Published on April 25 2013
Written by: yourafricansafari.com
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Food on safari

Highlights

  • Try the local fare, especially local produce!
  • Most safari countries offer a few tasty local beer options.

Food on safari: What to expect

Before I went on safari, I had no expectations on what the food would be like on safari. I hoped it would be good, but also knew that most of the lodges are located several hours away from the nearest town and wasn’t sure how fresh things would be. I also had memories of the camping trips I took as a child, where we’d hike in and carry our meals. Ever had the freeze-dried macaroni? Apparently, the astronauts also ate it. The novelty of eating something that had also been consumed at zero gravity wore off very quickly, and I came to think of camping cuisine as anything that could either be flame-broiled or reconstituted. Yum.

Turns out I had nothing to worry about. Our first two nights on safari were in basic tents out in the middle of nowhere. We did private camping and had our own team who cooked for us. We had no idea what to expect, but when reached camp after an afternoon of game driving, we were elated to see the meal prepared for us. We’d start with a hot soup made fresh veggies. We then moved on to the main course which was a delicious meal of chicken and veggies over Ugali. Ugali is a local staple made from corn and is sort of like polenta. Dessert was normally fresh fruit (mangos to die for) and some cake. We’d then sit around the fire and sip a wine or beer and talk about the next day. If camping was this good, what would the lodges be like? They only got better. Honestly. The food was so fresh and so delicious. I was truly pampered. At one place we were told the main was a beef dish. Since we did not eat beef we opted for the vegetarian option. I was wondering what they’d bring out as vegetarian can be interpreted many different way. I was astounded to see a plate heaped with fresh veggies, from smoked aubergine (eggplant) to potatoes and cabbage. I counted nine veggies in this dish. I was in heaven! I can only speak for Tanzania and Kenya, but the food I’ve had on safari is some of the best food I’ve ever eaten. Bon appétit!


Sources and credits

About the author

Has been on: 15 safaris

Your African Safari (YAS) is a safari-planning resource for anyone planning an African safari. It features information on over 2600 tour operators including company and vehicle descriptions, user reviews, safari itineraries and photos. It also features detailed information on 14 countries and 84 parks and game reserves.

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