The Top Adventure Honeymoon Ideas

Posted by Katie James Watkinson

Fiji-Great-Astolabe Reef-Honeymoon_Adventure_Ideas.jpgYou know an adventure honeymoon is right for you if the idea of flopping yourselves on a beach for a week sounds like the most boring trip ever (no judgement!).

And honestly, what better time than the honeymoon to visit a place filled with landscapes far different than home or to try a bucket-list activity like shark-diving or bungee-jumping. Where you go will depend on where you fall on the "adventure-moon" scale.

For example, couples who want to combine relaxation with a few engaging activities might consider Bali, where you can visit Buddhist temples and jungle-trek to volcanoes--but where a relaxing beach is never far off. Thrill-seekers, meanwhile, should consider adventure capitals like New Zealand's South Island or Australia's Great Barrier Reef.

Here are a few of our favorite adventure honeymoon ideas:

cliffside_camp_resort_at_paws_up-2.jpg

Courtesy of The Resort at Paws Up

Greenough, Montana

To get a tase of the unspoiled wilderness of the American West, head to The Resort at Paws Up, a 37,000-acre working cattle ranch and glamping retreat. Book a luxurious, safari-style tent at Moonlight Camp, set on the picturesque banks of the Blackfoot River, and spend your days horseback riding, hiking, and fly-fishing. You can also learn new skills by going on a traditional cattle drive or challenge each other to reach new heights on the aerial ropes course. Don't worry, there's also a "spa town" for when you need to massage those sore muscles.


Bali-Ubud-honeymoon.jpg

Ubud, Bali

The cultural heart of this Indonesian isle is equal parts adventure and relaxation. At a luxe resort like Mandapa, a Ritz-Carlton Reserve, couples can chill out by the Ayung River or zip down it on a rafting excursion. Try a new kind of yoga at The Yoga Barn -- a studio and holistic retreat located among the area's famed terraced rice paddies -- offers more than 100 classes per week in Vinyasa Flow, Acro, Iyengar, Hatha, Tai Chi, and more. Then head into town to shop for local wares and dine at Locavore, which, as the name implies, sources all of its ingredients locally.


Fiji-Kokomo-Private-Island-Beachfront-Villa.jpg

Courtesy of Kokomo Private Island

Great Astrolabe Reef, Fiji

You'll learn the true definition of "paradise" in a gorgeous South Pacific country like Fiji, where white-sand beaches, electric-blue waters, and pristine reefs are everywhere you turn. One of the country's most spectacular underwater sites is the Great Astrolabe Reef, the world's fourth-largest reef system, teeming with aquatic life. At Kokomo Private Island, couples will be situated right on top of the reef, allowing for daily snorkel or scuba-diving excursions to spot angel fish, grouper, manta rays, and more.


Hawaii-Kilauea-Caldrea-1.jpg

Hawaii Island

The largest of the inhabited Hawaiian Islands, commonly called the Big Island, is home to one of the state's most unique adventure destinations: Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. Within it are the still-active Kilauea and Mauna Loa volcanoes, which you can take in on numerous hiking trails. For an even better vantage point, book a helicopter tour with Discover Hawaii; you'll fly right over the spot where the Earth literally spills into the ocean.


Mexico-cenote-honeymoon-adventure.jpg

Riviera Maya, Mexico

The Caribbean-fronting coast of Mexico is an ever-popular honeymoon destination, thanks to its many white-sand beaches and luxury resorts. Couples who want to combine beach and jungle should post up at an eco-chic resort like Nômade Tulum or Nest Tulum. Rise with the sun for morning yoga, then explore Mayan ruins in Tulum, Cobá, or at the ancient city of Chichén Itzá. You can also go snorkeling, scuba diving, and take a dip in a crystal-clear cenote (a naturally forming sinkhole considered sacred in Mayan culture).


NewZealand-MountCook-1.jpg

South Island, New Zealand

New Zealand's adventure capital offers glaciers, mountains, rolling hillsides. In otherworldly landscapes like Fiordland National Park, Milford Sound, and Doubtful Sound, couples can kayak, hike, mountain bike, and more. If you're true adrenaline junkies, it's also worth visiting North Island. At one of the country's most famous attractions, The Auckland Harbor Bridge, you can bungee jump off a 131 foot-high platform. Don't be surprised if you touch the waters of Waitemata Harbour on your crazy-fast drop.


Chile-Patagonia-honeymoon.jpg

Patagonia, Chile

Stunning vistas are everywhere you turn in Patagonia, a vast South American wilderness home to glaciers, deserts, and the highest peaks on the continent. To take advantage of all the adventure potential, book a stay at one or more of the Explora lodges, which offer all-inclusive dining (hello, Malbec) and daily guided excursions. At the Atacama Desert outpost, couples can ride horseback through the Andes highlands by day and practice their astronomy skills on a stargazing session at night.


Peru-Amazon-Delfin-Amazon-Cruises.jpg

Courtesy of Delfin Amazon Cruises

The Amazon, Peru

Just as a trip to Peru is incomplete without seeing Macchu Pichu, one of the seven new wonders of the world, so too would you be remiss to skip the country's infamous jungle interior. Couples can choose to park it on land at an adventure lodge like Inkaterra Reserva Amazonica or board a river cruise like Delfin Amazon Cruises. In both cases, you'll be able to spot black caimans basking on the sunny riverbanks and trek to peaceful sites like TK TK, where you'll kayak among crazy-cute giant sea otters.


Australia-Whitsundays.jpg

Great Barrier Reef, Australia

Australia's Whitsunday Islands offer some of the most breathtaking ocean landscapes in the world. Take a helicopter or seaplane to a private-isle resort like Lizard Island, where you'll be surrounded by the clearest waters and most ecologically diverse reef systems you'll ever encounter. Spend your days snorkeling, paddle boarding, sea kayaking, and scooting around underwater by Seabob.


Namibia-Namib-desert-1.jpg

Skeleton Coast, Namibia

An alternative to the typical savanna-centric safari, Namibia offers some of Africa's most unique landscapes. On a trip with luxury tour operator &Beyond, couples can spot plenty of wildlife -- elephants, zebras, jackals, lions, and more -- but also drive through uninhabited desert of the Skeleton Coast.


In case you missed it:

Winners Announced for the 2018 Traveler's Joy Honeymoon Story Contest

The Best Islands for a Honeymoon in Greece