The “spice island” of the coast of Tanzania is one of the most exotically beautiful destinations on the continent, combining a crumbling old city that feels like stepping onto a movie set for “Lawrence of Arabia” or “Indiana Jones” with palm-fringed white sand beaches and crystal-clear turquoise water.
Also in the Zanzibar archipelago, Pemba is home to the Manta Resort, which recently unveiled its Underwater Room – a three-floor suite floating besides a coastal reef. Pretty much the epitome of the spot to propose to a girl who identifies with mermaids.
If your girl’s idea of the perfect wedding is saying “I do” after zipping down a black-diamond ski run or finishing a marathon, then ask her to be yours forever at the very top of Mount Kilimanjaro. It takes about eight days to get from bottom to top, so you’ll have a lot of time with ring in pocket to think about what you plan to say.
Walk all the way out to Danger Point on the Zimbabwe side, and get down on one knee with a sheer 300-foot drop behind you. Just don’t fall backwards when she hugs you and says “yes.”
Head out into the middle of nowhere in Namibia for the ultimate adventure proposal. If you drive from Windhoek it takes a good two days. But there is definitely something special about saying, “I do” at the base of Dune 45. Just don’t let the beauty of towering red monoliths bewitch your focus from your bride-to-be.
One of the world’s most beautiful cities makes a great place to propose. Head down to Camps Bay at sunset and pop the question overlooking the marbled hues of the Atlantic with the Twelve Apostles and Table Mountain holding court behind.
Check into Ngoma Lodge on the western edge of Chobe National Park in Botswana, order a bottle of bubbly, get into your villa’s private plunge pool overlooking the Chobe River – and all the animals coming to it to drink – and ask her to marry you. Seal the deal with a night drive to look for hard-to-spot cats.
South Africa’s most romantic wine country town looks like someone moved a French country village and plopped it down in the hills east of Cape Town. Home to plenty of cozy country retreats, like Le Quartier Francias, plus gourmet restaurants and of course world-class vineyards, it is the obvious proposal place for a woman with a nose for a good pinotage.
Even with all the violence in Egypt, the Great Pyramids are still one of the world’s most classic exotic spots to propose. If you can get here, do so.
If you really want to surprise your girlfriend when you pop the question, then take her to a private island resort in the Seychelles to pop the question. You can find the kind of place where you arrive by helicopter and spend your nights in a private villa overlooking the Indian Ocean with personal butlers catering to your every whim.
