Weddings are a fantastic way to bring people together. However, the experience is elevated to another level when you add the bucket list travel experience dynamic. If you are looking for an African wedding destination that is certain to spark excitement, check out these four stunning locations in Southern Africa.
Chobe National Park, Botswana
Imagine reserving a gorgeous boutique hotel in its entirety, exclusively for you and your wedding guests. Botswana is known for high-end, luxury safari lodges, and many offer a fully-inclusive service with game drives, river cruises, drinks, food, and accommodation wrapped up in the price.
Chobe National Park is home to the world’s largest concentration of African elephants. If you want to bring the safari element into your big day, consider taking photos with open safari vehicles or reserving accommodation with a watering hole on site. Here are some of our favorite options in Chobe National Park:
- Elephant Valley Lodge
- Tlouwana Camp
- Chobe Game Lodge
- Chobe River Lodge
- Wildtrack Eco Lodge
Victoria Falls, Zambia, and Zimbabwe
Decades ago, couples would rush to get hitched by Niagara Falls. Today, the allure of the world’s largest sheet of falling water pulls celebrities, adventure enthusiasts, and safari-goers from all over the globe. Victoria Falls lies on the natural border between Zambia and Zimbabwe, and both sides of the Zambezi River are adept at catering for destination weddings of all sizes.
Victoria Falls is ideal for a destination wedding as there are ample accommodation choices on every budget. A local wedding planner can ensure that every detail is double-checked, from your bachelor party to your bouquets. The towns of Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe and Livingstone in Zambia offer a plethora of unique ceremony and reception sites that will wow your guests and ensure a gorgeous wedding album.
Swakopmund, Namibia
The scenery of Swakopmund on Namibia’s coastline has the dramatic flair for features worthy of Vogue spreads and Hollywood movies. Picture towering sand dunes with crashing waves in the distance or vast deserts where wildlife lumbers in the distance. Shop wedding guest dresses here that will catch the Atlantic breeze for the perfect Instagram photo.
Swakopmund is a small town with a distinctive German flair. There are ample activities to entertain your guests, from quad biking in the desert to sandboarding the dunes or touring with seals and flamingos. We recommend speaking with the Gondwana Collection to see which of their camps dotted around Namibia would fit your African wedding vision.
South Luangwa National Park, Zambia
Located in Northern Zambia, near the Malawi border, you’ll find South Luangwa National Park. Here, safari guides first started taking guests on walking safaris, daring to walk through the African bush with nothing more than a rifle and a lifetime of knowledge about animal behavior.
If you are after a secret wedding location, where the only guests will be those you choose and perhaps some uninvited African wildlife, South Luangwa needs to be on your list. For example, Mfuwe Lodge has elephants roaming through reception, whereas guests at Flatdogs Camp can catch elephants drinking from the swimming pool at certain times of the year.
Combining a lust for travel with a wedding celebration is a brilliant reason to rally friends and family. Each of these four stunning African wedding destinations is unique, yet each is certain to start your married life with a bucket list travel experience you’ll never forget.
