The question is understandable.

You can picture the safari: a remote camp, miles from the nearest town, elephants moving through the darkness outside your tent. Then Friday approaches, and a more practical thought takes over.

Can we really keep Shabbat here without spending the entire day worrying about it?

Yes, with the right planning.

The difference is not the distance from civilisation. It is whether the details have been considered before you arrive.

Kosher provisions can be arranged in advance, including kosher meat sourced through established suppliers such as Moishe's Butchery in South Africa or, where appropriate, Chabad communities and kosher networks in East Africa. Meals can be coordinated with private chefs and camp kitchens according to your family's requirements, with fresh challah prepared for Friday evening and appropriate kosher wine and provisions arranged ahead of time.

The safari itself can be planned around Shabbat rather than asking Shabbat to fit around the safari.

Your final game drive can finish well before sundown. The camp is prepared beforehand. Your Friday evening meal is ready. Candles can be arranged where appropriate. There is no frantic last-minute preparation, no need to explain your traditions repeatedly, and no feeling that your observance is an inconvenience.

Instead, imagine Friday afternoon in the African wilderness.

The day's wildlife encounters are behind you. The light turns amber across the savannah. The camp grows quiet. Beyond your tent, the sounds of the bush continue as your family gathers for Shabbat.

For a family accustomed to managing every detail, that may be the greatest luxury of all.

Not simply being able to keep Shabbat in Africa.

Being able to keep Shabbat peacefully, with the confidence that the practical details have already been thought through.

Kosher food in Africa is certified by the Beth Din of South Africa which is the Jewish religious court responsible for ensuring that food and other products meet the standards of Jewish dietary laws.

Stainless steel pots and pans are boiled and torched clean between each meal or for a nominal fee new pots, pans, plates, and cutlery/flatware will be supplied and be inspected by you when you check into the safari lodge or camp, or if you prefer you can bring in your own pots & pans.  After every use, they are washed in a special designated area.  During your stay, you are more than welcome to inspect the kitchen to ensure you are pleased with how your meals are being prepared.

Deluxe Option

At our approved Kosher Safari Lodges, Pareve meals will be prepared fresh on-site by chefs who have been trained in kosher catering, and at your request, kosher milk products as well as kosher meat from a Mehadrin Commission Kosher Butchery will be brought in.

Private & Exclusive

A Mashgiach who is Shomer Shabbat and has completed the Mashgiach kashrut course will be flown into the safari lodge.  If the lodge doesn't have a dedicated kosher kitchen, he will set up a temporary separated kitchen with new cooking utensils & equipment as well as import the Kosher approved ingredients including Chalav Yisrael & Mehadrin meat as well as shabbos candles and fragrance for havdalah.  He will supervise all the cooking.

If needed we can also get a private Jewish Kosher chef from a recognized kashrut authority to accompany him.  Both of them are very involved in the Jewish community in South Africa and work with full permission of their overseeing Rabbi. 

Shabbat While On Safari:

For all lodges & camps that we recommend Eruv is key, so we ensure the lodges/camps we select are on enclosed grounds.  To avoid elevators we book rooms at lower levels as well ensuring they don’t have electric pass keys or they are electronically disconnected during Shabbat.

To ensure compliance with Jewish dietary laws Shabbat dinner and lunch are cooked before Shabbat starts. A stove or grill with a blech or an oven will be used to keep food warm over Shabbat.

Hot water for tea or coffee over Shabbat will be boiled and preserved in flasks.

Activities during Shabbat

Whenever available we will select kosher safari Lodges that have watering holes where animals visit and from the comfort of your chair, you will have a wildlife viewing experience during Shabbat.  Another option during Shabbat is to have a Walking Safari in the Masai Mara or Serengeti escorted by an armed guard