Africa is an amazingly diverse continent just waiting for us to explore! From deserts, to oceans, to forests and animals galore. Africa's not always an easy place to travel in, we hear. It can be frustrating and challenging at times. Hardships and logistical disasters can happen. But we just don't believe everything we see on TV: Africa's not a hell hole full of civil war, plague, famine and violent crime. We're excited to find all the fantastic, enlightening and surprising things Africa has to offer.

This go around, we are going to Southern Africa - South Africa, Botswana, and Zambia to be precise. From Cape Town to the Okavango Delta to Victoria Falls!

We'll start off in beautiful Cape Town, one of the most beautiful cities in the world with its eclectic mix of architectural styles. We'll explore the area around Cape Town including Cape Peninsula's pristine beaches and penguins (yes, penguins!) and Winelands where we'll indulge in wine tastings at some of the best South African vineyards.

One of the things we are looking MOST forward to is taking a trip to visit some wonderful children in Africa who are in dire need of the small things in life - shoes. We plan on taking some shoes and other goodies, like school supplies, on our trip with us so that we can give to some of the orphanages we will be visiting.

Next we'll head to Walker Bay, known as the heart of the whale route, located less than two hours from Cape Town where we'll find ourselves at Grootbos Private Nature Reserve. We'll (try to) go shark diving, horseback riding, and maybe we'll even spot a few whales off Walker Bay!

We'll then journey to Mpumalanga near Kruger National Park, one of Africa's largest game reserves. We'll visit Elephant Whispers, an elephant camp dedicated to securing the future of the African elephant. We'll then travel to the Sabi Sand Game Reserve bordering Kruger National Park where we'll spend the next few days enjoying game viewing activities!

We'll fly back to Johannesburg to spend the night before we head out to Botswana's Okavango Delta. We'll continue the game viewing activities, maybe even canoe excursions! The Okavango Delta is known for its labyrinth of lagoons, lake and channels and is the largest inland delta in the world and is home to over 400 species of birds, lions, hyenas, and elephants! We will also be visiting an orphanage in the Simonga Village and will be bringing some of the children some goodies - like school supplies and clothing.

We'll continue onto Livingstone in Zambia to check out one of the most majestic natural wonders of the world - Victoria Falls. We'll spend our time in Zambia participating in game drives, hopefully viewing the numerous antelope, zebra, crocodile and hippos that populate this area.

We'll end our journey by flying back to Johannesburg and will finally make our way home!

As you know, we both love an active travel experience with plenty of culture. We have heard great things about Africa and it has always been a dream of ours to travel to Africa. It only makes it that much more special that we will be able to experience this together - our first major trip together as a married couple!

We can't tell you how excited we are for this honeymoon. We've included some of the activities and experiences we'll be enjoying below. We are blessed to already have many of the household items that are traditionally registered for, and we could think of no better way than to start our life together. Thank you so much for considering a gift toward this once in a lifetime experience!