Botswana is Africa's premier safari destination, home to the stunning Okavango Delta and massive elephant herds in Chobe National Park. This landlocked Southern African nation offers pristine wilderness, diverse wildlife, and a commitment to conservation tourism.
Top food tours
Guided experiences that show you Botswana through its food.
Gaborone Street Food Walk
Guided walk through Gaborone's Main Mall market area sampling traditional street foods including fat cakes (magwinya), seswaa on pap, beef skewers, and fresh fruit. The guide explains the cultural context of Tswana food traditions and ingredients.
African Mall Market Tour
Immersive tour of Gaborone's bustling African Mall informal market, exploring stalls selling traditional herbs, spices, dried caterpillars (mophane worms), morogo wild spinach, and exotic vegetables used in Tswana cooking.
Traditional Tswana Cooking Experience
Half-day cultural food experience at a local family home near Gaborone, preparing a full traditional Tswana meal from scratch: seswaa (pounded beef), morogo (wild spinach), phaleche (sorghum porridge), and fat cakes. Sit down to eat with the family.
Gaborone Fine Dining Tour
Curated evening visiting three of Gaborone's top restaurants for multi-course experiences: pre-dinner drinks and biltong tasting at Bull & Bush, signature dishes at Basilico Italian, and dessert at The Fig Tree bakery cafe.
Tour formats
Different ways to experience Botswana's food scene.
Street food tours
Informal market walks sampling fat cakes, seswaa, vetkoek, and grilled meats from Gaborone's Main Mall and Maun taxi rank vendors. Typically 1.5-2 hours
Market tours
Guided African Mall and Broadhurst market tours exploring traditional ingredients, herbs, and dried goods used in Tswana cuisine
Restaurant tours
Multi-venue evening restaurant tours visiting top Gaborone establishments including Caravela, Beef Baron, and Rodizio
Specialty tours
Traditional Tswana home cooking experiences, mophane worm tasting sessions, and biltong-making workshops available through cultural tour operators
Cooking classes
Take a piece of Botswana home with you.
Tswana Kitchen Cooking Class
Learn to prepare three traditional Botswana dishes in a home kitchen setting near Gaborone. The class covers seswaa (slow-pounded beef), phaleche (sorghum porridge), and morogo wa mabele (cooked wild greens), with instruction on sourcing ingredients.
African Game Braai Masterclass
Hands-on South African-style braai (barbecue) class specializing in game meat preparation including kudu steaks, springbok chops, and warthog ribs. Learn proper fire-building, marinating, and cooking techniques from an expert braai master.
Bush Camp Cooking with Maun Operators
Join a Maun safari camp cook for a practical session learning to prepare meals on an open fire: bread in a potjie pot, camp stew, and roasted sweet potatoes. Skills applicable for self-drive camping safaris throughout Botswana.
DIY self-guided food tour
Gaborone's self-guided food route covers the city's best traditional and casual eating spots in about 4 hours, moving from the Main Mall to Broadhurst and ending at Riverwalk
-
1
Stop 1: Main Mall market stalls (7AM-9AM) — fat cakes and fresh fruit for breakfast from street vendors
-
2
Stop 2: African Mall informal market (9AM-10AM) — explore traditional herbs, mophane worms, and spices
-
3
Stop 3: The Courtyard Restaurant behind Botswana Craft (12PM) — seswaa with pap for authentic Tswana lunch
-
4
Stop 4: Broadhurst Mall vendors (2PM) — vetkoek with mince and boerewors rolls for afternoon snack
-
5
Stop 5: Vida e Caffe, Fairgrounds (4PM) — excellent South African-style coffee to finish the route
Foodie tips
Get more out of every meal.
Mophane worms (caterpillars) are a high-protein traditional snack available at African Mall — try them fried with salt for an authentic Botswana experience
Seswaa is the national dish — slow-cooked pounded beef that's best tried at The Courtyard Restaurant (Gaborone) or local home kitchens
Lunch is the main meal in Botswana; many restaurants offer lunch specials significantly cheaper than dinner prices
Street food is generally safe at established vendor areas like Main Mall and Broadhurst Mall; avoid freshly cut fruit from unknown vendors
Chibuku Shake Shake (sorghum beer sold in cardboard cartons) is the authentic local drink — adventurous and very cheap at about $0.80
South African restaurant chains (Nando's, Mugg & Bean, Ocean Basket) are reliable for consistent quality and reasonable prices across Botswana
Game meat — springbok, kudu, and warthog — appears on many upscale Gaborone menus; these are sustainable wild-harvested proteins unique to southern Africa
Fresh river fish (bream, tilapia) from the Okavango and Chobe rivers is excellent at Maun and Kasane restaurants — order it grilled simply