Article from the Summer 2012/2013 issue of Summer Wild Magazine.
These open-air dining opportunities make for memorable meals. Nature lovers know that good food tastes even better outdoors!
Bush Braai, Mokala National Park
Your sunset game drive winds through Kalahari thornveld when suddenly a fairyland is revealed. Against a darkening sky, paraffin lamps dangling from the trees look like dozens of fireflies. Below one particularly impressive camel thorn, said to be 350 years old, the table is set for dinner. But first there are snacks and your welcome drink: a refreshing cocktail in summer, a warming glass of sherry in winter. Take your time to enjoy the setting as few visitors to the park get to see this special place. As fireside tales and bush sounds fill the night air, a delicious spread is prepared. Chops and boerewors off the coals, freshly baked roosterkoek and seasonal salads, rounded off with dessert and coffee.
Contact: 053-204-0158 tess.white@sanparks.org
Breakfast safari, Shongweni Dam and Game Reserve
What better way to start the day than with a game drive through the kloof, the rising sun lighting up the valley bush? Shongweni Game Reserve is home to big game such as buffalo and giraffe, which from your perch in the safari vehicle you’ll be perfectly placed to spot. The game drive of 2,5 hours will take you to your breakfast spot with a view of the dam. Here you can enjoy fresh orange juice, muesli and fruit yoghurt, plus a complete cooked feast of scrambled eggs, bacon, pork sausages and grilled tomato. This is the life!
Contact: 031-769-1283, shongweni@msinsi.co.za
Bush braai, Kruger National Park
It’s one thing to enjoy dinner in a rest camp. It’s quite another thing to dine out in the bush where animals that are roaming around might consider you dinner. Not to worry, with an armed ranger in attendance, you can forget about predators and focus on the event. Many of Kruger’s rest camps offer bush braais, but Letaba often comes up as a favourite. Maybe it’s the chance to see the area’s resident leopard on its way out to hunt. The braai takes place in a traditional kraal under a big leadwood tree, where you enjoy drinks as meat sizzles on the grill.
Contact: 013-735-6636
Dinner under the stars, Mkhaya Game Reserve, Swaziland
At Stone Camp, Swazi drums announce the call to dinner, a four-course affair served out in the open under a gigantic sausage tree. Lantern-lit pathways lead from the chalets to a river-sand clearing where intimate tables cluster around a fire. The look is elegant, the mood is relaxed. The menu draws inspiration from seasonal fare available locally, kicking off with tasty bites, followed by creamy sweet potato or tomato and sweet basil soup, which in turn makes way for wildebeest wors, impala chops or a venison potjie. Dessert includes favourites such as melba pudding and apple crumble.
Contact: +268-2528-3943
