"Victoria Falls' 320-seat open-air braai turned 80,404 covers in 2025 alone — book it once for the team dinner."
About The Boma
Two hundred and twenty covers a night, every night of the year: The Boma served 80,404 guests in 2025, the busiest year in its history, by the operator's own count. It has been running since 1992 under a vast thatched roof open to the night sky, three kilometres from the town centre on the Victoria Falls Safari Lodge estate, and it remains the single most-booked dinner in the Victoria Falls dining guide. The format has barely changed in three decades because it does not need to: a four-course Zimbabwean feast, a drum in every guest's hands, and a roomful of strangers who leave as a choir.
The Kitchen
Executive chef Thomas Koke came to the brief after a decade in Dubai hotel kitchens, and his job is volume without shortcuts: a starter platter of Zimbabwean nibbles, soup ladled from cast-iron pots over a live campfire, then the braai itself — a barbecue buffet of grilled meats where warthog is the plate everyone photographs, flanked by local game, beef, sadza and slow-cooked vegetable dishes from the region's home cooking. The famous dare is the mopane-worm challenge: eat one of the protein-rich caterpillars, a southern-African staple, and the team hands you a signed certificate. Vegetarians and halal diners get real menus rather than afterthoughts. It is the opposite end of the spectrum from the colonial silver-service of The Livingstone Room, and a louder cousin of the township table at Dusty Road — see where braai culture sits among the best barbecue tables worldwide, and read the seven signs of a great restaurant on why a 1992 formula still fills 320 seats.
The Room
A boma is a traditional enclosure, and this one seats 320 under thatch in the dry season, 250 when the rains come, with the bush pressing in at the edges of the firelight. The night runs on a timetable: chitenge robes and a welcome at the door, face painting if you want it, traditional dancers and a storyteller between courses, then the interactive drum session — every seat gets a djembe — that takes over the room around the dessert course. It is loud, communal and completely unembarrassed about either. Complimentary Wi-Fi exists; nobody uses it.
Best for A Team Dinner
Book The Boma for a team dinner because no icebreaker exercise ever invented beats putting a djembe in front of every seat: the drumming session flattens hierarchies in about ninety seconds, the long communal tables hold groups that would swamp any other room in town, and the mopane-worm certificates become the trip's running joke. The venue takes exclusive-use bookings from 250 guests, and estate guests sign dinner straight to their rooms. See more restaurants for a team dinner.
Not for
Not for a quiet dinner or a first date — the drum show owns the room from mid-meal onward. Conversation-first tables should book Dusty Road's set menu instead.
Frequently Asked
How much does The Boma in Victoria Falls cost?
The four-course set feast starts at about US$55 per person at the operator's published 2025 rates, with drinks charged separately and a roughly US$12 return transfer from town hotels if you need one. US dollars are the working currency in Victoria Falls; bring small notes for gratuities and the craft sellers. Cards — Visa, Mastercard, Amex — are accepted.
Do I need to book The Boma in advance?
Yes. The room seats 320 in the dry season and still sold 80,404 covers across 2025 — an average of 220 a night — so peak-season tables disappear days or weeks out. The operator's advice is to reserve The Boma when you book the rest of your Victoria Falls itinerary, through the online booking site or your lodge.
What is the mopane worm challenge at The Boma?
Mopane worms are protein-rich caterpillars, a genuine southern-African staple, served as a dare: eat one and the team presents you with a signed certificate. It is optional, theatrical and the single most-talked-about moment of the night. The rest of the buffet — warthog from the braai, campfire soup, sadza — requires no courage at all.
Does The Boma cater for vegetarians and halal diners?
Yes, both — properly. Vegetarian guests get dedicated dishes rather than side-plate scraps, and halal diners are catered for on request; flag it when you book. The campfire soups and the spread of vegetable and grain dishes from Zimbabwean home cooking mean a meat-free plate is a real meal here, not a compromise.
Is The Boma good for groups and team dinners?
It is the best group room in Victoria Falls. The communal tables absorb large parties without splitting them, the interactive drumming session hands every guest a djembe and dissolves work hierarchies fast, and exclusive use of the whole venue is available from 250 guests.
Reserve a Table
Reserve at The Boma
Open nightly 7pm–10pm. Book when you book your Victoria Falls itinerary — the room sells out in peak season. Guests of the Safari Lodge estate can sign dinner to their room.
Affiliate disclosure: Restaurants for Kings may earn a commission when you book through our reservation links, at no cost to you. Our scores are editorial and never paid for.
Practical Information
AddressStand 471b Squire Cummings Ave, Victoria Falls Safari Lodge estate
NeighbourhoodVictoria Falls Safari Lodge estate
CuisineZimbabwean Braai
PriceFour-course set feast from about US$55 per person; drinks extra
Dress CodeNo rules — chitenge robes are draped over guests on arrival
Seating320 seats in the dry season (April–October), 250 in the rains
ReservationDirect online booking
