Every afternoon, a gardener or chef from Headquarters leaves his apron or kitchen whites behind and sets out on one of Wild’s winding gravel paths on a foraging trip. He’ll comb the jungle and streams for the edible treasures from the forest floor.
The result is a medley of herbs and other delights: shoots of bamboo, sour leaves, wild potatoes, figs, waterlily, wild flowers and even red ants—a zesty delicacy. It's the local way.
This job of foraging brings work for yet more local community members, including former loggers from surrounding villagers.
The Headquarters are the home of dining at Shinta Mani Wild. Be it a quick breakfast before your sunrise hike, or a leisurely foraged dinner, no Headquarters experience is alike! Every meal is carefully curated by our chefs to introduce you to something unknown and add to the adventure. Guests will enjoy the freshest seasonal ingredients that Cambodia has to offer, many of them picked by our team in the surrounding forest.
The dining possibilities at WILD are endless, whether you’re eating at Headquarters, on the lawn, at the Cistern, or having a waterfall picnic. The dining experience is just as spontaneous, with local fare inspiring the rotating menu boards which change daily, whether guests are exploring local Khmer cuisine, a five course tasting menu, or participating in a camp favourite: 25KM dinner, our most sustainable menu, where all ingredients are sourced within 25kms of the camp.
Expect jaw-dropping views and a tempting drink list, enjoyed over the Big Raging Sister Waterfall. Settle into vintage French chairs, cocktails in hand, complete with ingredients plucked from the camp's backyard, as well as WILD's in-house apothecary-style bitters, and our Master mixologist’s techniques.
If you’d like a cocktail making class to learn the ins and outs of the perfect Negroni, or for your own signature cocktail, just ask! You could also zipline to the bar, should walking seem a little pedestrian. Above the bar you will find a leaping vintage carousel horse I found in Wales. Quirky? Naturally. I believe every self respecting bar should have a rather large bell to announce events like happy hour or closing (even though WILD never closes and it is always happy hour).
I added a bell onto the belly of the horse, complete with a colorful rope from which dangle Cambodian fertility symbols. The bell ring brings the bar to the proper level of unhinged! After a successful Zip it is THE age old WILD Tradition to whole-heartedly imbibe a libation. It is especially for Zip virgins after completing their voyage across the face of the Raging Big Sister, which is publicly heralded by striking the white horse’s bronze bell! For a second WILD Tradition, find the big painted wooden propeller... It is a very very dangerous drinking game, not for the weak-hearted. WILD is as WILD does. We welcome you to invent your own tradition!
