Dishes to try
- Nyama choma — grilled meat, usually goat or beef, shared with friends. Often served with kachumbari, a fresh tomato and onion salad.
- Ugali — a firm maize porridge, the everyday staple, eaten with your right hand.
- Sukuma wiki — collard greens cooked with onion and tomato; the name means "stretch the week".
- Chapati — soft, layered flatbread, a favourite with stews.
- Githeri — maize and beans cooked together, a Kikuyu classic.
- Mukimo — mashed potatoes, greens, maize and beans.
- Pilau — spiced rice from the coast.
- Mandazi — lightly sweet fried dough, with tea for breakfast.
- Samosas — a popular snack, from Kenya's Indian heritage.
Coastal cooking
On the Swahili coast, food is rich with coconut and spices: fish and prawn curries, biryani, pilau and grilled seafood, with tropical fruit and fresh juices. If you combine Kenya with the beach — or with Zanzibar — the flavours are similar.
Tea and coffee
Kenya is one of the world's leading tea producers, and its highland coffee is famous for its bright flavour. Try chai — tea boiled with milk and sugar, sometimes spiced with ginger — and a cup of Kenyan coffee in Nairobi.
Other drinks
- Fresh juices — mango, passion fruit and pineapple
- Local beers, such as Tusker
- Kenyan sodas and bottled water everywhere
Eating on safari
Our Kenya safaris are full board, so meals at your lodges and camps are included. Expect generous buffets or set menus mixing international and Kenyan dishes, packed lunches or picnics on long game-drive days, and sometimes dinner around the fire. Tell us about vegetarian, vegan, halal, gluten-free or other needs when you book, so they can be arranged with every lodge on your route.
Food and water safety
- Drink bottled or filtered water; avoid ice of unknown origin.
- In towns, choose busy places where food is cooked fresh.
- Peel fruit yourself.
Across the border: Tanzanian food.
