HONEYMOON HONEYPOTS

Safari, beach or snuggling down in a treehouse – love is all around if you follow our romantic guide

HoneyMoonS can be tense affairs. or so they tell me. Until now, I couldn’t possibly comment, but here I am with the wonderful woman who has agreed to marry me and I’m praying (a little nervously) that the next few days will go spectacularly well.

This is natasha’s first time in Africa. She’s not exactly an animal lover and she has spent the past week panicking about taking the correct malaria tablets.

So as we come into land having flown almost an hour across the dry bushveld in a bumpy eight- seater Cessna aeroplane in the heat of the day, I slip into the conversation that a handful of

celebrity guests have all stayed at t Londolozi, including Tina Turner, r, Fleetwood Mac and nelson Mandela. She seems impressed. But what really does the trick is when we are shown to o our lodge overlooking the crocodileinfested - Sand River in South Africa’s s Mpumalanga province near the western n border of the Kruger national Park — and offered a glass of bubbly.

An hour or so later and we’re off. ‘This s is my first safari,’ natasha tells our r

tracker, Milton. ‘Fresh meat for the leopard, then,’ he says.

Londolozi’s biggest draw is its thriving population of wild leopard. On our very first outing we stumble across a female called Ximungwe, feeding on a young impala she had killed only metres away from our vehicle, her cub playing in the sand nearby.

‘She needs to eat quickly before the lions and hyenas arrive to steal her kill,’ says Chris, the guide.

We have front-row seats as the drama unfolds, spine-chilling yelps of the hyenas in the distance. This healthy leopard population is chiefly down to Londolozi owner John Varty’s conservation efforts, driven by a deep personal affinity with the species.

He even sings songs about leopards with his band The Big Cats round the fire in the evenings (or the ‘boma’, the Swahili term that Varty uses to refer to our camp) to entertain cheery guests after dinner.

An American chap from New Jersey is so moved by one of these performances that he decides to get down on one knee and propose to his girlfriend in front of the entire lodge.

African drums beating, guests dancing, celebratory Shangaan songs being performed in the background . . . ‘I couldn’t think of a more perfect moment to ask you to be my wife,’ he declares to rapturous applause from the boma. Not a dry eye in sight.

It isn’t all back to nature, however. Guests are just as likely to be enchanted by Ralph Lauren-inspired interiors and chic black-andwhite framed photography as they are by belching hippos on the banks of the nearby watering hole.

WeSIp sundowners at dusk by the plunge pool on our balcony at Varty Lodge (there are five camps here, each with their own style). Lions roar in the distance and a passing herd of elephants rustles quietly through the acacia trees below.

This is safari at its most sumptuous, but with a warm heart and welcoming family atmosphere.

Just watch out for the Vervet monkeys when you are escorted back from dinner to your lodge in the evenings. Natasha, despite her worrying constantly about being on safari, is surprisingly emotional when it comes to leaving — ‘I don’t want to go, everyone here is so lovely’, she says bleary-eyed as we wave goodbye to our hosts sitting on the bonnet of their Land Rover, on the edge of our private airstrip in the middle of the bush.

So after three nights at Londolozi, we were back in the bumpy Cessna towards the Azura Boutique Retreat on Benguerra island, one of a collection of dazzlingly beautiful islets that make up the Bazaruto Archipelago just off the mainland coast of southern Mozambique.

We arrive in style — a 15-minute helicopter ride from Vilankulo airport, with spectacular views over the bleached white sand dunes and clear waters of the Indian ocean.

Look closely and you’ll catch a glimpse of turtles, reef sharks, dolphins and humpback whales darting in and out of the waves.

Natasha gasps. And we both smile as we wander through the palm trees sipping mango cocktails, waving at the local children skipping along the beach on their way home from school.

There are 20 glamorous beachfront villas here, each with their own private pools, tropical gardens and chattering birds. Our honeymoon is going well and I am perfectly happy to take all the credit.

Mind you, Abel, our dedicated host, has played a role, bringing us cocktails and even arranging a honeymoon dinner (yes, cringe if you wish, but we love the theatre of it) for us on the beach.

It’s not just romance and relaxation at Azura. ‘ We do a lot of work to support the local community,’ says eugene the hotel’s South African manager, ‘many of whom do not have access to electricity or running water — first we provide full-time employment to our 180 hotel staff (most of whom live within walking distance), but we have also opened the island’s first school and health clinic

since we started welcoming guests just 11 years ago’.

Then we take a guided tour through tiny nearby fishing villages and communities to get a real flavour of island life here and the medicinal qualities of the local flora — finishing with a climb up the biggest sand dune on the island, overlooking a freshwater crocodile lake and miles of uninhabited beaches.

Guests can also enjoy Dhow cruises in traditional Mozambican fishing boats, island hopping on the hotel’s speedboat (including a delicious lunch of crab salad and fish kebabs, eaten on an empty, powdery beach) and snorkelling

and diving in the protected marine reserve’s coral reefs. Just keep an eye out for the (harmless) reef sharks.

as we head back to the villa on our final night, there is a rustle of leaves and a flick of sand in front of us.

‘a snake,’ says Natasha and turns quickly back towards the safety of the hotel reception. ‘Don’t worry,’ says a member of staff, ‘it’s only a grass snake. You should see the Mozambique spitting cobra on the mainland. Now that’s dangerous.’

i assume we might be sleeping in reception after this, but Natasha rallies. Her first trip to africa has had a calming affect and i am thrilled.

i sense we will be returning to this bewitching continent, but i also know we are unlikely to experience it in quite such comfort next time.

TRAVEL FACTS

FREDDY HALLIDAY travelled with The Ultimate Travel Company ( theultimate

travel company.co.uk, 0207 386 4646). Three nights at Londolozi Founders Camp and five nights at Azura Benguerra (inclusive of a special honeymoon deal) from £7,450 per person, including flights and transfers.