The biggest Complaint On Safari: Food!

[Johan Knols]

If you think you gonna lose weight, forget it.

Food. Not only is food a necessity in our lives, it is also something that we seem to be most worried about when we are to book a safari. Images of starvation and death
unfortunately still reflect the general state of Africa and this is most likely
the reason for tourists to ask what they will eat during their Africa trip.
Rest assured, you will be surprised what you are about to encounter and I can
guarantee you that you are going to consume more calories than staying at home.

Food variety

The fact that a big part of the African population has a rather monotonous diet, does not mean that the continent has nothing to offer. On the contrary: there are
many areas in Africa that are very fertile and that are very capable of
producing not only good quantities but also very good qualities of a wide range
of products.
The cooks that are employed on your camping trip or at the lodge where you are
going to stay are in most cases well trained. Not only are these cooks well
trained, they also have access to most items which are unaffordable for the men
in the street. Not so strange if you realize that the tourism industry is one
of the mayor income sources for African countries and that the demands from
tourists are high.

This can also create problems. Since the demands from tourists are high, it often means that the best fresh products are taken out of the supermarkets first (by the
supermarket staff) for tourists and that the dented, bruised and stained
products are left behind for the local supermarket visitors.

What you will eat on safari

Of course it depends on the kind of safari what the quantity and quality of your food will be. On an overland safari the food is normally not as decadent as in a
five star lodge, although the quality in almost all cases is very good. To give
you an idea about what to expect when you visit a star-rated lodge in Africa, I
give you an average food breakdown that you can expect during the day.

Breakfast ( 06.00h)

The eating machine inside yourself is fired up by presenting you eggs, serials, fruit-juices, sausages, bacon, coffee/tea, freshly baked bread, yoghurts.

Coffee break during your morning drive (09.00h)

To make sure that the flame keeps burning you can chose from coffee and tea and a variety of biscuits or freshly baked scones.

Lunch (12.00h)

It is nearing midday and since by now you are ‘almost starving’ you get served warm or cold dishes that are accompanied by salads, pastas and desserts like cake or
cheese. Of course you can finish off with coffee, tea, juices or alcoholic drinks.
Eat enough since you have to wait another 3,5 hours before you get something
again!

High-Noon-Tea (15.30h)

To make sure that you will not go out with an empty stomach (imagine that!), you have to possibility to stuff yourself once more with fruits, cakes, pies, cheeses
and again juices, coffee, tea or alcoholic drinks. (I know that piece of cake
is too big, but you are on a holiday so eat it. Can you feel it getting stuck
in your esophagus? No wonder, your stomach is still full….)

Sundowner drinks (18.30h)

During the best part of the day, when the sun is setting, you are being served (alcoholic)drinks of your choice. And wait, what is that noise? A rumbling
stomach?
Snacks will get unpacked and you can fill up the holes that start to appear in
your stomach.

Dinner (20.00h)

To make sure you get through the night, a sumptuous dinner is being served. Often starters and desserts make your dinner a three-course one. Oops, and don’t
forget to top of the day with a little night-cap.

Your problem on safari should not be what you are going to eat, but how much you are going to eat. The most heard complaint is therefore the enormous amounts of
food and the impossibility to resist it. We are not even talking about the fact
that during your safari you sit 90% of the day…….

My tip: resist the temptations of eating too much. A bloated feeling gives you
bad eyesight and that is something you need on every safari!

See the blog for more tips and advices.