Great Plains, the iconic African eco-tourism organization, is delighted to serve up its most exceptional epicurean adventures to date. The new bucket list in the bush destination dining experiences are available at Great Plains’ most iconic luxury camps in Botswana, Kenya and Zimbabwe.
Ranging from a horseback breakfast in the bush to gourmet food and wine by the watering hole, there’s a choice to suit all tastes. Guests of Great Plains can anticipate exquisite culinary experiences throughout their safari at the Reserve level camps, which have been awarded accreditation by Relais & Châteaux. With all Great Plains chefs trained in high-end vegan cuisine at the direction of Great Plains co-founders Dereck and Beverly Joubert, who follow a plant-based diet themselves, vegans will be exceptionally well catered for, too. The sensational dining experiences include:
Dine in the Delta at Okavango Explorers Camp, Botswana
The newest property in the Great Plains portfolio, Okavango Explorers Camp is a six-bed camp located in Botswana’s 160,000-hectare private Selinda Reserve. The abundant water makes the Okavango Delta safari scene truly unique, with the extraordinary annual flood through the waterways and channels bringing a cinematic feel to the area. It’s in this water that guests can choose to enjoy an unparalleled foodie experience and dine with their toes in the water. After a day spent leopard and lion-spotting, the camp’s dedicated team can arrange a lantern-lit, ‘floating’ gourmet experience on the Spillway. Here, diners will watch the colors of the sunset change and reflect on the water around the table moment by moment, accompanied by the sounds of birds flying home to their nests overhead.
The Interactive Kitchen at Duba Plains Camp, Botswana
At Duba Plains Camp, located on the 33,000-acre Duba Plains reserve in Botswana, one of the most often-asked questions post suppertime is ‘how do we make this at home?’. Thanks to the new ‘Interactive Kitchen’ experience, guests need wonder no more! From the specially built interactive kitchen at the heart of the camp, guests can sit back, watch and learn as world-renowned chefs whip up a gourmet tasting menu with expert wine pairings. Combining international dishes with local touches, the team will talk through the process of creating each delicious dish, tailoring recipes to the individual’s liking.
In-Suite Fine Dining at Mara Plains Camp, Kenya
Deep in the heart of the 13,300-acre Olare Motorogi Conservancy, Mara Plains Camp provides one-of-a-kind luxury and wildlife spotting on the Maasai Mara National Reserve’s northern boundary. Offering total flexibility to guests, the camp’s incredible host team can create bespoke dining experiences based on what they fancy that night using ingredients from the on-site vegetable garden. The ideal choice for those looking to celebrate a special occasion be it group dining, a private dinner at camp or a romantic in-suite meal; the in-suite fine dining set up allows guests to dine beneath the Kenyan sky and feel a million miles from anywhere, and anyone.
Buckle up for a Bush Breakfast at ol Donyo Lodge, Kenya
Serenely located in the Chyulu Hills, in the shadow of Mount Kilimanjaro, privacy is guaranteed at ol Donyo Lodge in Kenya. Home to an impressive stable of 20 horses, the lodge offers the unique opportunity to swap the rumble of the engine for the sound of hooves on the grassy plains. The most exhilarating way to start one’s day at ol Donyo is with a breakfast in the bush by horseback!
Here, guests will ride through the bush – spotting giraffe and cheetah as they go – before arriving to a delicious breakfast set up, accompanied by birdsong, under the shade of an acacia tree. This breakfast may be far from camp but the team don’t leave anything behind, with freshly baked goods, hot breakfast and fresh fruit-a-plenty making for a morning to remember!
Lunch with the Elephants at the Hide at ol Donyo Lodge, Kenya
At ol Donyo Lodge, adventure-seekers have the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to eat lunch alongside an elephant herd of big tuskers. Guests will take their seat in the hide where the table is laid out with healthy, locally sourced lunch options. Here, they will watch over the watering hole, truly immersed in the wild where the options of sightings are endless. Diners might be accompanied by giraffe bending awkwardly for their midday drink, resident elephant herds, wildebeest and more. Recent guests even had the honor of seeing cheetah with cubs as they tucked into their cheese board!
Dining on the Banks of the Zambezi at Tembo Plains Camp, Zimbabwe
Enjoying a majestic setting on the banks of Zimbabwe’s Zambezi river, Great Plains’ Tembo Plains Camp provides the ultimate wilderness experience. Guests of Zimbabwe’s newest camp can now extend their bush adventure with a waterside dinner overlooking the Zambezi, whose power is culturally embedded in the country’s history. As guests are mesmerized by the peacefully flowing water before them, an expert team of chefs will create a mouth-watering array of dishes for them to enjoy by candlelight while reliving the adventures of the preceding day.
