A former journalist and business analyst that now works in the world of travel marketing. Based in Toronto, Red Hunt has travelled to more than 50 countries over the past 15 years. You can follow Red on Instagram or Twitter.
Enjoying a ‘sundowner’ or two in Africa after a day of game viewing is a long standing tradition; and beer is often the drink of choice.
Beer and Cards at South Luangwa National Park
Tusker from Kenya and Castle from South Africa may be well known outside of their home territories, but for anyone who is headed to southern or eastern Africa on a safari, here is my list of top 17 beers to seek out at sundowner time. The only caveat I throw in here is that THB is not the best tasting beer. It deserves to be in the middle of this list, but it is my sentimental favourite, thus gets special treatment. (I’d love to get my hands on some more if anyone knows where to find it in Canada or the US!)
If trying 17 different beers while you’re on safari is a bit too ambitious, stick to the top nine, as they’re a great mix of styles of tastes. Anything below Kuche Kuche was satisfying and thirst-quenching, but after months of ‘research’ on my travels around Africa I can say you won’t be missing out on much if you skip over them.
THB or Three Horses Beer pilsener, from Madagascar
Laurentina Preta, a dunkel from Mozambique
Castle Milk Stout, from South Africa
Hansa pilsener, from Namibia
Mosi lager, from Zambia
Carlsberg brown, a dark lager from Malawi
Windhoek lager, from Namibia
Ndovu lager, from Tanzania
Kuche Kuche lager by Carlsberg, from Malawi
Ice pilsner, from Tanzania
Tusker lager, from Kenya
Safari lager, from Tanzania
Carlsberg lager, from Malawi
Queen lager, from Madagascar
Serengeti lager, from Tanzania
Kilimanjaro lager, from Tanzania
Castle lager, from South Africa
Happy drinking in Africa. Did I miss your favourite African beer? Let me know!
Easter Island (Rap Nui) is one of those places I’d gladly return to. Full of mystery, peaceful and isolated. This Moai (the name for the rock statues everywhere on the island) was one of my favourites. It is the only kneeling Moai on the island, found on the outer side of Rano Raraku crater. The way the clouds are formed in the sky, made me think this Moai was deep in thought…the stories he would tell, if only he could talk.
Madagascar is the country that is responsible for my travel obsession and interest in travel photography. I had a cheap camera back then, but it didn’t matter as the memories from that trip in 2001 are still vivid today. Here is one snap I took at the Tsiribihina River, as our trusty truck was carefully loaded onto a make shift barge. Notice that the barge is otherwise empty…I had grown accustomed to a certain level of chaos as locals tended to stampede and crowd around bridges and barges everywhere else we went. Thankfully the truck passed the ‘will it float’ test, and shortly after the mayhem ensued, with everyone vying for a coveted spot on the shady side of the barge, thanks to our truck’s shadow.
Ever have one of those days where you don’t feel like doing anything? Seems like this juvenile Lion in Zimbabwe was having one of those days when we caught him lounging in this tree. I guess when you’re a Lion, you can do (or not do) whatever you want!
Lounging Lion enjoying a rest in a tree in Zimbabwe
Some countries are known to be vegetarian friendly, while others prefer to pile on the meat. For my animal-eating friends I’ve compiled what I beleive are the top five carnivorous countries in the world.
Grab a knife and fork because no creature of land or sea is safe! (Ok wait, I don’t condone eating endangered animals.)
From four continents I present five countries in no particular order. Now excuse me while I go barbeque some Kangaroo.
Seafood Feast on Ilha Grande, Brazil
Brazil
Sea creatures and land creatures have it tough in Brazil. Grab a cold beer and pair it with some fresh crab, lobster, mussels or calamari along the coast. It’s not too hard to find places that serve seafood platters, or towers like the one pictured here. Pure gluttony.
But, they’re not usually all-you-can-eat. For that, Brazil takes it to the next level with the churrascaria (or churrasqueira).
The Brazilian churrasqueira is a thing of beauty. Picture countless meats being roasted over a fire, then served at your table on sword-like skewers.
I’ve been to a number of churrasqueiras where unlimited meat is served Rodizio-style by waiters in white aprons trying to push you to your limits in terms of meat-eating. A big bonus is that you’re not usually limited to standard cuts of beef or pork, but you may get chicken livers and other less common meats.
Oh ya, there is usually a massive salad, seafood and dessert bar that accompanies the meat extravaganza too. Just in case you’re not full.
United States of America
The land of opportunity or the land of unlimited food buffets? From monstrosities like the double down at KFC (using chicken breasts as the bun) to unbelievable pizzas that include burgers as toppings, the US takes meat-eating to an extreme.
Alligator in Florida, Crayfish in Louisiana or Elk in Montana, what do you prefer? You don’t have to go extreme in the US, you just have to be hungry. Brazil has the churrasqueira as it’s meat party, while the US has the equally extravagant tail gate parties, a truly American experience of culture and cuisine.
Germany
Other European countries may arguably belong on this list, it is hard to argue with creations like Fois Gras in France. But you can’t eat fois gras every day. You can eat hearty German meals every day though!
From schnitzl to German sausages, smoked pork chops to traditional beef rouladen, the Germans know how to eat meat without messing around.
But wait, if their meat prowess isn’t enough, Germany is a world renowned beer country. Grab a bratwurst, raise your glass of beer and give a toast to the great meat country of Germany.
Meats cooking at a Parrilla in Ushuaia
Argentina
South America reigns supreme as the only continent with two countries on this list.
Not to be outdone by their neighbours in Brazil, the meat-lovers of Argentina have a rich history of farming and barbequing tasty animals.
Buenos Aires rules as the meat capital of South America, but even if you venture to the extreme south in Ushuaia, you won’t be dissapointed by the price, and selection, of meats available to eat.
Beef from Argentina is usually naturally raised and full of flavour as is the lamb. The best way to sample them? Seek out a parrilla or asado in any town in Argentina. Asado basically means barbeque and parrilla is a means of cooking the meat – often a large grill with all sorts of meats draped over it and cooked at the same time. Find a tenedor libre parrilla and you’ve been blessed with an all-you-can-eat meat feast in Argentina.
South Africa
Meat may be an extravagance to many countries in Africa, but the South Africans know how to throw a real barbeque.
Three meat treats are synonymous with South Africa – biltong, sosaties and boerewors. Biltong is a dried jerk-like meat, sosaties are meat skewers, while boerewors is a special type of sausage.
Now, in addition to these specialties, you can also get some fantastically different meats in South Africa such as Ostrich and Impala.
Perhaps the best thing about meat-eating in South Africa? The traditional braii. A very social event, it’s typically an outdoor BBQ of the bring-your-own meat variety where everyone celebrates and socailzies around the grill.
