Drinks
🍺 Tusker Beer
Kenya's national drink (besides tea). The lager beer from Kenya Breweries (founded in 1922) is ubiquitous — named after an elephant that killed one of the founders. Variants: Tusker Lager (standard), Tusker Malt (full-bodied), Tusker Lite (lighter). A cold Tusker after the game drive is a must.
☕ Chai (Masala Tea)
Kenya's true national drink: Chai is not simply made with a tea bag — tea leaves, milk, sugar, and spices (ginger, cardamom, cinnamon) are boiled together. The result is creamy, sweet, spicy, and instantly wakes you up. Available in every hotel, hut, and street corner.
Kenya is the third-largest tea exporter in the world — most of the tea grows in the highlands around Kericho.
🥤 Other Drinks
- Kenyan Coffee: World-class, but ironically, most Kenyans drink tea. The coffee is exported. However, you can now find excellent roasteries in Nairobi (Java House, Artcaffé)
- Dawa: Kenya's cocktail — vodka with lime juice and honey, served by the campfire. "Dawa" means "medicine" in Swahili
- Madafu: Fresh coconut, cracked open with a machete — perfect beach drink on the coast
- Stoney Tangawizi: Extremely spicy ginger beer — an experience!
