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In 2005 after summiting Mt. Kilimanjaro I was fortunate enough to visit the Mahale Mountains on the shores of Lake Tanganyika to track chimpanzees and stay at one of my favorite places in the world Nomads Mahale Greystoke. In fact if the world is going to end that is where my wife and I want to be.

Zulu At Victoria Falls with Marula Fruit

Zulu At Victoria Falls with Marula Fruit

At the lodge we were introduced to a wonderful drink called Amarula. Made from the fruit of the marula tree, it is also known as the Elephant Tree because elephants eat the fermented fruit and have been known to get drunk on them. It is a wonderful cream liqueur that always gives me wonderful dreams. I guess you could call it my “I Dream of Africa” drink.

Marula Tree

Marula Tree

What I did not know was what the marula fruit looked like. When touring Victoria Falls on the Zimbabwe Side with Zulu, our great guide who knew so much about the area and its history he nonchalantly picked up a piece of fruit off the ground and asked if I knew what it was. I did not. Well it just happened to turn out that it was a piece of marula fruit and I was standing next to a marula tree!

I tasted the fruit and while delicious it tasted nothing like Amarula. But at least I now know the source of one of my favorite drinks!