Food on safari

Food is almost as important as wildlife sightings when you are on safari. The menus vary depending on your location in our remote areas of operation across Africa. Our chefs cater for the sophisticated traveller’s palate, while showcasing local hero ingredients. Meals are served in a number of settings, from the dining area in camp, to surprise bush set-ups and private dining in your room or Star Bed. 

Where possible meals are designed around seasonal and local ingredients to showcase the best of the regions we operate in, and the rhythm of a safari day shapes when you eat. The morning activity starts before dawn. Before your game drive, coffee and a light continental-style breakfast is served; or if you are heading out on a longer drive you might take a meal pack. A coffee stop is usually part of your morning activity, with an array of snacks to enjoy while chatting with your guide about your earlier sightings. Brunch is served late-morning – back in camp or sometimes as a surprise while out on your activity. This is a full, cooked meal comprising breakfast as well as brunch menu items, along with wine and soft drinks. After a break to rest and relax at siesta time, afternoon activities begin around 4pm, starting with high tea in camp. Sundowners and snacks are usually served in the bush before heading back to camp where a three-course dinner is served.

Drought-resistant sorghum and millet are of the most used staple grains across a few countries. In Kenya, these traditional East African grains, which are naturally gluten-free, are widely used in porridges, breads and grain dishes. Cassava flour – made from dried cassava root and commonly used as an alternative flour in breads and porridges – is an important source of carbohydrates. In Namibia, millet is called mahangu, and used at camp in granola, seed crackers and grain salads. In Rwanda, the staple is primarily the leafy green cassava and plantain, both of which are often used in stews or served as a starch alongside beans or grilled meats. In Botswana, sorghum (known here as mabele) will be found in salads and grain dishes, while millet (lebelebele) is commonly used here too. In Tanzania, staples include sorghum (mtama), and dry white maize (mahindi). You may come across ingredients like these on Wilderness’ popular cultural evenings, which typically are served around an open fire in the camp boma or elsewhere in the open. Be sure to ask your chef if you would like to know more about your meals and their origins. 

Yes. Be sure to inform your Travel Designer about all dietary requirements or allergies prior to travel and the camps will make sure the kitchen can accommodate your needs. Gluten and lactose intolerance, coeliac disease, vegetarians and vegans are catered for, among many other allergies and preferences. 

Our chefs take real pride in the regional plant-based pantry. African cuisines are rich in plant-based traditions that translate naturally to camp kitchens - Rwanda's isombe stew made from pounded cassava leaves and peanuts, Tanzania's makande of corn and beans, Botswana's morogo greens and ditloo legumes, Kenya's irio. These aren't substitutes or afterthoughts; they are the food the land has always produced.

Let your Travel Designer know at the time of booking, and we pass the detail through to every camp on your itinerary before you arrive.

A boma is a traditional enclosure – historically used across Africa to protect livestock from predators at night. At Wilderness camps, we adapt this into an open-air dining space: a fire at the centre, tables arranged around it, the sounds of the bush carrying in from the dark. Boma dinners are one of the most communal and atmospheric meals on any safari itinerary – typically a spread of regional dishes, often accompanied by local music, storytelling from camp staff, or a cultural exchange. Boma dinners do not take place every night; your guide will let you know what the evening holds when you return from the afternoon drive.

A few practical things make a difference: a light layer for early morning bush breakfasts, where temperatures before sunrise can drop sharply even in summer; and closed shoes for any meal served away from camp. Beyond that, leave the formal wardrobe at home – safari dining is relaxed.