SOUTH AFRICA
South Africa's standouts.
A shortlist of the 10 lunch experiences most worth booking in South Africa, with what each one is like on the day, who runs it, and what it costs.
Big Five safari from Cape Town to Aquila Reserve with an open-vehicle game drive, birding for black eagles, and a buffet lunch.
“The whole visit from. start to finish was excellent. Our guide, with the unpronouncable name, was very good, spotting the animals and getting us good views.”
Small-group wine tour from Cape Town to Stellenbosch, Franschhoek, and Paarl with cheese and chocolate tastings plus lunch and pickup included.
“Our guide, Basil, was amazing and funny. We had a wondwrful day in the winelands tasting lots of different wines. Lunch at Franchoek was first class with more wine to drink”
4-hour Soweto walking tour with a local guide, lunch, and minibus taxi to the Soweto Towers. Visit Mandela and Tutu sites.
“What a great experience! Maweza was my guide and had so much knowledge and direct experience in Soweto! He made me feel safe, was incredibly informative with history and culture, and was an overall delight. One tip — bring extra cash to give as tips for street entertainers and even your guide. I ran out…”
Cook Cape Malay classics with Faldela in Bo-Kaap, then eat your lunch. Colorful homes, spice tips, recipes shared.
“Being invited into Faldelas house to cook together with her was an beautiful, memorable and honest experience. The food we cooked together was more than enough for everybody and very delicious. All recipes have been shared afterwards. Thank you for the amazing class & lunch. :)”
Full-day Soweto tour with guided history, Apartheid Museum entry, and a traditional lunch—plus pickup, WiFi, and local stops.
“It was a great tour. Van was comfortable. Lunch was great. Khutso, our guide, was very entertaining and informative. He also volunteered to take our photos, which is very helpful for solo travelers. The part of the informal settlement was very authentic and eye opening.”
Small-group full-day Addo safari in Eastern Cape with two game drives and a traditional braai lunch inside the park.
“We enjoyed the trip and the food was very delicious. Unfortunately we saw only 2 of the big five but it’s wonderful to see that the animals can walk freely which means that you have small chances for some. You are very likely to see kudus, zebras and elephants but lions are rarer and leopards…”
4-hour guided bicycle tour through Soweto: Vilakazi Street, Hector Pietersen Memorial, Mandela and Tutu Houses, plus kota lunch for $52.
“It was a really insightful and fun tour. Had an amazing time with Thabo who provided me with a lot of important information and took me all around Soweto in the bicycle. Really grateful to meet him. Lunch was great too”
Shared Cape Winelands tour with up to 4 estates, included tastings, lunch option, Stellenbosch and Franschhoek time, and Mandela site.
“Tasting wine and enjoying the cheese at Fairview was delicious. Nice relaxing day, done at one’s own pace”
Walk Soweto’s uprising sites with a local guide, then refuel with a kota sandwich lunch at Orlando Towers in Johannesburg.
“Incredibly authentic. Never experienced a tour quite like this one. Maweza was so welcoming and knowledgeable. He started with a very succinct history of the township, which provided the necessary background information for the rest of the tour. Then he continued to provide more context and details as we walked the streets where important historical…”
Enjoy a 1-hour coastal cruise from the V&A Waterfront plus a 2-course waterfront lunch in Cape Town, with views of Table Mountain and the Atlantic.
“Was a great time! Everyone was dancing on the boat and having a great time! Everything about it and the lunch that followed was excellent. The only negative was I didn’t wear sunscreen and I had a pretty bad burn. I would do this again and highly recommend, just protect myself from the sun next…”
