Uganda

Cacao & Coffee Sourcing Safari
February 3–February 12, 2024
From $4950
Trip Duration
10 Days
Activity Level
Moderate
Group Size
Max 18

Adventure Overview

On this extraordinary, once-in-a-lifetime experience, you will join our team and venture deep into the heart of Uganda. Here, you will walk alongside the cacao and coffee farmers from whom we source from and engage in Direct Trade practices. You'll not only gain invaluable insights into the lives of these farmers, but you'll also actively participate in the harvesting and processing of beans, all while deepening your understanding of ethical sourcing.

Throughout the trip, you’ll witness breathtaking wildlife gracing the Ugandan landscape, with the possibility of encountering lions, hippos, and elephants. This adventure offers a unique opportunity to immerse yourself in Ugandan culture and join in traditional singing and dancing, learn the art of basket weaving, and experience the intricate process of coffee roasting, among many other cultural activities. 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

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    Cacao Harvesting and Farm Tour

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    Coffee Tasting and Farm Tour

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    Chimp Tracking in Kabale Forest

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    Safari in the Plains of Queen Elizabeth National Park

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    Boat Safari on the Kazinga Channel

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    White Water Rafting on the Nile River

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    Chocolate Tour and Shopping in Kampala City

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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.
Day 1: Arrive at Entebbe International Airport
Arrive at Entebbe International Airport in Uganda. Transfer to boutique guesthouse and check in the for evening.
Accommodations: Entebbe Guesthouse

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Day 2: Journey to Kibale National Park
Breakfast, group orientation, and Ugandan chocolate tasting at the guesthouse. Hit the road and enjoy the scenic drive to Fort Portal where we'll have lunch and continue to Kibale. Check-in and relax at our lodge.
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
‍Accommodations: Kibale Forest Lodge

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Day 3: Chimp Tracking at Kibale Forest National Park
Start the day with a Ugandan coffee tasting. Journey to Kabale Forest National Park for a chimp tracking expedition where there are over 1500 chimpanzees. Kibale Forest contains 13 species of primates, with the highest concentration in all of Africa. Return to lodge.
‍Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
‍Accommodations: Kibale Forest Lodge

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Day 4: Cultural Walk Through Bigodi Community
Cultural walk through Bigodi Community. Meet "Banana Man" who makes various banana drinks, a village of basket-weavers who sing and dance, and watch as farmers process and roast coffee. Experience a local lunch then head to the lodge for some rest and relaxation.
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
‍Accommodations: Kibale Forest Lodge

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Day 5: Hands-On Cacao Farming Experience
Drive to Kasese in the morning to go and meet our farming partners, Latitude Trade Company. Harvest cacao pods with farmers and split them open to scoop out the beans to take to the cacao collection points. Enjoy getting to know the farmers and taste chocolate with them, made with beans that they grew. Go on an optional safari before heading back to the lodge.
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
‍Accommodations: Safari Lodge

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Day 6: Coffee & Vanilla Farms, and Kazinga Channel Boat Safari
In the morning, head to both a coffee and vanilla farm for a tour and hands-on experience. In the afternoon, go on a boat ride along the Kazinga Channel where we'll have the possibility of seeing an amazing array of wildlife including elephants, hippos, antelope, crocodiles, and much more. End the day with a land safari in Queen Elizabeth National Park and dinner at the lodge.
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Accommodations: Safari Lodge
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Day 7: Safari and Latitude Cacao Fermentation Center
After breakfast we'll head to the plains of Queen Elizabeth National Park for a morning game drive safari. After, we'll visit our farming partner Latitude's fermentation center in Kasese where we'll help ferment cacao beans, do a chocolate tasting, and plant cacao trees. We'll eat lunch with the Latitude team then return to the lodge for a relaxing afternoon.
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
‍Accommodations: Safari Lodge

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Day 8: Journey to Kampala City
Drive to Kampala City and spend the evening eating delicious food, swimming in the pool, and enjoying each other's company.
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
‍Accommodations: Kampala City Hotel

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Day 9: White-Water Rafting on the Nile
Drive to Jinja for a fun day of white-water rafting or tubing on the Nile River! After, we'll return to Kampala City to enjoy delicious food and have a relaxing evening.
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
‍Accommodations: Kampala City Hotel

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Day 10: Chocolate Factory Tour, Shopping, and Farwell Dinner
In the morning, head to Latitude Craft Chocolate factory for a tour and lunch. Enjoy souvenir shopping at the local markets that offer a variety of goods handmade in Uganda. Drive to Entebbe and have our farewell dinner. Participants depart from Entebbe Airport.
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
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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.
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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.
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Meet Your Guides

You’ll be accompanied by members of the Moka Origins team, along with local hosts and experts at our destination.
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Jeff Abella
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.
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Chelsea Abella
Chelsea 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.
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Nathan Masereka
Nathan 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.
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Jeff Steinberg
Jeff 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.

Trip Add-On: Yoga and Nature Immersion with Luke Ketterhagen

February 12–15
$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 3–12, 2024
  • Early Registration: $4,950 (save $600)
  • Normal Registration: $5,500
  • Kids Registration: $4,200
  • Yoga Add-On: $1,200
  • Deposit Amount: $1,000 (secures your spot on the trip)
‍Pricing Includes:
  • All ground transportation and airport transfer at our destination
  • All meals scheduled in itinerary
  • All accommodations as scheduled in itinerary
  • All itinerary activities
  • All gratuity charges
Pricing Excludes:
  • International travel to/from our destination
  • Additional excursions and activities
  • Alcoholic beverages
  • Visas and travel insurance

More Information

Frequently Asked Questions: See FAQ
Call Jeff: (570) 445-1901