Food & cooking Experiences

Food & cooking experiences

If you thought South Africa had it all, then you would be absolutely right. As well as ticking all the top safari and beach boxes, it’s also something of a gastro-getaway. Enter Cape Town and the Winelands, the country’s (actually, make that continent’s) food and wine nirvana. With cooler-than-a-cucumber restaurants around every corner and the best cafe culture south of Paris, Cape Town should be the first stop on every foodies’ list. Follow that with the award-winning restaurants of the Cape Winelands (and several glasses of Pinotage) and all your culinary dreams really will come true.

Learn to cook traditional Bakiga dishes in Bwindi

At Ride 4 a Woman you can learn how to cook traditional dishes of the Bakiga tribe. Wander through their gardens, pick and dig your choice of vegetables and herbs then set to work with the chef in the kitchen.

Take a day trip out to Hemel-en-Aarde Valley

For wine lovers looking to taste, learn and experience South Africa’s diverse grapes, look no further than the cool climate Hemel-en-Aarde valley.

This tour is as much about spectacular scenery (Hemel-en-Aarde directly translates as ‘Heaven and Earth’ which gives the game away a little!) as it is about darn good wine. The day starts with a drive along the picture-perfect Cape Whale Route through the quaint towns of the Western Cape, taking in views of fynbos-clad hillsides and the dazzling Atlantic Ocean. Once in the idyllic valley protected by the Babylonstoren Mountains, you’ll stop off for a few different wine tastings in which the critically acclaimed Pinot Noir and Chardonnay will certainly make an appearance. Living up to its name, the wine estates of Hemel-en-Aarde are certainly unique, from the church-like Ataraxia Wine Lounge on a secluded hilltop, the chart-topping ocean views from La Vierge to the delightful Creation Estate. Lunch is served at its award-winning restaurant that’s a feast for the senses, and in the afternoon, you’ll sabrage your own bottle of bubbly from the region’s only MCC-producer. Add a drive down to nearby Hermanus to your day for a spot of whalewatching!