The Kulanu-Abayudaya Anniversary Trip JANUARY 2019
Travel to Uganda with Select Treks to Celebrate the Abayudaya Community s 100th Anniversary and Kulanu s 25th Anniversary! Select Treks invites you to join Harriet Bograd, Kulanu s president, and Kulanu leaders and volunteers, to celebrate this milestone in the history of the Abayudaya and of Kulanu! We will be staying in eastern Uganda amid lush agricultural plains surrounded by hills and mountains. This is an opportunity to spend time with the Abayudaya, Uganda s Jews, a community partner of Kulanu for 25 years. You will get to know students, teachers, and community members and enjoy spectacular sightseeing. Average summertime temperature is a comfortable 78 F/25 C. Spend two Shabbat weekends in the Abayudaya community Visit Hadassah Primary School and other Kulanu projects Use your skills to lead a workshop or teach a class Learn how to make challah, African style Make Ugandan handcrafts with the Namutumba Women s Group Visit bustling Mbale town and several nearby scenic attractions Enjoy an optional 5-day gorilla trek and wildlife safari following the Abayudaya visit Select Treks 5536 Loring Lane, Golden Valley, MN 55422 +1-612-432-4473 selecttreks.com 2
DATES & PRICING Kulanu & Abayudaya Trip Safari and Gorilla Trek (Add-on) January 9-19, 2019 January 20-24, 2019 Accomodations double occupancy $3,790 (hotel) -or- $3,332 (guest house) Single-occupancy supplement (hotel): $350 Single-occupancy supplement (guest house): $190 All-inclusive double occupancy $3,540* Single-occupancy supplement: $330 *Based on a minimum group of four persons. Nile River side trip (optional) White water rafting, $145 -or- Lunch cruise, $30 What s included in the cost? Private transport in country Accommodations Food and drink as specified Community donations Professional and experienced guides Park entry fees In-country flights during optional gorilla trek/wildlife safari What s excluded from the cost? Items of a personal nature Visas International flights Optional extra activities Gratuities Photo Credits Cover & Hadassah Primary School: Lisa Kasso Women holding torahs: Aaron Kintu Moses Harriet & Ken: Viviane Topp Kids on playground, celebration singer, Havdallah service, Mbale town square: Barbara Vinick Abayudaya Guest House: Mordy Feinberg Bat Mitzvah: Seth Yonadav Select Treks 5536 Loring Lane, Golden Valley, MN 55422 +1-612-432-4473 selecttreks.com 3
ITINERARY DAY 1 (Abayudaya-Kulanu Anniversary) Arrive in Entebbe, Uganda s capital city. Overnight at Protea Marriott. DAY 2 Drive to Mbale town, tour Nabugoye Hill, the founding site of the Abayudaya. Friday night services and Shabbat dinner. Accommodation: Mount Elgon Hotel or The Abayudaya Guest House (Days 2-10). DAY 3 Morning services, afternoon Torah study, evening havdallah. DAY 4 Morning: Attend Youth Association conference (optional). Afternoon: Kulanu 100th anniversary celebration. DAY 5 Hadassah School tour, visit with students and faculty, enjoy children s performances DAY 6 Visit Namutumba village: Tikkun Olam School, synagogue, and women s crafts. DAY 7 Sipi Falls hike and lunch, free afternoon. DAY 8 Optional white water rafting or lunch cruise or community activities. DAY 9 Optional activities: Challah baking, village visit. Evening Shabbat services. DAY 10 Shabbat services, Torah study, havdallah. DAY 11 Drive to Entebbe, stop at craft market, evening departure to USA or, for safari travelers, overnight in Entebbe. DAY 12 (Wildlife Safari & Gorilla Trek) Flight to Kisoro Airstrip in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park enjoy the beautiful views of western Uganda. Accommodation: Nkuringo Bwindi Gorilla Lodge (Days 12 and 13). DAY 13 Gorilla trek in Bwindi National Park. Enjoy views of the peaks and forests around Nkuringo. DAY 14 Wildlife safari of preserved savannah habitat at Queen Elizabeth National Park. Accomodation: Kasenyi Safari Camp (Days 14 and 15). DAY 15 Morning: Hike in chimpanzee and monkey habitat at Kalinzu Game Reserve. Afternoon: Relax at the lodge or do an afternoon game drive in Queen Elizabeth National Park. DAY 16 Early breakfast and game drive, then transfer to Kasese Airstrip for your flight to Entebbe. Day room at Papyrus Guest House and optional lunch at Lake Victoria. Select Treks 5536 Loring Lane, Golden Valley, MN 55422 +1-612-432-4473 selecttreks.com 4
WHAT TO EXPECT You will receive a warm welcome and wonderful hospitality! The 2,000 Abayudaya live in eight villages in eastern Uganda in close proximity with their Christian and Muslim neighbors. Village life is technologically simpler than life in the USA. Power and internet may be interrupted and few homes have running water. However, the Abayudaya villages are experienced hosts, and activities in the villages will be comfortable and enjoyable for you. The first night after arrival we ll sleep in Entebbe near the airport and head to the city of Mbale by van the next morning. Some of us will be staying at the Mount Elgon Hotel in the town of Mbale, six kilometers from the main Abayudaya village of Nabugoye Hill. The hotel accommodations are modern, clean, and offer a lovely pool, restaurant, and buffet meals with vegetarian options. For a budget option, stay at the Abayudaya Guest House in Nabugoye Hill, where meals are prepared in a kosher kitchen supervised by Rabbi Gershom Sizomu. For those who do not travel on Shabbat, the Abayudaya Guest House is next to the synagogue and will be available each Shabbat. We will provide bottled water for drinking in the vehicle. We ll have our own transportation throughout the tour, including travel to and from all our partner villages and activities. Additional activities: During the Abayudaya experience, you have the option to go white water rafting in the the Nile River in Jinja. Immediately following the Abayudaya experience, you may opt to finish your Uganda trip with an amazing five-day gorilla trek and wildlife safari! Select Treks 5536 Loring Lane, Golden Valley, MN 55422 +1-612-432-4473 selecttreks.com 5
Kulanu-Abayudaya Anniversary Trip Hadassah Primary School Located in the main Abayudaya village of Nabugoye Hill, the Hadassah Primary School enrolls 400 Jewish, Christian, and Muslim children between the ages of 5 and 16. Kulanu has supported the school since it was founded in 2001, funding school operations, construction, a nutrition program, a music and dance program, and a computer lab. You ll meet students and teachers, and have the opportunity to participate in activities with the children. Namutumba Community Outreach & Craft Making Learn how to make beaded bracelets and necklaces from recycled paper and other crafts from a multi-faith group of women in a beautiful rural village about an hour from Nabugoye Hill. Abayudaya Music and Dance Festival Celebrate the Abayudaya 100th anniversary at an exciting African Jewish Music and Dance Festival with performances by groups from each of the seven Abayudaya villages. Kulanu sponsored similar festivals during its annual Mitzvah Tours from 2004 to 2014. Baking Challah Work with Abayudaya women to try your hand at challah baking, African style! Sipi Falls Visit the beautiful Sipi Falls in the district of Kapchorwa, 45 minutes from Mbale, at the edge of Mount Elgon National Park. You can hike one, two, or all three falls, or relax at the scenic lodge. White Water rafting (Additional cost) The beauty of the Nile in Uganda is nothing short of spectacular. Raft through huge walls of whitewater (#4 and #5 rapids) and then drift through the warm water (81 F) in the equatorial sunshine. If you don t like an adrenaline rush, opt for the calmer #3 rapids and enjoy the scenery, or ride in comfort in a covered boat on the Nile river. Select Treks 5536 Loring Lane, Golden Valley, MN 55422 +1-612-432-4473 selecttreks.com 6
Wildlife Safari & Gorilla Trek (Add-on) Travel to Bwindi Impenetrable Forest After an early breakfast, you ll head to Entebbe International Airport for an AeroLink connection to Kisoro. This flight across central Uganda offers a view of the beautiful mountains, hills, cultivated terraces, tropical rainforest, bamboo forests and the majestic chain of the Virunga Volcanoes. Gorilla trekking at Bwindi The Bwindi preserve contains a dramatic, thick, steeply forested landscape. The thrill of spending time observing the endangered mountain gorillas is an awesome, exciting experience to be remembered. The tracking can take place at Nkuringo or at Rushaga (one-hour drive from Nkuringo), depending on gorilla permits. Upon returning, relax at the lodge or drive up to the Top of the World the name given to the football field, high up in Nkuringo which offers amazing views over the peaks and forests around Nkuringo. Wildlife Safari at Queen Elizabeth National Park After an early morning breakfast, drive to Queen Elizabeth National Park. This is Uganda s second-largest park reserve, located at the base of the Rwenzori Mountain range, adjacent to Lake Edward and Lake George. Wildlife includes kob, gazelle, waterbuck, warthog, hyena, hippo, elephant, and leopard. Enjoy an afternoon boat trip on the Kazinga Channel where you ll see some of the park s 95 species of mammals, reptiles, and birds coming to drink on its banks. Chimp trekking at Kalinzu Game Reserve During your forest hike, look out for various primates, especially the chimpanzees. Less elusive than the gorillas of Bwindi, their social behaviors are often on loud display! You may also see black and white Colobus monkeys. Select Treks 5536 Loring Lane, Golden Valley, MN 55422 +1-612-432-4473 selecttreks.com 7
Accommodations Kulanu-Abayudaya Anniversary Protea Marriott Entebbe This 4 star resort hotel is ideally located on the shores of Lake Victoria and a convenient 1 km from the Entebbe airport. Protea Hotel Entebbe offers a wide variety of services and amenities including a restaurant that offers an a la carte menu seven days of the week. The outside terrace, with its own special ambience and superb lake views is the perfect place to take it all in. marriott.com/hotels/travel/ebben-protea-hotel-entebbe/ Mount Elgon Hotel Perfectly placed in the suburbs of Mbale town, 6 kilometers from Nabugoye Hill, Mount Elgon Hotel & Spa is eastern Uganda s most celebrated hotel. You have a choice of staying at Mount Elgon Hotel or the more modest Guest House. mountelgonhotel.com The Abayudaya Guest House (Nabugoye Hill) If you re looking for a budget option, the guest house is for you. While minimal in amenities, it is filled with warmth and love. The Guest House sits next to the synagogue on Nabugoye Hill and not far from Hadassah School. There is running water, sometimes even hot water, beds with mosquito netting and a community area/dining room. Food is prepared in a kosher kitchen. If you don t travel on Shabbat, you will want to stay at The Guest House next to the synagogue on Shabbat. Safari Accommodations Nkuringo Mountain Gorilla Lodge mountaingorillalodge.com Kasenyi Safari Lodge kasenyisafaricamp.com Select Treks 5536 Loring Lane, Golden Valley, MN 55422 +1-612-432-4473 selecttreks.com 8
About Kulanu and the Abayudaya Kulanu, founded in 1994, supports isolated, emerging, and returning Jewish communities around the globe. We have been closely connected with the Abayudaya since 1995 when we visited the community for the first time. In 2002, Kulanu organized a beit din (rabbinic court) of Conservative rabbis who conducted the first series of formal conversions. From 1999-2015 we supported the Semei Kakungulu High School, and from 2001 to the present we have supported the Hadassah Elementary school. We have contributed to many other community projects, bringing electricity, water tanks and wells to the villages, selling Abayudaya-made kippot and CDs of their wonderful music, as well as organizing speaking tours around the US for community leaders, and working with journalists and filmmakers to share the story of the Abayudaya. We have served as matchmaker to connect the community with other groups such as Be chol Lashon, the Conservative movement, Brandeis Collegiate Institute s summer program in California, the Federation of Jewish Men s Clubs, and many others. Our support to the Abayudaya has totaled $1.5 million over the years. Many people have come to support Kulanu after they first learned about the Abayudaya through a visiting speaker, a film, a CD of their music, a visit to Uganda, or a news article. When people visit Uganda, they are inspired by the community s passionate commitment to Judaism and their inspiring religious services and Torah study, as well as their peaceful coexistence with their Christian and Muslim neighbors. About Select Treks Select Treks offers custom, participatory experiences to take in cultural opportunities, natural wonders and amazing adventures in Africa, Asia, Central and South America. We take great care to work with tour guides who are experienced, well educated, and a part of the local community. Founder Joanne Trangle will lead the Kulanu Anniversary Trip. Her relationship with the Abayudaya goes back seven years, involves several educational and economic development projects, and even includes the b nai mitzvah of twin sons in the Abayudaya synagogue on Nabugoye Hill in 2013. Select Treks 5536 Loring Lane, Golden Valley, MN 55422 +1-612-432-4473 selecttreks.com 9
Trip map Contact For more information: Joanne Trangle joanne@selecttreks.com +1 612-432-4473 Thank you! Select Treks 5536 Loring Lane, Golden Valley, MN 55422 +1-612-432-4473 selecttreks.com 10