5 Cuddly Honeymoon Destinations Perfect For Animal Lovers

Flickr CC/mistermunay

Animal-loving couples, add some creature cuddles to your honeymoon plans. These five destinations get you close enough to touch some of your favorite animals, both in the wild and in ethical sanctuaries. No elephant rides, no drugged-out critters, just rescue animals and wild beasts happily chilling in some super cool locations around the world.

1. Sloth Sanctuary, Costa Rica

Flickr CC/Jenny Jozwiak

You can’t hold the sloths, but it’s still magical to hang out with the slow little critters. The Sloth Sanctuary of Costa Rica adopts injured, orphaned and abandoned sloths. For $30, you and your love monkey can enjoy the hilarious animals in the sanctuary and see their natural habitat. But sloth super fans can get the behind the scenes tour for $150. The inside look allows guests into the sloth hospital (“slothpital”) for a peek at the babies.

2. Kauai Humane Society, Hawaii, U.S.

If your Hawaiian honeymoon is incomplete without a pup, the Kauai Humane Society has you covered. You can borrow a rescue dog for the day and take the canine on a field trip to an island beach or hike together along the coast.

And if you end up as in love with your doggie friend as you are with your better half, the Humane Society will eagerly help you get adoption paperwork in order to get your new pet back to the mainland with you. We think “Honeymoon” is a pretty freaking cute nickname for a puppy.

3. Elephant Nature Park, Thailand

Flickr CC/Christian Haugen

There are no elephant rides here. The Elephant Nature Park in Northern Thailand is a happy home for rescued animals. The sanctuary offers guests a chance to bathe elephants, feed them banana snacks and bond with both bae and the graceful giants. For the ultimate elephant experience, spend the night at the sanctuary for even more time among these magnificent animals.

4. Old Friends Senior Dog Sanctuary, Tennessee, U.S.

Hang out with the lovable and Internet-famous pups of Old Friends Senior Dog Sanctuary. The sanctuary saves older dogs from sad lives in rescue shelters. Senior dogs don’t get adopted as easily, so go give these doggos some love while they’re waiting to find their forever homes.

If you’re budget honeymooning in Nashville, you’re only 30 minutes from Old Friends and a tour only costs $10. You might even find a curmudgeonly companion to add to your newlywed bliss.

5. Pig Beach, Bahamas

Flickr CC/Kai Lehmann

Bahamian honeymooners, we know you want to take an excursion to Pig Beach. The porky island is a boat ride away from Nassau or The Exumas; it’s an easy day trip from either. No one really knows how the pigs ended up on their own little island, but it’s pretty clear the 20 animals are living large from all the tourist attention. You can hop on a tour to see/feed/swim with the pigs for around $150.