This may be the first trip I returned home and I didn’t double my weight from the food we ate. Not to say I didn’t eat - I ate A LOT. But, the food was delicious, healthy and plentiful. The first meal I had in Tanzania started with a warm soup the evening we arrived. I have never tasted anything so amazing and that set the stage for every single soup I had while in Tanzania. Almost every single meal we had started with a soup and many of them were either vegetable or pumpkin. They contained the most incredible seasonings and I think they have Zanzibar to thank for that.
We were also treated with a beautiful morning which meant the staff set up breakfast outside in the morning sunshine. (Franny Friesz)
You might find cardamom (my favorite), nutmeg, cinnamon or some other non-conventional spice in their soups. I don’t think I’ll ever make soup the same way and I’ll always be searching for a recipe to try and replicate that rich, sweet depth of flavor and warm taste. Zanzibar was where we enjoyed a spice tour and saw the source of these incredible spices that I have taken for granted my entire life. It was amazing to see the plants that produced the spices and we walked through a maze of plants that gave us cardamom, hazelnut, trees with cinnamon bark, fruit trees for durian fruit, jackfruit, bananas, plants that were used to dye curry and so much more.
Best soup of my life. (Franny Friesz)
Every meal while on safari had a dish with the most delicious meat and was also well flavored. Coming from Montana, we were blown away by the fresh and local foods we ate. Nothing was processed, preserved, and it was all delicious!
The trip was not only memorable for the amount of animals we saw but also for the people and accommodations at the two camps where we stayed. Our first guide, BK, was a wealth of information about the animals, landscape and down to the plants and what they were used for. Everyday out was a learning experience with him. All the people at the camps were gracious and the food was excellent.
Our second camp in the Okavanga was just as good as the first as far as the staff, accommodations, food and animals. After our experience at the first camp we amazed that the high quality remained the same. Our guide, G, made sure we were able to enjoy every experience including a rush through the bush to witness a cheetah and an ensuing hunt that he heard over his radio.
In both camps there were enough guides out that if they saw something the other guides were informed which helped in seeing as much as possible. It was also nice that the concessions were large enough that we did not have vehicles following each other throughout the day.
Normally there is always something in a trip of this length that we think could be improved upon but this is the rare case where we cannot think of anything. From the time we left the States to when we returned it was one of the most hassle free vacations we took.
Perhaps emphasizing the use of the laundry facilities at the camps would be useful because of the luggage restrictions would be the only thing I can think of as an improvement to future clients.
Kenneth Dropek
2 days ago
Mary was so pleasant and professional. She made sure all of our questions were answered.
