According to Flight Centre’s latest Global PR survey, South African travellers are officially the hungriest for foodie-led adventures in 2025, with 83% saying gastronomy is one of their top travel priorities. That’s higher than anywhere else surveyed, including Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the UK, and the US.
But this isn’t about ticking off famous restaurants or posting plated perfection on Instagram. It’s something deeper: a craving for flavour-led travel that connects culture with cuisine, from wild coastlines and township kitchens to secret forest dinners lit by fireflies.
Across the country (and beyond), food is becoming both compass and conversation starter. And South African travellers are leading the charge… not just following trends but changing what meaningful travel tastes like.
What’s driving SA’s appetite?
South Africans have always gathered around food – and now we’re travelling for it. The question is – why?
First, there’s an increasing desire for authenticity over aesthetics. Diners want to know who grew the mielies and what story lives behind that sauce. “It used to be about fine dining and white tablecloths,” says Antoinette Turner, General Manager of Flight Centre South Africa. “Now it’s about connection and discovery – eating something unfamiliar in someone else’s language or rediscovering your culture through ingredients your great-grandmother might’ve used.”
Add to that a rising pride in local cuisine – chefs across the country are spotlighting indigenous ingredients once ignored by mainstream menus, from buchu oil and waterblommetjies to mopani worms and marula vinegar. Sustainability matters, too. More travellers are choosing experiences where food is seasonal, locally sourced, and low-impact.
There’s also a strong shift toward spontaneity. With 32% of restaurant bookings made same-day in cities like Joburg and Cape Town, according to Dineplan, South African diners expect flexibility.
Finally, there’s something uniquely democratic about food tourism in South Africa right now. You don’t need five-star budgets or insider access; some of the most unforgettable meals come wrapped in butcher paper on a Blouberg beachfront or served from pots bubbling outside shebeens at sunset.
5 foodie experiences you can book right now
- SecretEATS: Underground dining by candlelight
These one-night-only dinners unfold in hidden locations across Cape Town and Johannesburg, such as wine cellars, rooftop gardens, or artist studios. Guests receive the address only hours before sitting down to a multi-course menu prepared by top local chefs using seasonal ingredients and paired with boutique wines.
- Cape Malay cooking in Bo Kaap
In the pastel-hued heart of Cape Town lies a spice trail centuries deep. Join local cooks for hands-on classes where you’ll stuff samoosas, stir denningvleis (a slow-cooked lamb stew), and mix your own masala blend to take home. Every dish comes with stories about migration, memory, and Muslim heritage – as essential as the cinnamon sticks in your pot.
- Bush banquets beneath the stars
This isn’t picnic-in-the-veld energy; it’s full-on theatre in nature. In parts of Greater Kruger or Madikwe Game Reserve, you can book private bush dinners where chefs cook over open flame surrounded by lanterns – no fences between you and whatever roams nearby. Menus feature wild herbs like num-num berries or wild garlic flowers foraged that morning.
- Street food walks through Cape Town & Jozi CBDs
Join guided insiders’ tours through Jozi’s inner city or Salt River alleyways where street food speaks louder than signage: Gatsby sandwiches longer than your arm; walkie talkies sizzling on roadside braais; sugar-dusted koeksisters sold from white-enamelled pots on doorsteps. Bring cash!
- The Spice Route Experience – Paarl Wine Valley
A slow-roaming graze across hillsides lined with vineyards and artisanal kitchens – taste single-origin chocolates made on-site and sip fynbos gin neat or paired with dried citrus peels from neighbouring orchards. Plan to stay awhile. This is an all-afternoon affair worth lingering over.
The rise of food-led travel doesn’t mean every trip needs to revolve around restaurant reservations, but it does mean travellers are prioritising experiences that feel rooted, relational, and real. The itinerary now flexes around markets stumbled upon at noon or dinner invites extended at 3pm.
That spontaneity is transforming how we plan. “We’re seeing more travellers asking us to leave space in their schedules,” explains Turner. “They want options – a shortlist of local food tours or cooking classes they can book on the fly depending on what smells good that day.”
And while wine estates and five-star dinners definitely still have their place, there’s growing interest in community-run kitchens, open-fire meals in places without postcodes, and dishes with names you need help pronouncing. That’s where Flight Centre’s Travel Experts come into their own: connecting curious eaters with experiences that promise a sprinkle of the unexpected.
Your next wholly satisfying getaway is just a conversation away! Get a quote now.
