{"id":44359,"date":"2026-09-03T16:23:59","date_gmt":"2026-09-03T14:23:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/getitmagazine.co.za\/ballito-umhlanga\/?p=44359"},"modified":"2026-09-04T09:33:51","modified_gmt":"2026-09-04T07:33:51","slug":"farm-to-table-safari","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/getitmagazine.co.za\/ballito-umhlanga\/blog\/2026\/09\/03\/farm-to-table-safari\/","title":{"rendered":"Farm to table safari"},"content":{"rendered":"

Mhondoro Safari Lodge & Villa\u2019s sustainability adventure<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Can you choose a safari destination because of the food? Hell yes. We did. And we weren\u2019t sorry. We\u2019d heard Luke Dale Roberts had spent some time at Mhondoro Safari Lodge & Villa in the Waterberg, inspiring the menu, training the staff, doing his magical foodie thing … with the result being a spectacular offering of designer dishes and menus alongside the game viewing and safari experience.<\/p>\n

And you know you\u2019re in for something special from the moment you arrive at the reserve. Not, as with the other lodges, at the Welgevonden main gate and dusty car park. Instead, guests arrive at the lodge\u2019s luxurious reception and welcome lodge, a few kilometres up the road. A glass of homemade lemon juice and then a tour of the impressive Mohondoro Eco-Farm, which produces the organic veggies, herbs, fruits and edible flowers for the lodge. Half an hour or so of picking veggies and marvelling at the fruit-laden pawpaw, banana and lemon trees, lunch is served – all homegrown fare and freshly baked breads, before a ranger arrives to take you to the lodge – about an hour or so drive through the reserve in an open game viewing vehicle.<\/p>\n

This Eco-Farm isn\u2019t the end of the self-sustainability vision at Mhondoro. There\u2019s also a Farmhouse Production Kitchen on another of their properties nearby. Along with being the home for the sheep, cattle and free-range chickens – free-range eggs for breakfast – this is the culinary hub, where staff are upskilled, creating deli items like rusks and jams, p\u00e2t\u00e9s and pestos, gourmet ice creams, and a selection of cured and aged meats. Between the two farms, most of the ingredients for meals the lodge\u2019s guests enjoy are supplied. All with no pesticides, synthetic fertilisers, nasties. And in line with its eco-friendly practices, all excess waste at the lodge – glass, cans, paper and food – is 100 per cent recycled and repurposed.<\/p>\n

There are plans – hopefully before year end – for lodge guests to visit the production kitchen for traditional cooking classes and farm lunches served on the riverbank. And with no dangerous game on this farm, the excursion may also include the use of e-bikes, quad bikes and various hiking and walking trails for guests who wish to be more active and add another dimension to their safari stay.<\/p>\n

Besides supplying the lodge with fresh ingredients – around 65 varieties, the two farms have created new jobs for people in the local community, who also benefit from any surplus produce, which is donated to those in need.<\/p>\n