Kilimanjaro - Marangu Route & Serengeti Adventure

For many travellers, Africa is a once-in-a-lifetime experience. If you’re only going to go once, take this incredible 12-day adventure that...

Tanzania

Kilimanjaro - Marangu Route & Serengeti Adventure

DAY 1 Moshi

Arrive at any time. Arrive in Moshi and head to the hotel. Attend a pre-departure meeting with the local guide to go over last minute details of the trip.

Administrative

Your Welcome Moment: Welcome Moment - Meet Your CEO and Group

Your opportunity to meet your CEO and fellow travellers, and learn more about your tour. Opt to join the group for a local meal afterwards. Don't forget to see the notice in the lobby (or ask reception) for the official time and place to meet up with the group.

Accommodation

Below is an example of the hotel we may use in this city. For the actual hotel your specific departure will be using, please check your voucher.

Bristol Cottages Kilimanjaro

Hotel
DAY 2 Moshi/Mandara Huts

Hike through the forested, lower slopes to Mandara escarpment. Most days the hiking will begin early in the morning, with hikes of around 5 to 6 hours. The guides will set a moderate pace, so as to allow for time to acclimatize to the altitude changes. Guides will continually repeat the words, “pole pole” (po-ly, po-ly), which means “go slowly” in Swahili.

Bus

Private Vehicle

Moshi- Marangu Gate0.75h

Settle in and scan the scenery from the convenience of a private vehicle.

Landsport

Marangu Gate to Mandara Hut

Marangu Gate- Mandara Huts4h-5h8km

Walk 4 hours to the Mandara Hut (2743m, 8999 ft) after registering at the gate. The slopes of Mt Kilimanjaro are classified as rainforest zone so there will likely be rain in the afternoon while travelling under the lush canopy. Enjoy the view while hiking through the lower terrain and possibly spot some of the exotic wildlife in the area. The Mandra Hut has sleeping bunks, running water and flushable toilets.

DAY 3 Mandara Huts/Horombo Huts

Hike through the heather and moorland zone to Horombo Hut.

Landsport

Mandara Hut to Horombo Hut

Mandara Huts- Horombo Huts6h-8h11km

Continue up through the upper rainforest zone and reach the moorland zone at 3000m (9842 ft). In this zone plants grow to outrageous heights like the giant lobelia and giant groundsel that can reach up to 5m (16 ft). Enjoy the view of the semi-alpine zone's plants and ravines. Reach Horombo hut (3720m, 12205 ft) and get some rest.

DAY 4 Horombo Huts/Kibo Huts

Proceed onto the Kilimanjaro Saddle, through a desertlike alpine zone, to Kibo Hut.

Landsport

Horombo Hut to Kibo Hut

Horombo Huts- Kibo Huts6h-8h10km

Start the slow trek through the heathland and enter the alpine desert zone. Because of the increase in altitude, hike a slow pace today to allow time to get acclimatized but pay attention to any signs of altitude sickness. The ascent to the saddle of Mt Kilimanjaro is between the peaks of Kibo and Mwenzi, get a great view of Kibo after crossing the saddle. Rest for the night at Kibo Hut (4703m, 15430 ft) and prepare for the upcoming hike to the summit.

DAY 5 Kibo Huts/Horombo Huts

Night hike to the summit via Stella Point. Appreciate the beautiful sunrise from the roof of Africa, then descend back to Horombo Hut.

Landsport

Kibo Hut to Summit

Kibo Huts- Uhuru6h-8h6km

Wake up just after midnight to start climbing to the summit. Gillman’s Point (5861m, 19229 ft) on the crater rim is easier to reach when the scree slope is frozen so the climb is best done before daylight. The view of the sunrise from the summit is also worth the early start. From Gilman’s Point, continue on to Uhuru Peak, the highest point in Africa.

Landsport

Summit to Horombo Huts Camp

Uhuru- Horombo Huts4h-5h16km

Take a quick moment to enjoy the view and celebrate a successful climb before starting the descent to Horombo Huts Camp. Enjoy a well-deserved rest during the last night on the mountain.

DAY 6 Horombo Huts/Moshi

Descend the mountain, passing through villages and plantations on the slopes en route to Moshi. Meet the mamas of the Moshi Women’s Cooperative, a G supported project, for a climbing ceremony. Transfer by shuttle bus to Moshi. Time to relax, take a shower, and celebrate with a drink. Cheers to climbing Mt Kilimanjaro! Before dinner, you will be welcomed and congratulated on your climb by the mamas of the Moshi Women’s Cooperative, a project supported by G Adventures. They will present you with a gift and a certificate to remember all your efforts on the mountain. Opt to pre-book the Lala Salama Spa & Beauty Aromatherapy Massage, which partners with Moshi Women's Cooperative, by adding it to your checkout page, or ask your GCO or travel agent for assistance.

Landsport

Horombo Huts Camp to Marangu Gate

Horombo Huts- Marangu Gate5h-6h20km

Continue the descent to the Marangu Gate, passing by the Mandara escarpment on the way. Enjoy the easier descent and hikers who successfully reached Uhuru Peak will receive a summit certificate.

Bus

Private Vehicle

Marangu Gate- Moshi0.75h

Settle in and scan the scenery from the convenience of a private vehicle.

Planeterra

Your G for Good Moment: Moshi Women's Cooperative Visit

Moshi

This project is supported by the Planeterra Foundation and G Adventures. Women and girls are often the first to be excluded from educational programs in Tanzania, with most girls being pulled out of school by Grade 3 to help out around the home. Our ground partners provide free adult business education for women in Moshi, and Planeterra and G Adventures have rented a cooperative space to allow these students to practice their academic skills and save income to start their own business. Feel free to shop for for souvenirs and speak to the women who run the cooperative about their lives and how the project has assisted in building a brighter future.

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Optional Activities - Day 6Show

Accommodation

Bristol Cottages Kilimanjaro

Hotel
DAY 7 Moshi/Arusha

En route to Arusha, enjoy an included stop at the G Adventures-supported Moshi Women’s Cooperative. Pick up any last-minute supplies in Arusha. Travel to the picturesque town of Arusha. En route, stop at the Moshi Women’s Cooperative to learn about what this project offers. Meet the women, learn more about their lives, and opt to purchase some souvenirs. In the evening, you may be joined by other G Adventures travellers arriving from Kenya or starting the safari portion of their Tanzania trip. Check for details of the time and location of a welcome meeting, typically around 18:00.

Bus

Transport

Moshi- Arusha1.5h65km

Settle in and scan the scenery as you journey to your next destination.

Planeterra

Your G for Good Moment: Moshi Women's Cooperative Visit

Moshi

This project is supported by the Planeterra Foundation and G Adventures. Women and girls are often the first to be excluded from educational programs in Tanzania, with most girls being pulled out of school by Grade 3 to help out around the home. Our ground partners provide free adult business education for women in Moshi, and Planeterra and G Adventures have rented a cooperative space to allow these students to practice their academic skills and save income to start their own business. Feel free to shop for for souvenirs and speak to the women who run the cooperative about their lives and how the project has assisted in building a brighter future.

Accommodation

The Outpost Lodge

Lodge
DAY 8 Arusha/Mto wa Mbu

Experience the Mto wa Mbu community with a guided cultural walk and traditional lunch with a local family. Take a wildlife safari drive in Lake Manyara NP. Travel to Mto wa Mbu and take part in a cultural walk to learn about life in the area. Meet the women who run the rural town's tours and enjoy a delicious home made traditional lunch. Spend the afternoon viewing wildlife along the main road that winds through a lush cool forests of Lake Manyara National Park, overgrown with ficus trees and covered with bromeliads. This area is truly stunning, as the western wall of the Rift Valley escarpment provides a gorgeous backdrop. Search for the phenomenal birdlife, tree-climbing lions, elephants, giraffes, and hippos.

Automobile

Pop-up Top: 7-Seat 4x4 Safari Vehicle

Arusha- Mto wa Mbu2h-3h130km

Get a better view and take better snapshots aboard this off-road ride with a pop-up top.

People

Your G for Good Moment: Mto wa Mbu Community Visit and Lunch

Mto wa Mbu

Take part in a cultural walk to learn about life in this East African town. Mto wa Mbu has attracted some 18,000 residents from 120 different tribes. During the two-hour tour, visit the community's local market, go right to the farmer's fields, see how huts are constructed, and meet artisans in their shops. Afterwards, sit down with our new friends and enjoy a traditional lunch of meat and plantains.

Nature

Lake Manyara National Park Afternoon Safari Drive

Lake Manyara National ParkAFTERNOON

This western wall of the Rift Valley escarpment is truly stunning. It provides a backdrop for your search for the park's phenomenal bird life (including raptors), tree-climbing lions, elephants, zebras, hippos, baboons, and buffalos. Look up and see some of the more than 400 species of birds, including pink flamingos, pelicans, cormorants, and storks. Beyond wildlife, Lake Manyara NP is home to giant fig trees, acacia woodlands, mahogany trees, and grassy flood plains. The contrasts of this area are simply breathtaking; the open plains, huge escarpment, central alkaline lake, dense woodlands, and distant volcanic peaks coming together in an area best described by Ernest Hemingway as “the loveliest I have seen in Africa.”

Accommodation

Twiga Lodge and Campsite

Campground
DAY 9 Mto wa Mbu/Serengeti National Park

Enjoy a wildlife safari drive en route to the central Serengeti. Drive through the Ngorongoro Conservation Area and on to Serengeti National Park. En route marvel at the sheer vastness of this territory, and spot the multitude of animal and birdlife while cruising through this acacia-accented savanna.

Automobile

Pop-up Top: 7-Seat 4x4 Safari Vehicle

Mto wa Mbu- Serengeti National Park8h-9h190km

Get a better view and take better snapshots aboard this off-road ride with a pop-up top.

Nature

Serengeti National Park Safari

Serengeti National Park

This is the reason you came to Africa. Charge your camera, grab your binoculars, and set out on safari. Your eagle-eyed driver will keep an eye out for wildlife – buffaloes, elephants, lions, wildebeests, zebras, and more. Tanzania’s Serengeti tends to be less crowded than some of Kenya’s reserves, so enjoy the scenery, the vast expanse of the grasslands, the play of light and shadow, and the up-close look at wild Africa.

Accommodation

Seronera Campsite

Campground
DAY 10 Serengeti National Park

Rise early for a full-day wildlife safari drive in the Serengeti. Enjoy a picnic lunch in the bush and continue the search for the "big five" while taking in the vastness of the Serengeti plains.

Automobile

Pop-up Top: 7-Seat 4x4 Safari Vehicle

Serengeti National Park

Get a better view and take better snapshots aboard this off-road ride with a pop-up top.

Nature

Serengeti National Park Safari

Serengeti National ParkFULL_DAY

This is the reason you came to Africa. Charge your camera, grab your binoculars, and set out on safari. Your eagle-eyed driver will keep an eye out for wildlife – buffaloes, elephants, lions, wildebeests, zebras, and more. Tanzania’s Serengeti tends to be less crowded than some of Kenya’s reserves, so enjoy the scenery, the vast expanse of the grasslands, the play of light and shadow, and the up-close look at wild Africa.

1

Optional Activities - Day 10Show

Accommodation

Seronera Campsite

Campground
DAY 11 Serengeti National Park/Ngorongoro

Take a morning wildlife safari drive as you depart the Serengeti, then continue wildlife viewing in the Ngorongoro Crater, before getting a spectacular view of the crater from your campsite on its rim. The rich pasture and permanent water of the Crater floor supports a resident population of more than 20,000 to 25,000 large mammals.

Automobile

Pop-up Top: 7-Seat 4x4 Safari Vehicle

Serengeti National Park- Ngorongoro4h160km

Get a better view and take better snapshots aboard this off-road ride with a pop-up top.

Nature

Serengeti National Park Safari

Serengeti National ParkMORNING

This is the reason you came to Africa. Charge your camera, grab your binoculars, and set out on safari. Your eagle-eyed driver will keep an eye out for wildlife – buffaloes, elephants, lions, wildebeests, zebras, and more. Tanzania’s Serengeti tends to be less crowded than some of Kenya’s reserves, so enjoy the scenery, the vast expanse of the grasslands, the play of light and shadow, and the up-close look at wild Africa.

Animal

Ngorongoro Crater Afternoon Wildlife Safari Drive

Ngorongoro Crater

Head down into the crater and to all the best spots to view wildlife. Spot zebras, gazelles, buffaloes and warthogs. The swamp and forest are home to hippos, rhinos, elephants, baboons and monkeys. Keep your eyes peeled and camera ready to capture a pride of lions or a lone leopard walking along the crater floor.

Accommodation

Simba Campsite

Campground
DAY 12 Ngorongoro/Arusha

Visit an authentic Maasai village and the G Adventures-supported Clean Cookstove Project, then return to Arusha where the tour ends on arrival. Onward flights can be booked from 6pm, or extend your stay in Arusha by a night, or two.

Automobile

Pop-up Top: 7-Seat 4x4 Safari Vehicle

Ngorongoro- Arusha4h-5h200km

Get a better view and take better snapshots aboard this off-road ride with a pop-up top.

Planeterra

Your G for Good Moment: Clean Cookstove Project Visit

Mto wa Mbu- Arusha

Visit a Maasai village in the Monduli District and witness the benefits of the G Adventures-supported Clean Cookstove Project. In Tanzania, 95% of people rely on cooking with wood and coal. Women and girls spend hours walking to collect wood every day (making them vulnerable to assault and unable to use their time to go to school). Indoor smoke from open-fire stoves causes cancer, emphysema, pneumonia, blindness, and burns. Take a guided tour of these villages and meet the women that have been trained as stove engineers, visit bomas (traditional homes), and observe (or get your hands dirty) by helping the Stove Team build a stove in a home. See the beneficial impact of the clean-burning stoves on the health and daily lives of the Maasai villagers, especially the women.

Administrative

Departure Day

Not ready to leave? Your CEO can help with travel arrangements to extend your adventure.

Day
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