A Chanukah Journey Across Uganda & Kenya

Shabbat with Uganda’s Jewish Community, the Abayudaya & Safari in the Maasai Mara

December 22, 2027 - January 2, 2028

Highlights

Sharing Shabbat and Chanukah with the African Jews of Uganda

Floating down the Nile at its source

Feeding giraffes up close and personal in Nairobi

Sampling Ugandan food and traditional culture

Stalking the Big Five – lions, elephants, rhinos, leopards and buffalo – in Kenya’s Masaai Mara – by day and by night

Dining and stargazing under the Southern Cross

Meeting the Maasai in their homesteads

Lighting eight nights of Chanukah candles across East Africa

Dates and Pricing

Cost:

$14,800 per person (double occupancy)
$3,500 single occupancy supplement
$500 OPTIONAL: Hot Air Balloon Ride over the Maasai Mara
$1,000 non-temple member fee

Cancellation Policy:

A non-refundable deposit of $2,500 per person is due upon registration with the balance due by June 2, 2027. No refunds after June 2, 2027.

Notes:

Some activities rely on local hosts, suppliers or sites and are subject to change
Minimum age for participation is 21
This is not a kosher trip and there will be travel on Shabbat

Included:

11-night/12-day East Africa Journey
Full board: 3 meals daily, food & beverage (all-inclusive soft drinks, wine & beer)
Entrance fees and program activity fees
Donation to the Abayudaya community
Game Drives and all daily safari activities
Ground transportation to and from airports, and within Uganda and Kenya
Safari bush flights between lodges and from Kenya to Uganda
Filtered/Bottled Water en route
Park Concession Fees
All VAT taxes
An exclusive Temple Emanu-El Streicker Cultural Center trip photo book

Not Included:

International Airfare to/from Africa
Travel insurance (required)
Gratuities
Vaccinations (Yellow Fever required for entry)

Accommodations

Kampala, Uganda

Latitude 0 Degrees Hotel
(2 nights)

Mbale, Uganda

Mbale Resort Hotel
(4 nights)

Nairobi, Kenya

Fairmont the Norfolk
(2 nights)

Maasai Mara, Kenya

Beyond Kichwa Tembo Tented Camp
(3 nights)

Itinerary

Arrival in Uganda
Private pick up at Entebbe International Airport (EBB)
Hotel check in upon arrival
Program begins at 5:30 PM with a welcome drink, ice breaker and orientation
Dinner at hotel

Breakfast
Transit from Kampala to Mbale
Boat cruise and lunch on the Nile River in Jinja
Continue to Mbale
Check in to hotel
Free time
Dinner

Breakfast
Shop at Mbale central marketplace for Shabbat
Morning Mitzvah Project
Challah Baking + Shabbat Cooking with Abayudaya women
Lunch at hotel
Friday Night services with uniquely African Jewish melodies
Shabbat Dinner and 1st Chanukah Candle Lighting
An Interfaith Conversation on the Abayudaya and Their Neighbors

Breakfast
Shabbat services in the Abayudaya villages
Kiddush luncheon in the village
Free time and drinks by hotel pool
Optional visit to Sipi Falls
Havdalah under the African skies
Dinner and 2nd Chanukah Candle Lighting

Breakfast
Visit the Nasenyi and Putti Jewish villages and the Tobin Health Center
Lunch with members of AYA, the Abayudaya Youth Association
Visit to Semei Kakungulu High School and to Hadassah Day School
An Interfaith Conversation on the Abayudaya and Their Neighbors
Dinner and 3rd Night of Chanukah Candle Lighting

Breakfast
Transfer to Kampala
Visit Namutumba Village
Lunch at Java Cafe in Jinja
Dinner and 4th Night of Chanukah Candle Lighting

Breakfast
Transfer to Entebbe airport
Special remembrance at the new Yonatan Netanyahu statue
Fly to Nairobi
Lunch at Talisman
Visit to Giraffe Center
Dinner at Fairmont and 5th Chanukah Candle Lighting

Breakfast
Visit to The Bomas
Transfer to Kazuri Beads Women’s Artisan Craft Center
Lunch at Karen Blixen Coffee Garden
David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, private elephant orphanage viewing
Shopping at Utamaduni Craft Centre
Transfer back to Fairmont
Dinner at Carnivore and and 6th Chanukah Candle Lighting

Early breakfast
Fly via safari bush plane to the Maasai Mara
Lunch at camp
Late afternoon game drive in 4×4 safari vehicles to spot elephants and buffalo
Sundowners and 7th Chanukah Candle Lighting on the Kenyan savannah
Dinner

Watch the plains come alive with lines of elephants and herds of zebra
Breakfast
Free time to soak in the pool and watch warthogs nibbling on the grass
Lunch
Afternoon game drive to spot lion cubs playing and cheetah on the hunt
Sundowners and Candlelighting
Special New Year’s Eve, Shabbat dinner and 8th Chanukah Candle Lighting under the stars

Optional hot air balloon ride (Additional fee)
Early morning drive to see herds of gazelles, wildebeest and spot hippos on the river
Breakfast
Maasai village visit
Lunch
Afternoon game drive to mingle with the giraffes and bush sundowners
Farewell dinner, night game drive and “Stargazing Safari”
Closing circle

Optional early morning game drive
Breakfast at camp
Safari bush flight back to Nairobi
Dayrooms at Four Points by Sheraton (at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport)
Private shuttles/van transport to terminals for onward international flights

Spring 2026

Fall 2026