Wildly Romantic Wildlife Experiences for Adventurous Couples
For couples who dream of a safari honeymoon but don’t have Africa in their plans, there are more options than they might realise. Some of the most intriguing safari honeymoons are unfolding far from the African savannah in remote rainforests, frozen tundras, and misty river deltas, where the wildlife is just as wild, and the romance feels even more intimate. For couples who crave something different, something quieter, rarer, or less expected, these off-the-map experiences deliver immersive nature encounters paired with secluded, luxurious stays.
From spotting Bengal tigers in central India to drifting past jaguars in Brazil’s Pantanal or waking to the calls of gibbons in Borneo’s 130-million-year-old jungle, these not-in-Africa safari destinations offer unforgettable beginnings. Think remote lodges, rare wildlife sightings, and uninterrupted time together in places where the world feels delightfully distant.
1. Amazon Rainforest, Peru – Tambopata National Reserve
Deep in Peru’s Madre de Dios region lies the Tambopata National Reserve, a protected expanse of Amazonian wilderness that rewards adventurous honeymooners with thrilling wildlife encounters and breathtaking beauty. The landscape here is dominated by winding rivers, mirrored oxbow lakes, and dense jungle where mist clings to the canopy at dawn. The soundtrack is a chorus of birds, frogs, and howler monkeys. Yet despite its remote feel, Tambopata is surprisingly accessible via a one-hour flight from Cusco to Puerto Maldonado, making it a perfect pairing with a Machu Picchu adventure.
This region is a global biodiversity hotspot. With over 600 bird species, hundreds of butterflies, and iconic animals like black caimans, giant river otters, tapirs, and even jaguars (if you’re fortunate), the rainforest reveals new magic at every turn. Macaws gather en masse at clay licks, troops of squirrel monkeys race along the treetops, and stealthy predators leave pug marks along the riverbank. The towering Ceiba trees and glassy lakes provide the perfect backdrop for jungle exploration, whether by canoe or on foot, accompanied by expert guides.
Where to Stay: Inkaterra Reserva Amazonica is a secluded eco-luxury lodge just a 45-minute boat ride on the Madre de Dios River from Puerto Maldonado. Raised walkways lead to elegant thatched cabanas with mosquito-netted four-posters and private terraces that peer into the treetops.
From arrival to departure, you’ll be spoilt for choice with the food: buffet breakfasts, three-course lunches and dinners and exciting excursions, most of which begin and end with a boat trip on the Madre de Dios River. Excursions are tailored to your interests and the duration of your stay. Guests can opt for a walk through the treetops on Peru’s highest canopy walkway, a twilight river drift, a visit to Lake Sandoval, or a night walk before finishing with a nap in your hammock or a soak in a jungle-view tub.
Best time to travel: The Peruvian Amazon is accessible year-round. Honeymooners may prefer the dry season between April and September when outdoor conditions are ideal.
Couples Will Love: Falling asleep to the calls of howler monkeys and waking to birdsong, wrapped in soft sheets and the scent of the rainforest, miles from anywhere.
2. Sri Lanka – Yala National Park
Sri Lanka is home to 26 national parks, but none offer the sheer range and romance of Yala National Park. This iconic reserve in the island’s southeast is famed for its thriving leopard population (around 40 live here), as well as its striking mix of ecosystems. Dense forest gives way to open grasslands, shimmering lagoons, rocky outcrops and even a stretch of wild coastline where elephants have been known to wander onto the sand.
Yala is divided into blocks, each with a distinct character. While Block One is the most popular (and often crowded), Block Five offers a more serene safari, especially during the quieter afternoon hours. Wildlife enthusiasts can spot elephants, crocodiles, water buffalo, sloth bears, and hundreds of bird species. The best time to visit is from January to June when sightings are plentiful.
Related: A Sri Lankan honeymoon for any travel style
Where to Stay: Uga Chena Huts is the standout for honeymooners. Hidden in the coastal jungle, each thatched-roof villa features a private plunge pool, a four-poster bed, and views that stretch from saltbush to sea. Daily game drives with experienced rangers give you a real shot at seeing a leopard, while the lodge’s off-grid design offers total immersion in nature.
Couples Will Love: The setting: jungle meets the beach and the thrill of seeing rare animals in the wild. End the day with sunset cocktails beneath the stars and a dip in your private plunge pool as the jungle hums around you.
3. India – Kanha National Park
In the heart of Madhya Pradesh, Kanha National Park is Kipling country come to life. A misty forest of sal trees, golden meadows and winding rivers where Bengal tigers still roam. It’s one of India’s largest and best-managed reserves, celebrated for its scenery, conservation work and quiet luxury.
Morning and evening safaris take you deep into the forest as the light changes, revealing the drama of the wild. Expect peacocks calling, langurs leaping, and sambar deer pausing mid-step as the forest holds its breath.
Where to Stay: Banjaar Tola, a Taj Safari Lodge, sits on the riverbank. Each tented suite is filled with handwoven furnishings and large picture windows that bring the forest in. Meals are taken outside, and morning tea is delivered silently through a private hatch.
Couples Will Love: The sense of privacy and privilege and the quiet thrill of searching for tigers before returning to a sundowner by the river.
4. Borneo, Malaysia – Danum Valley Conservation Area
For nature-loving couples who dream of rainforest romance, Danum Valley is as remote and magical as it gets. Tucked deep within one of the last remaining tracts of primary lowland rainforest in Borneo, this conservation area is a haven for rare wildlife and deep ecological immersion. Here, the mist hangs in the treetops, ancient dipterocarps tower above, and gibbons greet the sunrise with echoing calls. At 130 million years old, this is one of the most ancient rainforests on Earth.
This corner of Sabah is one of the best places in the world to spot wild orangutans in their natural habitat. It’s also home to clouded leopards, pygmy elephants, flying frogs, sun bears, and more than 250 bird species. The real magic, though, is in the stillness: twilight treks, canopy walks at dawn, and lying in bed listening to the sounds of the jungle.
Where to Stay: Borneo Rainforest Lodge delivers thoughtful comfort in the heart of the jungle. Villas come with wraparound balconies, alfresco bathtubs, and sweeping views of the rainforest canopy. Guided treks and expert-led wildlife walks begin just steps from your door.
Couples Will Love: Morning coffee on your deck as a hornbill glides past and perhaps a glimpse of an orangutan swinging through the canopy before breakfast.
5. Australia – Kakadu National Park, Northern Territory
You don’t need to leave the continent for a safari honeymoon. Kakadu, Australia’s largest national park and a dual World Heritage site, offers a unique blend of wildlife, wonder, ancient culture, and surreal landscapes that feel utterly cinematic. Saltwater crocodiles lurk in yellow-hued billabongs, wallabies bound through eucalyptus groves, and birdwatchers are treated to everything from jabirus to rainbow bee-eaters.
But Kakadu’s spirit is as much about culture as creatures. Rock art sites at Ubirr and Nourlangie tell stories that date back over 20,000 years, etched into the stone by generations of Indigenous custodians. The park undergoes dramatic changes with the seasons; the dry season (May to October) is best for exploration, while the wet season transforms it into a lush, green landscape.
Where to Stay: Bamurru Plains offers an off-grid bush camp experience on the Mary River floodplains, with mesh-walled safari bungalows, chef-prepared meals, and thrilling airboat safaris. It’s wild, yes, but wildly luxurious.
Couples Will Love: Waking to birdsong and soft light spilling through your screen walls, then skimming across floodwaters on an airboat while buffalo graze nearby.
6. Colombia – Hato La Aurora Reserve
Tucked into Colombia’s vast eastern plains, or Llanos, Hato La Aurora is one of the country’s oldest and largest private nature reserves, covering more than 17,000 hectares. It’s not your typical safari; there are no lions or elephants, but the biodiversity is impressive, and the experience is refreshingly raw. You’ll find giant anteaters, howler monkeys, deer, anacondas, capybaras (in the tens of thousands), and over 350 species of birds, including scarlet ibises, jabirus, and Orinoco geese.
Couples can explore the terrain via 4WD, horseback, or boat, with local guides revealing animal tracks and pointing out sloths in the treetops. There are no crowds, no fixed schedules, and no need for anything other than curiosity and a sense of adventure. The feeling is less of a safari park and more of a backstage pass to a living ecosystem.
Where to Stay: Juan Solito Lodge offers rustic but charming accommodation on the banks of the Ariporo River. Expect home-cooked Colombian meals, hammock siestas, and starlit skies that make candlelit dinners feel like pure magic.
Couples Will Love: Feeling like the only two people in a forgotten corner of the world, where the wildlife is loud, the Wi-Fi is quiet, and your love story is the only headline.
7. Canada – Churchill, Manitoba
If your idea of a safari includes snow boots and polar bears, Churchill delivers. Located on the edge of Hudson Bay in northern Manitoba, this remote subarctic town is one of the best places on Earth to view polar bears in the wild. Each autumn, around 1,000 bears gather here as they wait for the bay to freeze over, offering a once-in-a-lifetime chance to observe these powerful predators up close.
Come summer, the area becomes a playground for beluga whales, tens of thousands of them and offers prime viewing of the aurora borealis well into autumn. It’s a thrilling, dramatically different honeymoon for couples who want to swap sundowners for snowdrifts without sacrificing comfort.
Where to Stay: Nanuk Polar Bear Lodge, located about 250 kilometres southeast of Churchill and accessible only by charter plane, offers a front-row seat to polar bear territory. The lodge combines warm hospitality with wilderness luxury; think expert guides, roaring fireplaces, and panoramic tundra views from your cosy suite.
Couples Will Love: Watching a polar bear pad across the tundra outside your window, then curling up together by the fire under the northern lights.
8. Brazil – Pantanal Wetlands
The Pantanal, South America’s best-kept safari secret, is the world’s largest tropical wetland and one of the most wildlife-dense regions on the planet. Spanning more than 180,000 square kilometres across Brazil, Bolivia, and Paraguay, it offers a radically different safari experience from the dense Amazon: open landscapes and astonishing biodiversity. It’s especially famous for its high concentration of jaguars, particularly in the northern Pantanal near Porto Jofre, where sightings are among the most reliable anywhere in the wild.
River safaris here feel cinematic: giant otters splash through the shallows, caimans lounge along the banks, and capybaras trundle through the grasslands. Bird lovers are spoilt, too, with species like the hyacinth macaw, jabiru stork, and toucans among the 650+ recorded birds.
Where to Stay: In the southern Pantanal, Caiman Ecological Refuge offers intimate, conservation-minded luxury on a 53,000-hectare ranch. Guests can join biologists tracking jaguars as part of the lodge’s long-running research program or enjoy sundowners in the company of curious capybaras.
Couples Will Love: Drifting silently past a jaguar basking in the sun before heading back to gourmet meals and candlelight in the heart of the world’s wildest wetlands.
These safari experiences prove you don’t have to go to Africa for romance, wildlife, and adventure. For honeymooners looking for something more original, more remote, or simply more you—these eight safaris offer unique and unforgettable beginnings in some of the most extraordinary wild places on Earth.
