South African Safari - Hippo Lakes
A trip to South Africa is one of those dream vacations that you place on your bucket list and put away until another day. It was definitely on our bucket list, but not on our radar when we went to a fundraising dinner for our local Children’s Hospital. There, among several other interesting trips was an African Safari. Not a lot of bidding was happening, so my husband and I decided to put a bid on the Safari, assuming that we would be outbid. We were not outbid. Suddenly, we were booking a trip to South Africa.
Once we booked the Safari and added 5 days in Cape Town, we had several months to think and plan. I joined several facebook groups pertaining to GF travel and travel in Cape Town with dietary restrictions. I found our tour guide through “Tours By Locals”. I researched the Safari resort, Hippo Lakes Luxury Safari Lodge, and read reviews of those who had traveled to South Africa with gluten and dairy restrictions. With a great bit of skepticism, I scheduled a special gluten free meal on the airline (they only offered gluten free or vegan, not gluten and dairy free). I researched and found that unlike Italy, the cows and dairy in Africa were more similar to the US in that they were A1 cows so dairy was out for me. I heard that Cape Town was very sensitive to food sensitivities, but as the time came near, I got more anxious. I wondered what I would eat on the 16 hour long airplane ride. Would there actually be a GF meal waiting for me and if so, would it be full of dairy? Would the resort be as conscientious as they said about my dietary needs or would I go hungry? What foods could I carry with me on the plane and into the country? I knew that I would not have access to a kitchen during this trip, would I be able to get food that was both safe for me to eat and still be nutrient dense? We were told that in the region we were going to be, that there was no need for any vaccinations due to our elevation there would be no mosquitos. What about tsetse flies? I read to avoid dark colors as they were attracted to those. The staff at Hippo Lakes was very patient with my last minute anxiety and quickly answered all of my questions. Read on to learn all about my experiences!
As with any 2 week experience, there were wins and losses. Thanks to the fact that my husband travels so much for work, we had access to the Polaris Lounge at the airport. This turned out to be a huge win. I was able to get a meal where everything was very well marked as to the ingredients right before getting on my flight. Extra bonus, it tasted great as well! It was buffet style, so if my son was with us who has Celiac, I would have had to ask for food from the back. There were plenty of staff in the lounge so I don’t believe that would have been a problem. When we got on the flight it was nighttime. I checked with the flight attendants to ensure there were in fact gluten free meals onboard for me. They confirmed this for me. Since we had just eaten, I chose to settle in and go to sleep. I would worry about food later.
When I woke up, the flight attendant brought me my dinner. It was marked gluten free but I was concerned that the entrée had dairy in it. It consisted of a salad with balsamic dressing (I could confirm the ingredients on the packet), a rice cake, a mandarin orange and the entree of lemon chicken, potatoes and broccoli. I ate the salad and orange only since I didn’t know what was in the entree and I'm not a fan of rice cakes.
When the flight attendant saw that I did not eat much, she offered me the snack which turned out to be perfect. A poached chicken breast over greens with fresh lemon and fresh fruit. I skipped the rice cake, but this completed my meal perfectly.
Before we landed, breakfast was served. My gluten free meal included fresh fruit, an Udi's blueberry muffin and baked oatmeal with pear, cranberry and pumpkin seeds. I was concerned about there being dairy in the oatmeal so I picked out some of the fruit and enjoyed the muffin (marked GF and DF), the fruit and the tea. I also traveled with a bag of organic nuts, some protein bars and some dairy free chocolate. All in all our flight was a huge success on United Airlines.
We arrived in Johannesburg and planned to stay overnight at the Intercontinental Hotel which is walking distance from the airport. We arrived there for check in at 6pm local time and were being picked up at 8am for our drive to the Safari. This hotel was beautiful despite being literally steps from the airport. They have a spa, fitness center, pool, and beautifully appointed rooms.
Most importantly for us, there was a restaurant on premises who’s menu was well marked for common allergens. We chose to eat dinner here since we didn’t really have time to explore the city. I quickly learned the extent of their knowledge when I was offered GF bread. I said yes since it is so difficult to find a restaurant with GF bread in the US. Unfortunately, I was brought rye bread. They separated the gluten and GF bread with a napkin, and the GF bread was obviously handled first since it was on the bottom. They were trying to do it correctly but I was not about to take that risk. I asked if there was any other option since rye is not GF and was told that this was their GF bread. Now I had concerns for the rest of my meal.
I ordered the local venison which was Springbok. It was marked DF but not GF on the menu. I was assured that the sauce was the part that had gluten and that they would serve that separately. It was also served with a polenta cake and bok choy. They served my dinner as requested and it was delicious. No discomfort afterwards either. Win.
Breakfast the following morning was included in our hotel stay so before our 9 am pick up, we headed back down to the restaurant. They offered us a made to order breakfast or their buffet. Since we were very limited on time, I chose the buffet. I had checked it out to ensure that there was something I could eat. There was a beautiful fresh fruit selection as well as hard boiled eggs, smoked salmon, and much more. I had some delicious fresh fruit, coffee and eggs. A perfect start to my day!
We were picked up from the hotel, along with several others who were heading to Hippo Lakes. It was about a 3 hour drive, so in order to break it up, we stopped at the Elephant Sanctuary in Hartbeespoort Dam. Here they rescue wild elephants who are at risk. The elephants are used to human interaction and positive reinforcement, so it allows guests a wonderful opportunity to interact with them. We were able to touch them, feed them and learn all about them. It was a wonderful break as we made our way to Hippo Lakes.
We finally arrived at Hippo Lakes Luxury Safari Lodge at about 6pm. They brought our bags to our tents and we had time to settle in before dinner. The tents were nothing like what we think of as a tent. This was definitely “glamping”. Each tent was set with a deck extending over the lake. On the deck was our private plunge pool. Our “tent” had heat, air conditioning, a full bathroom, a sitting area with chairs and a refrigerator, a desk, storage and a King sized bed. It was beautiful and luxurious. After we settled in, we walked to the common dining area across from which there was a beautiful pool and a firepit area. They had lit a fire for us in the firepit and we had drinks and appetizers before dinner. They had asked about dietary restrictions in the intake and I had reached out to double and triple check that all was ready. When I arrived that evening I introduced myself to the chef as the one with dairy and gluten sensitivities. She looked a bit confused at first so I was concerned. None of the appetizers that were prepared looked safe for me to eat. A few minutes later she personally brought me a plate with cut up fruit and vegetables. From that moment on, every meal I was met with either a separate plate if the meal was buffet style or directions from the chef as to what was safe for me to eat. The staff all knew what I was to be eating as well, so there was never any confusion. The food was spectacular, varied, very plentiful and all safe. Not once did I have a problem. There were a few times early on where the bread or yogurt at breakfast, or the dessert at lunch/dinner was so good that I was sure it had dairy or gluten. The chef came out each time and assured me that it was made from nuts or coconut. I can not say enough about the food. Below are just a few of the creations I enjoyed! Even when we were away for the day, the chef packed me a special meal ensuring that I had safe and delicious food to eat. The chef did an outstanding job.
Beside all the wonderful food, each day on Safari was filled with incredible staff who were each as caring and accommodating as could possibly be asked for. Our rangers were extremely well educated in everything about their country, the land, the animals and of course how to track them. This was not like going on a zoo safari where all the animals are right there waiting to be seen. The rangers had to work each day to ensure that we saw the animals and had an amazing experience. They did just that by tracking the animals' footprints, scat, and knowing their behaviors. Every day was an adventure. We saw hippos, rhinos, zebras, wildebeests, giraffes, blaze bucks, elephants, baboons, cape buffalo, cheetahs and more! The most notable experiences were being the first to spot a baby rhino that was just hours old, being chased by an elephant and an up close encounter with the cheetahs. Our alarm clock each morning was the monkeys. We learned so much and had such a memorable time on Safari. As to my concerns about bugs, Hippo Lakes is located within the Waterberg Biosphere and is indeed a malaria free area. We saw far less bugs of any kind during our entire trip than we would have back home. No mosquitos OR tsetse flies as we had been told. I can’t say enough about the staff, the location and amenities and most of all the experience. If you have the opportunity…take it!
On the last day of our safari, we had a wonderful breakfast and then we were driven back to Johannesburg. Some people were leaving directly, some were spending time in Johannesburg and some of us were heading to Cape Town. Be sure to read my full blog on Cape Town. It was only 4 days, but we packed a lot into them!
