Solo travel in India and/or Africa with dietary concerns — suggestions?

I am glad Ecuador was successful, Janet.
'solo' - for me that means, just me - one person. Are you meaning solo = independent?
The birds in Africa are what started me birding. A wonderful place. I have only been to Tanzania and Uganda, but they were able to accommodate my wheat free dietary needs. I recommend a private bespoke 'tour' if Tanzania is of interest. It is a little harder to organize, as there is a trust factor involved - particularly if it is a local company doing the organization, but they are quite aware of dietary needs. It most likely would help if you provide a specific sort of menu you can follow. There is a company - Access 2 Tanzania - that has an office in MN and an office in Arusha, and has been organizing private bespoke travel for a number of years. I would certainly trust them as a starting point to see how difficult it would be. There are smaller lodges or camps that mean you would have the ability to meet with the cook and reinforce the importance of no fat, and methods of preparation. Box lunches could be difficult as they are often fried chicken. I have the name of one or two other companies if you wish.
I believe aspects of South Africa are doable as self drive and people travel Nambia themselves. You can even rent jeeps/vans with on the top tents - so could plan your own meals if needed. I think I even saw AirBnB lodgings in Kruger Park so you could possibly arrange to do your own meals that way.
I haven't been to India, but you could again look at a private bespoke trip. I have a friend birder who used a specific company a couple of times and I could send his contact if you wish. I think given their diet, it might be harder to organize food via traditional kitchens. The other challenge - more than Ecuador I would say - is the availability of clean food for you to cook and eat. If you are used to only boiled 'anything' and little fresh, then you can adhere to the 'cook it, peel it, or forget it' adage. Many bird/park lodges do buffet service, so that is going to be pretty difficult. Not sure how easy it is to get apartments with kitchens there, but with a private bespoke trip, you can just have them organize the car and driver, or car driver and guide, while you investigate the apartment option. You would need to check about ice and coolers for day use or transport to the next apartment.
Maybe start by doing some looking for apartments in whatever region of Africa or India you are interested in. Ensure they have a Western kitchen and reliable electricity or propane. There are people who self drive all the regions, but it can be a hard slog and much in Africa is complicated. Usually these self drivers have been to Africa before or are attuned to absolute self reliance. There would be apartments or small lodges near Ngorongoro Crater and from there to Manyara NP. The Serengeti gets harder as it is vast and not a day trip. The driving to Serengeti is feasible, in the park, signage is less and it is certainly more difficult to find the big beasts or know where good birding would be.
I haven't been on the forum for a while, but I would certainly recommend the destination specific forums on TripAdvisor for assistance and up to date details. Tanzania forum is particularly active.

I would be cautious about the “self-directed” tour in Africa. You can still travel without a large tour group, but I would encourage you to to hire private drivers and consider day tours. Some National Parks require that you ate with a guide.

If you head over to the TripAdvisor Tanzania forum, Mfuwe is a regular poster and has done numerous Tanzania trips with car and driver. He is a birder and an old codger who insists on dictating time and activities. He has stayed in numerous out of the way or small places for birding and often goes for 3 or more weeks at a time. He takes what they feed him, but as a number of his accommodations only have a few rooms, he could tell you how receptive the cook would be to your limitations and assistance with the menu. He's also driven Namibia and Uganda and can recommend contacts or support/advise self drive vs car and driver/guide.
On an aside, I found that Tanzania drivers have guide training so can act as both. It is more about the animals, but they have some bird experience. There are some with more birding expertise but you have to ask around. If you are confident with your ID skills, then an expert may not be needed. This day and age - with ebird to use for finding 'hot spots', one could find birds regardless. Those Lilac Breasted Rollers just sit there 'look at me. Aren't I pretty'? And then of course, there are the big birds that cannot hide. It is the forest skulkers you want help with.

My own experience was a 4 week trip organized by a local guide company from Arusha around Lake Victoria and into Uganda. It was all about birding the 17 days in Tanzania and I shared the Uganda portion with a friend for primates in Uganda. Birds were included as well as local guides when opportunity presented itself.
I did a quick google search and they are certainly doing more promotion of birding Tanzania than when I was last there in 2015. I would, however, recommend that you look at both bird and non-bird focused providers. I find that bird focused travel is very expensive when not necessarily warranted.

If you travel with a good company and let them know your dietary needs they should be able to accommodate you. Try Odysseys Unlimited tours. We travel independently as well but for certain places we go with small group guided tours. I would not do an African safari on my own. You need a guide.

Odysseys Unlimited, OAT and any other North American tour company subcontracts out to a local agent. Why not go directly to the local agent and build the tour YOU want?

I think the next step is for Janet to tell us how she feels about the options and whether she and her husband have done self drive in developing countries previously and whether the intent is for birds primarily or safari travel with birds...

Wow, thanks so much. I am still processing all the info.

In the meantime ...

Yes, by “solo” I meant “independent.” Sorry ...

I actually have a nonbirder friend who routinely does that kind of bespoke tour. I had assumed that it was only for the very wealthy (as I am pretty sure she is) and not for the merely upper middle classes (like us). What is the typical price range for this kind of independently organized tour?

Janet, safaris can be expensive, but for the price of 2 people on a safari tour, you can afford a modest accommodation bespoke tour. That is why I suggest the Tanzania TripAdvisor forum. I am a solo traveler and certainly not wealthy and can manage it. I did find an agent to work with me within my budget but they are under new management now and not sure whether it would be feasible any longer.

There is website that makes it easier for us, as you feed in your wishes, budget, etc, and the matrix comes up with options for you. You can at least look at this website for price comparisons. https://www.safaribookings.com/ to see if it could suit you. As it is a bit of a one size fits all sort of thing, I would still prefer to work with the offering company directly, but you can at least see what is on offer.
A car and driver will be less, as he is not necessarily a licensed guide and won't have the same company overhead.
Fodors puts out a Safari Planner. Unfortunately, it hasn't been updated in the past few years, but if you can get it from the library, it is worth a read to perhaps narrow down your country choices. Realize, however, there has been big changes in some countries as far as safari costs and offerings and niche markets.
There is no doubt a tour or bespoke travel would be a lot easier for a neophyte, but if you have visited 3rd world countries previously, then you may have less of a culture shock.
I mentioned South Africa because it is the most 'civilized' with lower fees and tarmac through the parks. Many drive Kruger on their own. Namibia is totally different than other countries, but can be driven. The arm at the top is greener than the bulk of the country. Botswana markets to the rich and elite. I read this book and chose Tanzania for the biggest bang of animals. The Serengeti, Ngorongo Crater and the masses of animals that congregate and migrate were the draw. I fell in love with the Serengeti and the country drew me back several times before I had to close that door. There is also mountain birding east of Arusha and Moshi heading towards the coast that isn't often explored. There, lodging can be rudimentary, but very affordable. Kenya spends a lot on advertising, but doesn't have the longest season for herds compared to Tanzania. There are options to head out to camps and pay per safari drive. You are sharing a vehicle with up to 8 others, or be offered a van drive (with some sort of pop up roof). This is how you can reduce the budget, but whether any camp will satisfy your birding activities, I am not sure.

Hi Janet, My husband and I have just booked a trip organized through a company called Expert Africa to two parks in Tanzania in the more remote areas of Ruaha and Selous. The company has an excellent website (www.expertafrica.com) that includes trip ideas and prices. The customer service is amazing and I’m sure they could suggest alternatives to meet your desires, budget and dietary needs. This is our second trip to Tanzania and we are of modest means and desires. Costs can be quite substantial if you want chandeliers in the bush but if you want authentic comfortable experiences you can do it quite reasonably. If you would like further information, please feel free to PM me.

Southern tanzania are more remote than those on the Northern circuit. This has a lot of appeal. It also means safari packages often fly in or between parks. You go to a camp and either rent the camp vehicle for private use, or do safari drives with others. If birding is a main focus, shared is less optimal. You can arrange a car and driver, but it i volves longer harder driving and you are paying for more transit time.
I mention reading the book as countries and regions do safaris in different ways and different types of vehicles. Few, if any open sided jeeps in N tanzania for example. They aren't legal for street use and a lot of the parks are close together making a one vehicle drive between more feasible. Also, there are plenty of cats some even usi g your jeep as sun shade. Rather disconcerting and unsafe in an olen sided. Kenya seems to have a lot of vans rigged for group safaris. They also 'encourage' hiring both a guide and driver for a bespoke safari. Uganda is similar to N Tanzania with solid jeeps and driver/guide. Botswana does open sided camp vehicles and caters to the high spenders.
Lots of fine details. Given that each cou try may have hundreds of safari companies (Tanzania has over 830 registered), things get complicated and competitive. If you research and know beforehand what would work for you, it makes it easier to finalize. The vast number of choices is also the reason plenty err to US or global companies to make things simpler.

The more that I travel in third world countries, the more that I am convinced that going via a tour is best.

Just finding proper water, food, lodging and a place to relieve yourself is basic. Travel in India on its highways was probably the most dangerous thing we have ever done on foreign travel. Ecuador is practically first world compared so most of sub saharan africa.

I know what you mean about the dangers on the roads in India. When we were in Hyderabad (my husband was attending a conference) one of his Indian colleagues invited us to dinner at his house in the downtown area. He sent a friend to pick us up and drive us to his place. The ride was at once extremely interesting and terrifying. My husband asked me if I was having a good time and I said why don’t you ask me that question later on tonight when we are back at the hotel? We are are either having a great time or about to die. I’m not sure which ....

Janet, I think the traffic is one reason I haven't been to India yet.....but if you want some names of bird focused agents to set you up with a private trip, send me a message - I'll share who I enquired from and were recommended to me.
Certainly driving sub-Sahara can be different. Tanzania and Uganda are full of 'sleeping policemen' (speed bumps). Forget google maps directions or time allocations - double the time they mention. As well as sleeping policemen, there are road blocks and real policemen looking for handouts. Theoretically checking for drivers licenses, but really looking for shaking down a tourist or two. Thankfully, Arusha, if congested, is small and easy to manage....if used to driving the alternate side of the road and a manual transmission. Again, if you want a short list of companies to consider (though most are not 'bird' oriented), send me a message.
I like the comment 'Ecuador is almost first world compared to Sub Sahara' - so true...but oh so wonderful.

Mary from Reno for the win---great advice.
I am done. The end.

Thanks for the additional responses. This trip is really still in the brainstorming phase and if it happens it will be this coming Dec. at the earliest. I may be getting (back) in touch with some of you them.

I am definitely feeling more hopeful now ...

Here's an India angle, a place I visited 30 years ago and known for tigers. https://www.bandhavgarh-national-park.com/

It can be reached from Dehli via single train (the Kalinga Utkal Express and others) to Umaria, then a 45 min drive on very lightly trafficked roads to Bandhavgarh. This is a lightly populated part of India. Train might be 15 hours overnight, but can get air con sleeper.

This is a very cheap safari, as the hotels are all clustered near each other and restaurants and walkable. And the day jeep trips are walkable from the hotels and you can buy a couple hour trip in the morning and evening, they go when full. The park is just miles away. Used to be you could get a hotel, meals and safari (2-3 hour trip) for less than $30/day but that was 30 years ago.

With an unbelievable variety of religious dietary restrictions India will be able to handle special requests.