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Follow the birdwatchers
On O. A. T.’ s African safaris, the Trip Experience Leader will often ask,“ Who is a birdwatcher?” You should get in the vehicle with the birders, if you can. They are used to seeing movement in the trees, which might lead to a leopard flicking its tail. They look for patterns that break, indicating a flock of something feeding. Between the birders and your eagle-eyed driver-guides, it will be like having extra eyes.
What to Eat
Pap is a mainstay on most tables in sub-Saharan Africa. It is a starchy porridge( similar to grits or polenta) made from white corn maize. In Kenya and Tanzania it is called ugali, and in Zimbabwe it goes by sadze.
Pap will often it will be the base for chakalaka, a( usually cold) vegetable stew made with tomatoes, onions, peppers, carrots, beans and spices. Zimbabweans like their sadze with a tasty pumpkin leaf relish that is cooked with peanut butter. In Botswana, try your pap with the national dish, seswaa, a savory meat stew.
Also popular throughout the region is biltong, air-dried strips of beef or other meat that have been cured in salt and marinated in vinegar. The resulting jerky is high in protein and a great portable snack during those long game drives.
If you’ re invited to a South African braai( barbecue), chances are you will be treated to boerewors, a savory grilled sausage made from beef, pork, or lamb with spices.
In East Africa, sambusas are savory fried triangles of pastry filed with spiced ground beef and / or vegetables such as lentils, potatoes, and onions. Got a sweet tooth? Try mandazi, a fried yeast dough dusted with sugar and cinnamon, and served with fruit dip.
Tanzanians and Kenyans love mchuzi wa samaki, a Swahili fish specialty that uses any white fish( red snapper, cod bass) simmered with onions, oil, garlic, curry powder, tomatoes, water, coriander and lemon juice. Try it with some fluffy coconut rice.
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