One of our ultimate, favourite, top of the list safari activities is bush dining. Many lodges and camps all over Africa add this special occasion to their guest itineraries, whether it’s a private affair to celebrate an engagement or an anniversary, or a breakfast or dinner treat for all guests. This is a little look into our favourite bush dining locations, and our opinion on which lodges do it best! We’re talking champagne breakfasts and starlit suppers – indulging in some of our favourite activities (eating and drinking) in some of our favourite places (the untamed bush) and making memories to last a lifetime. These places go the extra mile to make your safari one of a kind.
andBeyond Sossusvlei Desert Lodge, Namibia
For starters: This blissful desert dinner at andBeyond Sossusvlei Desert Lodge in Namibia’s remote and unique landscape. A starry expanse and a distant horizon coated in gold set the scene for what is perhaps a romantic’s wildest dream. This one is for the adventure-seeking honeymooners who travel to the land of great contrasts in search of solitude and stark beauty. Namibia is just this, and the unusual Sossusvlei dunes offer the perfect amount of tranquility for an unforgettable dining experience with your loved one.
“Kigelia Ruaha is where you go when your soul seeks the humbling solitude of giant baobabs, the exhilaration of encountering Africa’s big cats or great herds of elephant; where the experience is on experiencing nature and not the gold taps, and where you can feel at home while simultaneously enjoyning the care of a dedicated team.”
These are words that describe this intimate safari camp in Tanzania perfectly. Kigelia Ruaha couldn’t be a better fit for our bush dining fantasy league, taking us to a very special part of East Africa and treating us to a understated glamour and candlelit festivities around the dinner table.
The candleit tables beneath starry skies are what bush dinners are made of, but bush breakfasts offer something entirely different and none the less wild and spectacular. In the light of day, guests at Jao Camp can enjoy a surreal champagne breakfast in the shallows of the Delta water while wildlife abounds and offers endless natural beauty. What a way to start the day on a safari holiday with loved ones!
Now this isn’t necessarily a bush dinner, but the lakeside al fresco celebration at Chintheche Inn is one wild way to spend an evening on Lake Malawi. This is a private beach setting in one of the most iconic places in Africa – unforgettable, stellar, scenic. Malawi is a very special country, and it offers something different in terms of safari quality, and of course dining at the silent edge of the Lake of Stars is something for the record books!
Breakfasting in view of a herd of buffalo – what a memorable meal! This sublime setting is a bush breakfast in the Kapamba River, South Luangwa, where Zungulila Bush Camp is located. This intimate safari camp is positioned perfectly to offer boundless views of wildlife on the riverbanks, and taking to the shallows to enjoy a sundowner or a good breakfast in the wilderness.
Morukuru Ocean House, South Africa
Seaside magic for this phenomenal al fresco dinner in the surroundings of the protected and cherished De Hoop Nature Reserve in the Western Cape of South Africa. The exclusive Morukuru Ocean House offers families an adventure of a lifetime with enthralling activities, expert guiding, and occasions such as this: dining under the starry sky alongside the crashing Indian Ocean. Magic!
Lantern light flickering gently to cast a golden glow on the dining table as the sun sinks beyond the horizon and brings people together over a delicious meal in the wild surroundings of the Zimbabwean bush. Camp Hwange brings the magic of this treasured part of Africa to every element of their guests’ experience, and that’s exactly what puts them on our list of best bush dinners!
Lunch time laughs in Tanzania’s Northern Circuit where Intimate Camps sets up a totally tailored tented safari experience, which naturally includes some scenic bush dining. This is one mobile safari camp with a destination focus, taking guests into some of the wildlest parts of Tanzania.
Hwange Walking Safaris, Zimbabwe
Breakfast is served! The incredible Linkwasha Concession in Hwange National Park is one of the best parts of Zimbabwe, and with Hwange Walking Safaris, guests get to explore this area and its wildlife on foot. And as for eating breakfast: this is quite simply it. What a pleasure!
