Uganda
Physical Activity:
Activities will include light hiking and optional white-water rafting or tubing.
Road Conditions:
Generally paved with some bumpy dirt roads.
Lodging Changes:
Throughout the duration of the trip we'll stay at 3 different locations.
Adventure Overview
On this Origin Adventure, we'll head into the heart of Uganda to meet the cacao and coffee farmers we source beans from. You'll gain direct insights into the lives of farmers as we harvest and process beans with them, while learning about direct-trade and ethical sourcing. This trip will include opportunities to experience Ugandan culture in a unique way such as seeing traditional singing and dancing, basket weaving, coffee roasting, and much more. Witness breathtaking animals with the possibility of lions, hippos, and elephants as we do both land safaris and a boat safari along the Kazinga Channel. We'll end the trip with some white-water rafting on the Nile River, and pay a visit to our cacao sourcing partner's chocolate factory where we'll taste chocolate and shop at local markets.
Highlights
Itinerary
Every day in Uganda will bring exciting new adventures. From harvesting cacao and coffee alongside farmers, to white-water rafting on the Nile River, we plan to do it all on this trip. Prepare for you and your family to be blown away by the animals we'll see and the cultural experiences we'll have in Uganda.
Direct-Trade Partners
Origin Adventures started as a way to take you to meet the farmers who grow the cacao and coffee beans we use in our products. These trips are the ultimate way to experience a transparent, direct-trade supply chain - from farmer and raw bean, all the way to finished product. At the heart of every Origin Adventure are our farming partners - they're the reason we do what we do.
We're ecstatic to introduce you to the dedicated team at Latitude Trade Company, our cacao sourcing partner. On this trip, you'll gain direct experience of a transparent supply chain, and even get to harvest and ferment cacao side by side with farmers. Latitude pays farmers significantly more than standard market rates which reflects in the quality of their cacao - quality that we'll experience first hand through the chocolate we taste made from their beans. Bukonzo Joint Coop, our Ugandan coffee sourcing partner, will give us a tour of one of the farms they collect beans from and we'll learn where coffee really comes from.
Accommodations & Food
This trip provides plenty of time to relax, swim, experience culture and enjoy local food. All participants will share lodging with immediate travel partners, or with a same-gender roommate. We'll be staying in comfortable lodgings throughout our journey.
Accommodation Styles: Boutique Lodges for 7 nights; Hotel for 2 nights. All bookings are double-occupancy minimally with families being the exception.
Meet Your Guides
You’ll be accompanied by members of the Moka Origins team, along with local tour guides and experts at our destination.
Jeff Abella
Jeff is the CEO & Co-Founder of Moka Origins, and has been traveling internationally since 2007 when he and his wife Chelsea started working in Cameroon. He has a passion for working with cacao and coffee farmers and enjoys traveling and tasting chocolate in his free time. Jeff normally spends a good part of each year in Cameroon, Africa leading community development initiatives.
Jeff Abella
View BioChelsea Abella
Chelsea has been leading international group travel for 15 years, while also working on numerous humanitarian initiatives in Cameroon, Mexico and India. Chelsea graduated from UW Madison with a degree in Interior Design and has a passion for design, aesthetic and branding, which she has applied to our Moka brand since 2015.
Chelsea finds great joy in curating group travel experiences, spending time her two kids and creating culinary experiences.
Chelsea Abella
View BioNathan Masereka
Nathan has been with Latitude since 2020 and is active across the company’s entire cocoa supply chain from organic farmer engagement to processing and storage at Latitude’s facilities. Nathan is a native of Kasese and has over 10 years experience in the cocoa industry across Western Uganda.
Nathan Masereka
View BioJeff Steinberg
Jeff is an economist and agricultural social entrepreneur living in Uganda. Jeff founded Latitude in 2016, which is a vertically integrated social enterprise producing specialty cocoa and craft chocolate at origin in Uganda.
Jeff Steinberg
View BioTrip Add-On: Yoga and Nature Immersion with Luke Ketterhagen
February 12 - February 15
$1200
The trip of a lifetime deserves a moment to absorb all you have experienced. Enjoy an additional four days and three nights on Lake Victoria to enhance this unique excursion. Mabamba Lodge was designed to facilitate interaction between humans and nature. Nestled in a canopy of green vegetation with a focus on privacy and isolation, the cottages are the perfect place for reflection, gratitude and celebration.
Inspired by local tradition and Uganda culture, the opulent rooms feature pristine fabrics and artistic decor. Daily yoga and meditation will focus on internalizing the magic of this land. Opportunities for sundown boat tours, bird watching, nature hikes, drumming, crafts, and cycling to the local Mabamba village for shopping will be available for a deeper cultural connection. Integrate all levels of your being – physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual - and make your adventure-filled trip to Africa benefit your well-being for years to come.
Dates & Prices
February 3 – February 12, 2024
- Early Registration Price: $4950 (pay before July 31, 2023)
- Normal Registration Price: $5550 (pay before November 15, 2023)
- Child Registration Price: $4200 (pay before November 15, 2023)
- Yoga with Luke Ketterhagen Add-On (February 12 - 15): $1200 (pay before November 15, 2023)
- Deposit Amount: $1000 (secures your spot on the trip)
Pricing Includes:
- All ground transportation and airport transfer in Uganda
- All meals scheduled in itinerary
- All accommodations as scheduled in itinerary
- All itinerary activities
- All gratuity charges
Pricing Excludes:
- International travel to/from Uganda
- Additional excursions and activities
- Alcoholic beverages
- Visas and travel insurance
More Information
Frequently Asked Questions:
See FAQ
Email:
travel@mokaorigins.com
Call Jeff: (570) 445-1901