Practical Survival Tips for Vegans or Vegetarians on Safari in Uganda or Rwanda.
Practical Advice for Surviving as a Vegan or Vegetarian on Safari
Surviving as a Vegan or Vegetarian on Safari – is it possible to go on a Safari and keep up a Vegan or Vegetarian Diet? Gorillas survive on a plant-based diet and do well in the Heart of Africa, judging by their size.
Africans, including Ugandans and Rwandans, often eat a vegetarian diet, not by choice but dictated by their resources. Ugandan restaurants primarily serve meat and fish dishes. Fried dishes are typical, and the same oil used for frying fish, meat, or poultry is used for cooking other things, as are pots and pans.
Royco (Beef Mchuzi Sauce additive) is a significant spice you can find on anything. It has a beef or chicken extract, however slight, along with a volume of MSG.
Against that backdrop, the question is often asked: Can a Vegetarian or Vegan survive a two-week Safari in Uganda or Rwanda? The answer is yes, with some precautions. On Safari, you will need an informed tour operator such as ourselves and hotels and lodges that can cater to your specific needs. Upmarket Lodges are best informed about Vegan or Vegetarian diets, conditions, and recipes.
Vegans and Vegetarians can be assured of one Thing -They are in good company. Even Gorillas primarily exist on a Plant-Based Diet and are the most powerful beings in the Forest.
Is Surviving as a Vegan or Vegetarian on Safari Possible?
The answer is a resounding yes if precautions are taken. And most fruits and vegetables are grown organically, which is an added plus. Uganda – Rwanda has a variety of fresh fruits and vegetables that will delight your palate. At times, Broccoli and Cauliflower may get a bit harder to find since they are not a part of the regular Ugandan or Rwandan diet. Still, they are grown here and are found in larger supermarkets.
Mushrooms can be found in both Uganda and Rwanda. There is a great grower of Mushrooms in Rwanda, and they export them to Uganda. White and Brown Mushrooms, including Shitake Mushrooms, are harder to find. One has to go to Supermarkets in Kampala that are frequented by Westerners.
The added plus is most fruits and vegetables are grown organically. Uganda – Rwanda has a variety of fresh fruits and vegetables that will delight your palate. Broccoli and Cauliflower may be harder to find since they are not a part of the regular Ugandan Rwandan diet. Still, they are grown here and can be found in larger supermarkets.
Chinese and Indian restaurants abound in Uganda and Rwanda have menus with many vegetarian items on their menu list that are nutritious and tasty.
Tips for Surviving as a Vegan or Vegetarian on Safari in Uganda:
Even if you wore a sign – I’m Vegan, most would not know what that means. In a restaurant, you might be politely told. Vegan is over to not offend, thinking you want a menu item.
It will take a mini-education that you get down into a one-minute recitation, and most often, you are okay with the meal you are served. When booking, we inform the Lodge of your preferences. Our Driver-Guide heads for the Kitchen to give last-minute advice about your meal upon arrival at a lodge.
There are some precautions that a vegetarian and or Vegan needs to take in Uganda. It has to do with how even vegetarian dishes are prepared in Uganda. One of the most popular ways is to use a Mchuzi Sauce-based enhancer to prepare items, and they can contain beef or chicken. You tell the restaurant -no Royco, please – which is the number one brand for the Mchuzi mix.
When it comes to food enhancers, MSG-based additives are common here and can be found in many salts such as Aromat, and it is best to ignore them. A vegetarian or Vegan can survive and thrive in Uganda or Rwanda. Many Ugandans or Rwandans though not vegetarian or vegan, eat vegetarian meals due to the cost of meat such as beef, pork, or chicken. Beans are widely used here and are prepared in a tasty way.
If you are a vegan, breakfast may mean a lovely fruit platter. Would not love a fruit platter for breakfast. Mangoes, tasty and juicy Pineapples, Watermelon,
Papaya, Bananas are found here in Uganda. Some fruit, such as Bananas or Pineapples, will be the best found anywhere.
Surviving in Uganda or Rwanda as a Vegetarian or Vegan. As a vegetarian or vegan, you will enjoy Uganda – Rwanda and the natural fruits and vegetables found here (Try the Avocados, often called Ovacados). Most fruit and vegetables bought from markets and roadside vendors will be natural and organic. Most small farmers use natural fertilizer and not costly chemical fertilizers. Some Malls in Kampala have organic growers selling their fruit and produce on weekends. Uganda sells many organic fruits and vegetables to Europe, less to North America.
Soy Milk is available in Kampala
Making it real – the Practical Side of Surviving as a Vegan or Vegetarian on Safari
You will need a Tour Operator such as ourselves who knows about your dietary requirements and how to navigate you through “Nyachoma” meat-loving Uganda on a Vegetarian or Vegan Fare.
You cannot place a Vegan or Vegetarian Visitor into any lodge, but into the Lodge that has a history of serving Vegetarians and Vegans. We know the lodges that grow their organic vegetables or have some local women become specific broccoli, Cauliflower, and lettuce.
We contact the Lodge and hotel about your dietary needs, and we even check with the chef in charge to ensure that you get the proper meal for you. The result is that our clients have not complained about the Vegetarian or Vegan Meals served in the hotels and lodges we have chosen. Upmarket and Moderate lodges and hotels usually are better informed than budget or shoestring lodges. Feel free to contact us for a Vegan or Vegetarian Safari in Uganda.
