so layers were a must! Morning excursions included tea time & biscuits in the bush until noon time & ended with a 3-course lunch back at camp.
After four incredible days, we were off to our second home in the bush — Sanctuary Chief’s Island. Ironically, this camp was not on our original list, but due to the temporary closure of Baines’ camp, Chief’s was an alternate option & was by far my FAVORITE camp of the entire trip!
This camp is uniquely situated in the heart of the Okavango Delta, within the Moremi Game Reserve. Famously known in the area for it’s namesake, the island is abundant with hippos, rhinos, & crocodiles and offers guests a one-of-a-kind Mokoro safari excursion.
Why’d I love this camp so much? The accommodations were out of this world, the five-star staff welcomed us with open arms (literally), they perfectly paired Pims+lemonade & the Delta was absolutely teaming with game — and cubs!
On our last night at Chief’s the staff hosted us a Boma — a traditional African dinner centered around fire & complete with singing, dancing and incredible food!
The third & final stop of our honeymoon brought us to the Khwai River on the opposite end of Moremi. This Belmond lodge was the most rustic of our stays (by far) as it was the oldest of the camps — if you’re looking for a more remote feel, this is the place to be!
One thing I loved about our room — ‘the honeymoon suite’ as they call it — was its location. Because it was the furthest room from the lobby & right near the river bank, hippos slept directly under our room every night *slightly terrifying, but also pretty cool!
Another perk about this room: the star bath tub, outdoor shower, and private plunge pool overlooking the Kwai River. Ideal for hippo, elephant & crocodile sightings! This camp also had one of the best gift shops showcasing baskets and jewelry hand-woven by the women from the local village.
On our last day in the bush, our safari guide LG surprised us with something I had been dreaming about since I began researching for our trip — lunch in the bush!!
WHAT AN EXPERIENCE.
Complete with table-side service, a full bar & dessert. It was truly the perfect way to end our adventure in Africa.
Post-lunch called for a few hours of relaxation before the late afternoon safari. For us, this time included things like: exploring the camp gift shop, taking a dip in our private pool & grabbing photos off of our Canon camera via the camp’s wifi. PS if you’re thinking about going on safari, but don’t quite own the right equipment — we used this rental service to rent a 70-200mm lens. Highly recommend if you don’t want to take the plunge on buying!
