WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

Our Kosher Cuisine

Gourmet Kosher Safaris is famous for providing gourmet high quality kosher food in the most out-of-the-way places.

 

We prefer to use local high-standard  kashrut authorities to provide our kashrut certification where available- for example, our African safaris and tours fall under the supervision of the Johannesburg Beis Din, Argentina under Rav Oppenheimer’s Adjut Kosher, and Australia under Community Kashrut.

 

Where not available, or where logistically more suitable, we take a registered mashgiach with us from another recognized koshrut authority.

 

Our food is prepared fresh on site in the presence of a full-time mashgiach- no pre-cooked food brought in from the cities, and no doubling up of the guide as mashgiach.

 

Our meat is all  glatt by default, fresh baked products are pas yisroel,  and regular milk is only used when our kosher certifier permits it on the basis of the ruling of Rav Moshe Feinstein zt’l – Chalav Yisroel lechumra is available in most venues on special request.

 

Although we are subject to the local import regulations and availability in all the regions we visit, we cut no corners and spare no reasonable expense to source the wide variety of kosher products required for a high-end culinary experience, including importing  kosher meats, wines, and dairy products from the nearest or most suitable country with a viable Jewish community life.

 

Despite these efforts, there are certain limitations we cannot get around, such as the beef ban in India and ban on importing raw red-meats into the Galapagos, and our menus are adapted around these limitations to have minimum impact on the variety of quality dishes we can serve.

 

Where local quality kosher baked good are not available, our own pastry chef bakes fresh breads and pastries daily.

 

We strive where-ever logistically possible to serve quality lunch spreads where-ever we happen to be for the day- Where not possible, packed lunches are provided or a sandwich station is set-up at breakfast for clients to prepare their own.

 

By default, our tours include all drinks at meals, quality locally available wines at dinner, and snacks and bottled water on demand during excursions.

 

In short- we are not just a kosher tour operator, but  the quality of both our food and kashrut is our pride and joy, and forms a major part of the luxury experience that we are famous for!

Our Guests

Our participants have ranged in age from senior citizens to young infants, and in observance level, from Haredi, to modern Orthodox and traditional.

 

Certain  tours are restricted to adults only, while our family tours cater wonderfully for children of all ages- please check the nature of the relevant tour with us before booking should you prefer an adults only tour.

 

Special interest tours for specific ages and/or group types, or private family tours, can be arranged on request.

Mobile Phones & Internet

We understand that modern life requires the global connectivity that the internet provides, and try to select hotels that provide quality wifi where possible.

 

As experts in eco-tourism, however, many of our venues are extremely remote and are often intentionally designed as luxury retreats, so it is important to plan in advance for some days of limited or very slow connectivity, as well as connectivity outages.

 

Although renting a local phone or simcard is usually the cheapest way of staying in touch, as many of our trips involve multiple countries and keeping one’s usual simcard in one’s phone is usually most convenient, we recommend finding an affordable but good roaming package that covers the countries you are visiting.

 

Also bare in mind that cell-reception might be limited or unavailable in some of the more remote regions, particularly on safari drives inside national parks.

 

Please see the below link for International Cell Phone Plans. https://www.reviews.org/mobile/best-international-cell-phone-plans/

Booking Terms

  • In keeping with general policies in the regions we operate, bookings can only be confirmed once we have received the minimum non-refundable deposit, as per payment terms, plus completed registration/contract forms.
  • All Payments need to be made by direct wire into our Kosher Safaris L.L.C. U.S. bank account, or paid with a valid credit card via paypall- the later does incur a nominal fee of about 3.5%  charged by paypal.
  • Unless otherwise stated, package prices DO NOT include any flights- Flights can either be booked by yourself or or your travel agent, under our guidance, or on your behalf by our own travel agent and billed seperately, whatever is more convenient for you- the later incurs a service charge of approximately 10% of the best avaiable fare in the travel class that your choose.
  •  As fares tend to rise significantly as time progresses, we recommend making flight arrangements as soon as possible- for certain tours, we might prefer to wait for an entire group or portion of a group to book before actually booking the local flights, in order to ensure that everyone gets on the same flights.

 

PAYMENT TERMS:

Unless otherwise stated on our paperwork, our default payment  schedule is as follows:

  • A. On registration, with signed contracts: 25% non-refundable deposit
  • B. 4 months prior to tour: a further 25% non-refundable deposit
  • C. 8 weeks prior to tour: the balance of 50%  is due to keep bookings secure and avoid cancellation of deposits paid till now.

 

CANCELLATION POLICY:

We understand that plans sometimes change, and try our best to accommodate this where-ever feasible.  However, it is important to note that by default:

  • All amounts paid are NON REFUNDABLE.
  • It is the client’s responsibility to take out the necessary trip cancellation insurance to cover for the unlikely event of an emergency cancellation.
  • In certain extreme cases, GKS may use (and has used in the past) its discretion to refund clients part or all of their fee, where it is able to do so without incurring a loss as a result, but this is purely on a voluntary and non obligatory basis.

Hotels and Service

As a upmarket luxury tour provider, Gourmet Kosher Safaris dedicates substantial resources to sourcing the best deluxe hotels suitable for quality kosher catering in each of the regions we operate. On our luxury tours, hotels are either 5 star by American standards, or the best available in the region that will accommodate our kosher catering requirements.

 

It is our belief  that guests who choose to stay in a high-end hotel do not want to eat pre-prepared meals out of tinfoil, but want a culinary experience that matches the ambiance of the hotel itself, and this is what we strive to provide!

COVID-19 Policy

As vaccinations against COVID-19 became more widely available, we are trying to return to normal operations as soon as possible.

 

Your safety is number one priority for us, and all tours are run according to COVID-19 regulations in each country, as well as our own set of minimum standards, regardless of whether participants are vaccinated, recovered, or  at risk.

 

Wearing of masks, social distancing, and hygiene are still the golden standards of COVID-19 avoidance and all our staff and guests are expected to follow these guidelines.

 

Where a group consists solely of vaccinated travellers or members of the same household, these rules might be relaxed solely at the discretion of GKS at the group’s request , only when allowed by local legislation and hotel/lodge policies.

 

It is our strong recommendation that anyone who is able to get fully vaccinated a week by a week before their trip does so, and we reserve the right to limit participation in  certain tours to vaccinated individuals only.

 

It goes without saying that while we do our best to ensure that are tours provide one of the safest environments possible in these times, we cannot take liability for any COVID-19 or other related illness suffered by any participant, Chas veshalom.

 

Due to the uncertainty still prevalent, we have applied special flexible COVID-19 era terms to all bookings, which are listed on official documentation provided for each tour.

 

They might vary from region to region and lodge to lodge in keeping with the policies of our suppliers but will usually include free postponement or region change for listed COVID- related reasons and reduced cancellation fees for the above  to cover administration costs should you need to cancel outright- please be sure to read the terms on your own paperwork carefully and ensure you are comfortable with them.

 

May Hashem remove this terrible plague from our midst and allow us to carry on enjoying the wonders of his creation together!