How To Plan For A Vegan Safari To Uganda
Enjoying a vegan safari in Uganda can be a rewarding and ethical way to experience the country’s incredible wildlife and natural beauty. Here are some tips to help you plan and make the most of your vegan safari in Uganda:
Communicate Your Dietary Preferences in Detail
Not many tour operators have an idea of what even the word Vegan means. Some people simply assume that vegetarians and Vegans are the same. Therefore to save yourself from disappointment, communicate in detail regarding your dietary preferences.
The best way to communicate this is to inform the hotel or lodge that you treat or consider the listed food options the same way a Muslim person would consider Pork. This will give them a better idea of whether to grant you access to their lodge in the first place or not.
Opt For a Camping Trip With a Mobile Chef
It is not enough to try to find eco-friendly accommodation in Uganda. Though there are quite a number of lodges that eco friendly, many of them might not provide the services to the expectations of a Vegan traveler, and if they do; they are likely to beat outside the common budget. Opting for a camping trip with the option of a mobile chef will save you a great deal of hustle.
Be Prepared For Limited Options
Destination Uganda has not taken Vegan safaris that seriously. It might be partly because there are only a few Vegan travelers who once in a blue moon have chosen to visit Uganda. Most of the lodges and restaurants will not have anything to fit your menu. Actually, many of them will assume that you are vegetarian thus anything that is not meat can pass.
Again we recommend that for you to ensure that you do not end up eating something you will regret; stick to a personal chef during your safari. You can go shopping together for all the food essentials. Prepare the meals together while getting acquainted with the local culture.
Vegan life is not a big deal in Uganda given that most of the societies have a background of being hunters or herdsmen. Suggesting a Vegan lifestyle to some of these people might be considered an outstepping of your bounds. In order to respect the local culture here, consider planning all the necessary things ahead.
Carry Your Own Snacks
Diary products are a big deal in Uganda. Apart from the crunchies; almost all the baked snacks have dairy products in them. You will do well if you carry your own snacks to a Vegan Uganda safari. Alternatively, you can stick to the crunchy snacks but again it is hard to find those that pass the Vegan standards.
Agree About The Car Specifications
It is important to understand that Uganda is a different place compared to all the other places you have been to. Things might in a very annoying way be done differently here but there are also quite a number of things that could be appreciated. First of all, Electric cars are still not an option during your Uganda stay. You will have to choose between petrol cars and diesel cars.
The best option would be to stick to the petrol cars. Also, identify the other car specifications that will likely not settle well with you. These could include the fabric of the car seats, and the fabric of the chairs in case of camping among several other things.
Educate or Share Your Ethos with your guide
There are quite a number of experienced tour guides in Uganda but the number of tour guides with experience in Vegan safaris is relatively minimal. Come with an assumption that your tour guide might be a good guide but they have no idea who a Vegan is and if they have an idea, it is relatively fuzzy.
Do not assume that they know the Vegan code to the detail. Treat them as professionals who are trying to do their job to the best of their knowledge. However, it is also important to note that there are Vegan tour guides but obviously, they charge relatively above what the other tour guides charge partly because they are few and the turnover of clients is also relatively low.