Eating on African Safari

If you're someplace where you wouldn't drink the water, don't eat uncooked foods that were rinsed with that water.

What they mean is, don't eat raw vegetables in a rural environment. That's probably for the best for foreigners. It's like drinking tap water. Probably won't kill you, but might ruin your stay for a few days. This happens to tourists all the time in Egypt and India.

I've been on Safari in Tanzania, Botswana, and SA. I was always in camps that provided the meals and there wasn't any issue. I mean maybe if you're buying stuff off the street or something, but on Safari we were very well taken care of.

Everyone’s risk tolerance (and stomach resistance) is different, but yeah, if you wouldn’t drink the water, avoid eating things that would have been washed in that water & not subsequently cooked like fresh vegetables/salads. AFAIK there isn’t a specific cholera risk in the area you mention, just general stomach upset, but of course that’s not really fun either.

Personally I am more adventurous if I am living somewhere long term (gotta get used to the local bugs) vs short term travel, but I also know I don’t often get sick. In my safari experiences I had a positive impression of the hygiene as well & I did eat the salad.

Other tips include - street food can be just fine if you are eating at a popular place (vs one where food has been sitting out for hours - my worst anecdotes are from restaurants vs street food). Try to take activated charcoal as a first step - my travel doctor advised something like Imodium is only a last resort when you really gotta be on a bus or a plane (your body is better off expelling what you don’t want and Imodium is more like a stopper keeping it in), and if you end up with vomiting or diarrhea, be careful about your electrolytes (try to get some pedialyte or similar).

Edit to add - last thought, if you are taking anti malarial, really really don’t take them on an empty stomach (especially vivid experiences with malarone doing that)

I highly recommend this book, by a physician who has travelled tons:

How to Shit Around the World: The Art of Staying Clean and Healthy While Traveling By Jane Wilson-Howarth

Fair advice in this chain but what my pharmacist told me when I was getting my vaccines for India was to get the cholera vaccine as it's quite good for protecting you against stomach bugs, particularly from ice cubes/water contaminated food. Was quite an interesting experiment as my colleague went with me, ate at the same places as me, mainly the same food and stayed in same hotel. He got really sick and I didn't, and he didn't have the cholera vaccine. Could be dumb luck, who knows. 

Please note if you do decide to take active charchoal tablets, incase of stomach issues that it might effect the working of other medicins.

I brought them with me to Bali, as for me Imodium might stop the dirhea, but it will completely ruin my stomach and digestive system afterward. That said, I take prescribed medicin for a chronic pain illness, and as far as I could read, the active charchoal tablets might reduce the effect of that medicin. Im not a doctor, and I do think active charchoal is an amazing product, but be aware of the above.

I would recommend travel probiotics as well

Sorry, my first language isn't english, and def not in writing.

Have an amazing trip and eat whatever you feel like is good for you.

Your travel nurse is poorly informed about Africa.

I’ve spent the past 3 weeks in East Africa and have eaten raw vegetables and fruit on many many occasions and haven’t had any problems. I’ve been careful to only eat them either at a restaurant or through the safari camp I stayed at. I didn’t eat any street food or any meat that was sitting out on a table (like at a market). Only freshly cooked restaurant food or salads/fruits at a restaurant/safari camp, or fruit that I cut or peeled myself.

My partner and I have both had very mild cases of travelers diarrhea on and off the past 3 weeks, but I mean very mild. Like normal once a day poops, just a little softer than usual. We did bring Imodium just in case, but haven’t needed it once. You should bring an antibiotic with you as a precaution.

But yeah mostly just don’t eat from a market or stand where they’re not cooking to order. You’ll see a lot of stands on the sides of the road with cooked meat skewers sitting in a display box kinda thing, we never ate those. Also if you see a lot of flies landing on the food anywhere, avoid that. It can make you sick because flies land on poop and then land on your food. But as far as uncooked vegetables, it’s fine as long as you’re eating it from a restaurant (even local restaurants were fine, nothing fancy) or safari camp meal.

Take it literally. No salads, yes pick out the tomatoes and lettuce. Don’t eat deli meat. No ice cubes or water that’s not bottled. Don’t brush with tap water use bottled water. Practice hand awareness, wash with soap followed by sanitizer. The risk is intestinal parasites. Not a huge deal unless you’re young or elderly. Intestinal worms can be an issue. Can get dewormer over the counter and Imodium, charcoal tabs, anti nausea meds are good to take with you

I literally ate what I wanted on my trip to SA & Kenya and didn’t give it a second thought. No issues. Have fun and enjoy!

I ate fruits and veg at hotels and safari camps in Uganda, Kenya, South Africa and Botswana. I was sick with diarrhea and nausea for a couple days but nothing that kept me in the room - still did all my plans (including hiking to see the chimps) but I did take antibiotics and Imodium and lots of hydration. Who knows what made me sick. (Though I suspect the fresh watermelon juice maybe wasn’t a great idea - oops). There were one or two hotels where I stayed away from the uncooked/unpeeled stuff because it was more rural or less nice and so I wasn’t sure how they washed it.

It’s standard travel clinic advice when going to developing countries because a lot of people don’t travel much and/or have weak vulnerable stomachs. Just use your judgement and risk tolerance and have the stuff with you to cure any sickness you might get because you don’t want to have to go to the pharmacy when you feel like crap

Rwandan food is great! As always be careful of the water (nothing wrong per sey but different bacteria to what you're used to). Generally good advice is to cook, peel or boil anything you eat to kill any bacteria. Have fun!

You are getting good advice and guidance here. I’d also add that most medical professionals will be on the very conservative side of the scale when it comes to many travel activities.

I cannot speak for Uganda, Zimbabwe and Rwanda but we have McDonalds and KFC throughout South Africa, I'm sure the nurse would approve of that.

My wife tells me the Indian food in Uganda is very very good...

That seems overly paranoid. I have never gotten sick from eating food in Africa, let alone on safari…

Has the nurse ever traveled to Africa? 🤔

African Safari.

Cheeseburger.

Sigh.