From South African Soil to the Table: Beauty Food at Mhondoro

Author: Eat Well · Feel Well · Live Well Editorial Team

A safari through South Africa’s vast wilderness offers more than encounters with wild animals and magnificent scenery.

Less than a three-hour drive from Johannesburg, Mhondoro Safari Lodge & Villa stands within Welgevonden Game Reserve in the Waterberg. Here, the food served to guests is closely connected to the surrounding land.

There is a farm where vegetables and fruit are grown, people who harvest fresh ingredients each morning, and a chef who brings that produce together on the plate.

At Mhondoro, beauty food begins not in the restaurant kitchen, but with vegetables grown in South African soil.

The Waterberg Wilderness, Home to the Big Five

Mhondoro Safari Lodge & Villa is located in Welgevonden Game Reserve, which stretches across the Waterberg region of northern South Africa.

Covering approximately 36,000 hectares, the reserve is home to the Big Five—lion, leopard, buffalo, rhino and elephant—along with more than 50 mammal species, around 350 bird species and approximately 2,000 plant species.

Set within this malaria-free reserve, Mhondoro is an intimate five-star safari lodge accommodating up to 24 guests. It's approach brings together time in the wilderness, spa treatments, dining and rest.

Mhondoro Eco-Farm, Where Beauty Food Is Grown

Mhondoro Eco-Farm is located approximately two kilometres from the main gate of Welgevonden Game Reserve.

Up to 45 per cent of the fresh produce used in the lodge restaurant is organically grown on the farm. No pesticides or synthetic fertilisers are used, while organic material produced on-site is composted and returned to the gardens and fields.

Herbs, vegetables, fruit and edible flowers are among the crops grown here. They are harvested each morning and incorporated into the lodge’s menu for the day.

The farm also keeps free-range chickens, providing fresh eggs for the lodge. Rather than bringing every ingredient in from afar, Mhondoro grows as much of its kitchen produce as possible close to where it will be served.

The table at Mhondoro reflects both the seasons and what the farm yields each day.

What Guests Pick Becomes Their Welcome Lunch

The Eco-Farm is both a place of production and the starting point for each guest’s introduction to Mhondoro’s food.

Before entering the reserve, guests stop at the Reception & Welcome Lounge beside the farm, where they can join a guided farm tour.

Alongside the gardeners, they pick herbs, vegetables and fruit, which are then served as part of a fresh lunch. After the meal, guests continue to the lodge in an open safari vehicle.

What they gather from the soil becomes part of the food on their plate. Rather than simply being told where the ingredients come from, guests begin their stay by walking through the land, touching its produce and tasting what grows there.

Chef Kedibone Laka Brings the Harvest to the Table

＜Chef Kedibone Laka of Mhondoro Safari Lodge & Villa.＞

Each morning, ingredients from the farm arrive in Mhondoro’s kitchen, where they are prepared and brought to the table for guests.

Chef Kedibone Laka is part of the culinary team at Mhondoro. Surrounded by the South African wilderness, she works with vegetables, herbs and fruit supplied by the farm to create the lodge’s dishes.

Mhondoro’s cuisine draws inspiration from menus by Luke Dale Roberts, one of South Africa’s leading chefs. Contemporary African cooking is shaped by produce from the farm and the changing seasons.

Beauty food is not defined by a list of ingredients alone. It also lies in how those ingredients are combined and presented. At Mhondoro, the connection between the people who grow the food and those who prepare it remains visible on the plate.

Starting the Morning with Fresh Juices in Every Colour

Three juices combining vegetables and fruit stand out on the breakfast menu.

The “Detox Juice” is made with cucumber, ginger, celery, spinach and lemon, bringing together green vegetables and bright citrus notes.

The vivid red “Red Hero Juice” blends beetroot, ginger, turmeric, apple and lemon, while the “Go Away Doc” combines carrot, ginger and apple.

“Detox” is the name used on the menu and does not indicate or guarantee any specific effect.

With vegetables and fruit in a range of colours, these morning juices offer a welcome choice for travellers who want to eat in a way that feels right for them.

Beauty Food, Whether Sweet or Savoury

Mhondoro’s breakfast menu offers a range of choices to suit each guest’s mood and appetite.

Sweet options include overnight oats with fruit, oats and peanut butter; yoghurt served with fruit, nuts and granola; and a selection of seasonal fruit. Savoury choices include avocado on toast, a smoked salmon bagel, eggs prepared in several styles and shakshuka.

Made with tomato, eggs, cumin, paprika and coriander, the shakshuka brings fragrant spices and vivid colour together on one plate.

Vegetarian and vegan options are clearly marked, making it easier for guests to choose according to their dietary preferences and how they feel that day.

A Colourful Lunch from the Farm

Lunch options include the “Superfood Quinoa Bowl,” made with roasted vegetables, feta, pomegranate and tahini dressing, and the “Avocado Smash Deluxe,” which combines avocado, poached eggs, lime and microgreens.

Another dish pairs tomatoes in different colours and shapes with burrata, basil, olive oil and balsamic. In the hands of the chefs, ingredients harvested each morning at the Eco-Farm become colourful plates served in the heart of the South African bush.

Where Food and People Grow Together

In addition to the Eco-Farm, Mhondoro has established a Farmhouse Production Kitchen on a separate farm beside Welgevonden Game Reserve.

Freshly baked bread and rusks, jams, pesto, pâté, cured and aged meats, and ice cream are all made by hand here.

The Production Kitchen serves not only as a place for preparing food, but also as a training facility for culinary skills. Mhondoro employs new team members from the surrounding community, giving them opportunities to develop practical skills while working with game meat and producing deli items for the lodge kitchens.

Surplus produce from the Eco-Farm is donated to the local community. Glass, cans, paper and food waste from the lodge are also recycled or repurposed.

Behind each plate lies more than a farm. Local employment, practical training and a system that returns resources to use are also part of Mhondoro’s farm-to-table approach.

A Safari Lodge Honoured in Four Categories in 2026

Mhondoro Safari Lodge & Villa received the global titles of “Best Bush Lodge” and “Best Safari Lodge” at the 2026 Haute Grandeur Global Excellence Awards.

It was also named “Best Destination Wedding Hotel in Africa” and “Best Family Hotel in South Africa,” receiving four honours across global, continental and national categories.

A vast wilderness inhabited by wild animals, food that begins on the farm, the work of the chefs, wellness, and ties to the local community all come together at Mhondoro.

In this corner of South Africa, the answer to beauty lies at a table shaped by nature and human hands.

Images courtesy of Mhondoro Safari Lodge & Villa

※Please note: Menus and available offerings may change according to the season and ingredient availability.

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Location

Welgevonden Game Reserve

PO Box 742, Vaalwater

Limpopo, South Africa

Mhondoro Safari Lodge & Villa is located in Welgevonden Game Reserve in the Waterberg Mountains of Limpopo, north-eastern South Africa. Platbank Reception, the arrival point for the lodge, is approximately a two-hour-and-45-minute drive from Johannesburg’s O.R. Tambo International Airport.