When organising a once-in-a-lifetime and tailor-made safari, it’s not out of the ordinary for travel consultants to receive special requests from guests. However, some of these requests occasionally end up being on the more unusual side.

Bespoke luxury tour operator, Discover Africa, asked their travel consultants to provide details on the strangest things that guests have ever asked for. From unusual food requests to wildly unrealistic interactions with animals, the consultants at Discover Africa have experienced it all. Below are just some of the most outlandish requests.

1. Crunchy peanut butter with every meal

For an 18-day safari, one guest insisted that a jar of crunchy peanut butter be available at every meal.

As most restaurants and lodges in the guest’s itinerary did not have crunchy peanut butter to hand, jars had to be delivered to all the different hotels and lodges that the guest was staying at. Jars even had to be flown into lodges in the Kalahari and Botswana. Discover Africa also ensured the safari guides were carrying a jar with them at all times in case they stopped for food.

Oh, and it had to be a brand-new unopened jar at each meal, too…

The guest travelled with Discover Africa for nine years after their first trip, and their love for peanut butter had to be accommodated every time.

2. Riding a lion

One guest had a young son who was an aspiring vet and requested some special activities to be included so he could learn more about wild animals and their habitat. Following the Discover Africa consultant sharing some options, the guest asked if an activity could be included where her son could ride a lion.

“When we said no to riding a lion, the guest asked what other wild animals he could ride. I reminded them that they were wild animals and there was no possibility of this happening. They decided not to travel with us and said they were going to go to India where their son would be able to ride a tiger,” the consultant said.

3. Pillows

Whilst requesting specific pillows is not a strange request in itself, this guest was very particular about the arrangement of their pillows. A feather pillow was to be arranged for the guest, and a foam pillow for their partner. It was important the feather pillow be placed on the left-hand side of the bed, and the foam pillow on the right. Again, not too unusual a request at this point.

One night, the pillows were arranged incorrectly. “At around 10pm I received a message from the guests to inform me of this,” the consultant said. “I asked if they could swap the pillows themselves as it was late, and the housekeeping staff had already gone to bed for the day. The answer was no. I had to get hold of the camp manager to go to their tent to change the pillows around for them.”

4. Elephant back safari

One guest requested an elephant-back safari in the Serengeti. Yes, these requests do still apparently exist. Discover Africa suggested a hot air balloon ride instead, but it seems “the client was quite disappointed when they were told riding an elephant was not possible”.

5. 6000 guests over 6 weeks, needing 6different chefs – flown all the way from Japan, along with the ingredients

For a Japanese company visiting South Africa for 6 weeks for the World Cup, they requested their native cuisine for all meals and snacks. A Discover Africa consultant began to source Japanese chefs and ingredients locally, but it turned out this was not what the guests had in mind.

“They insisted that we fly over a different chef from Japan each week, and with them they had to bring certain fresh ingredients. We could have sourced these items within South Africa, but they insisted that they come from Japan. The customs arrangements kept me very busy, and some ingredients were not allowed in due to possible contamination” the consultant explained.

“We also had to arrange a special kitchen at all the hotels they stayed at, as they did not want to have their meals prepared with other food, and the chef had to attend every football match where this company was entertaining their guests.”

6. Last but by no means least

One client asked if they could assist with the breeding of white rhinos. “They were joking, I hope…” said the Discover Africa consultant.

https://www.discoverafrica.com/