12 Day Kilimanjaro Safari And Zanzibar

Three giraffes below the snowcapped peak on Mount Kilimanjaro

Destinations: Tanzania, Mount Kilimanjaro, Serengeti National Park, Ngorongoro Crater and Zanzibar

This climb takes the Machame route up Kilimanjaro to Uhuru Peak at 5,895 metres, the highest point in Africa and the highest free-standing mountain in the world. The days build height slowly through rainforest, moorland and alpine desert to the summit cone, with a midnight start for the final push. After the descent you carry on to the Serengeti, the Ngorongoro Crater and Zanzibar to round out the trip.

Day By Day

Day 1 Gate To Machame Camp

You transfer from your Moshi hotel to the trailhead this morning after a kit check and briefing. You drive from Moshi to the Machame Gate at about 1,800 metres and register for the climb. The first day climbs through thick rainforest, often muddy and loud with birds and colobus monkeys. After five or six hours you reach Machame Camp at around 3,000 metres above the forest. Higher up the air thins and the walking becomes about rhythm rather than speed.

Nights are cold and the stars overhead are as thick as you will ever see them. Each camp is a little higher, and the views open wider as the forest falls behind. The guides set a slow pace, pole, pole in Swahili, because going slowly is how you reach the top. Porters carry the camp ahead of you, and hot meals are ready when you reach each night’s stop. You drink three or four litres of water a day to help your body adjust to the altitude.

Day 2 Machame Camp To Shira Camp

The forest gives way to open moorland of giant heather and lobelia. You climb to the Shira Plateau at about 3,840 metres, with Kibo’s snow cone ahead. It is a shorter day that builds height steadily. The same plateau can be reached from the west, which is how the seven-day Lemosho climb begins. Nights are cold and the stars overhead are as thick as you will ever see them. Each camp is a little higher, and the views open wider as the forest falls behind. The guides set a slow pace, pole, pole in Swahili, because going slowly is how you reach the top.

Porters carry the camp ahead of you, and hot meals are ready when you reach each night’s stop. You drink three or four litres of water a day to help your body adjust to the altitude. The crew check your oxygen and pulse each evening to see how you are acclimatising. Layers come on and off through the day as the sun and the cold trade places. Higher up the air thins and the walking becomes about rhythm rather than speed.

Day 3 Shira To Lava Tower To Barranco Camp

A key acclimatisation day, climbing high to the Lava Tower at 4,600 metres then dropping to sleep low. Climb high, sleep low is the pattern that carries people to the summit. Barranco Camp sits at about 3,960 metres under its great wall. Each camp is a little higher, and the views open wider as the forest falls behind. The guides set a slow pace, pole, pole in Swahili, because going slowly is how you reach the top. Porters carry the camp ahead of you, and hot meals are ready when you reach each night’s stop.

You drink three or four litres of water a day to help your body adjust to the altitude. The crew check your oxygen and pulse each evening to see how you are acclimatising. Layers come on and off through the day as the sun and the cold trade places. Higher up the air thins and the walking becomes about rhythm rather than speed. Nights are cold and the stars overhead are as thick as you will ever see them.

Day 4 Barranco Wall To Karanga Camp

The morning begins with the Barranco Wall, a scramble that looks harder than it is. Beyond it the route rolls across ridges to Karanga Camp at around 3,995 metres. A shorter day keeps your legs fresh for the summit. The guides set a slow pace, pole, pole in Swahili, because going slowly is how you reach the top. Porters carry the camp ahead of you, and hot meals are ready when you reach each night’s stop. You drink three or four litres of water a day to help your body adjust to the altitude.

The crew check your oxygen and pulse each evening to see how you are acclimatising. Layers come on and off through the day as the sun and the cold trade places. Higher up the air thins and the walking becomes about rhythm rather than speed. Nights are cold and the stars overhead are as thick as you will ever see them. Each camp is a little higher, and the views open wider as the forest falls behind.

Day 5 Karanga To Barafu Base Camp

You climb the alpine desert to Barafu Camp at 4,673 metres, summit base. The peak looms close above and the crew prepare you for the night ahead. You eat and rest early before a midnight start. Porters carry the camp ahead of you, and hot meals are ready when you reach each night’s stop. You drink three or four litres of water a day to help your body adjust to the altitude. The crew check your oxygen and pulse each evening to see how you are acclimatising.

Layers come on and off through the day as the sun and the cold trade places. Higher up the air thins and the walking becomes about rhythm rather than speed. Nights are cold and the stars overhead are as thick as you will ever see them. Each camp is a little higher, and the views open wider as the forest falls behind. The guides set a slow pace, pole, pole in Swahili, because going slowly is how you reach the top.

Barafu camp signboard above orange tents on Mount Kilimanjaro — Barafu, the last camp before summit night, at 4,673 metres.

Day 6 Summit Night To Uhuru Peak Then Mweka

You set out near midnight, head-torches strung up the dark slope. At sunrise you reach Stella Point at 5,750 metres, then Uhuru Peak, 5,895 metres, the highest point in Africa. After photographs among the glaciers you descend to Mweka Camp in thicker air. You drink three or four litres of water a day to help your body adjust to the altitude. The crew check your oxygen and pulse each evening to see how you are acclimatising. Layers come on and off through the day as the sun and the cold trade places.

Higher up the air thins and the walking becomes about rhythm rather than speed. Nights are cold and the stars overhead are as thick as you will ever see them. Each camp is a little higher, and the views open wider as the forest falls behind. The guides set a slow pace, pole, pole in Swahili, because going slowly is how you reach the top. Porters carry the camp ahead of you, and hot meals are ready when you reach each night’s stop.

Trekkers on snowy summit ridge at sunrise on Mount Kilimanjaro — Sunrise on the crater rim, the halfway point of a twelve to fourteen hour day.

Day 7 Descend Kilimanjaro And Drive To Serengeti

You come off the mountain in the morning and sign out at the exit gate, then transfer on for the move to Serengeti National Park. The country changes on the way, and you reach the Serengeti in the afternoon. You head out on game drives as the light softens, a first look at the new ground. Big cats are the draw, lion on the kopjes, cheetah on the plains, leopard in the riverine trees. The Grumeti and Mara rivers hold crocodile and stage the migration’s river crossings in season. On most drives you will not pass another vehicle.

The Serengeti runs to nearly 15,000 square kilometres of open plains and scattered kopjes. It carries the great wildebeest migration, well over a million animals moving in a yearly loop. Dawn balloon flights drift over the herds where operators offer them. You stop for coffee where the view is good and let the morning warm up. Nothing is promised in the wild, which is what makes a good sighting count.

Day 8 In Serengeti

A full day in Serengeti National Park. You are out on game drives, out early while the light is low and the country is at its best, with the guide working the ground slowly and time to stop for whatever the day turns up. The Grumeti and Mara rivers hold crocodile and stage the migration’s river crossings in season. Dawn balloon flights drift over the herds where operators offer them. The Serengeti runs to nearly 15,000 square kilometres of open plains and scattered kopjes. Back at camp after dark, dinner is under the stars.

It carries the great wildebeest migration, well over a million animals moving in a yearly loop. Big cats are the draw, lion on the kopjes, cheetah on the plains, leopard in the riverine trees. Nothing is promised in the wild, which is what makes a good sighting count. The country is quiet here, and on most outings you have it to yourselves. Your guide has the ground worked out, and knows where the day is likely to lead.

Elephant below snow capped summit from savannah on Mount Kilimanjaro — The mountain seen from the plains, four days after standing on top of it.

Day 9 Transfer To Ngorongoro Crater

A short morning out on game drives at first light in the Serengeti, then to the road for the move to Ngorongoro Crater. The country changes on the way, and you reach the Ngorongoro Crater in the afternoon. You head out on game drives as the light softens, a first look at the new ground. The rim sits at 2,300 metres and mornings are cold before the sun clears the wall. The Ngorongoro Crater is the largest intact volcanic caldera in the world, about 260 square kilometres of floor. You rest through the midday heat and head out again as it cools. A nine-day climb and safari finishes after the Serengeti instead of continuing here.

It is one of the best places in Africa to see black rhino, completing the Big Five in a day. Lion, elephant, buffalo and flamingo-lined soda lakes share the crater floor. Its walls hold around 25,000 large animals, so game viewing is concentrated and reliable. The country is quiet here, and on most outings you have it to yourselves. Your guide has the ground worked out, and knows where the day is likely to lead.

Male lion resting in green grass on Mount Kilimanjaro — The crater floor holds one of the densest concentrations of large mammals in East Africa.

Day 10 Transfer To Zanzibar

A short morning out on game drives at first light in the Ngorongoro Crater, then to the airstrip and a light aircraft for the move to Zanzibar. The country changes on the way, and you reach Zanzibar in the afternoon. You head out by the sea as the light softens, a first look at the new ground. Stone Town is a UNESCO World Heritage site, a maze of lanes, carved doors and old trading houses. Spice farms outside town still grow the cloves, nutmeg and cinnamon that made the island rich. Fresh seafood by the water closes the day. The fourteen-day version of this trip reaches the coast by way of Tarangire and a longer climb.

Mnemba atoll offers the island’s best snorkelling, with reef fish, turtles and dolphins offshore. The food is a highlight, grilled seafood, coconut and spice along the Swahili coast. The north and east coasts are lined with white sand behind a protected coral reef. Your guide has the ground worked out, and knows where the day is likely to lead. The morning is cool and the animals are moving, so the first hours out are the busiest.

Day 11 In Zanzibar

A full day at Zanzibar. You are by the sea, out early while the light is low and the country is at its best, with the guide working the ground slowly and time to stop for whatever the day turns up. Spice farms outside town still grow the cloves, nutmeg and cinnamon that made the island rich. The north and east coasts are lined with white sand behind a protected coral reef. Mnemba atoll offers the island’s best snorkelling, with reef fish, turtles and dolphins offshore. The tide, the reef and a long lunch set the pace.

The food is a highlight, grilled seafood, coconut and spice along the Swahili coast. Stone Town is a UNESCO World Heritage site, a maze of lanes, carved doors and old trading houses. The morning is cool and the animals are moving, so the first hours out are the busiest. You carry a packed breakfast and stay out while the going is good. Around midday the heat sits heavy, and you rest in the shade before heading out again as it cools.

Day 12 Departure

A final morning by the sea before you leave, the best window of the trip for anything still on your list. You make the most of the early light, then your light aircraft flies you back toward Arusha. Stone Town is a UNESCO World Heritage site, a maze of lanes, carved doors and old trading houses. Spice farms outside town still grow the cloves, nutmeg and cinnamon that made the island rich. You finish the trip having stood on the roof of Africa and seen the Serengeti, the Ngorongoro Crater and Zanzibar. The north and east coasts are lined with white sand behind a protected coral reef.

Mnemba atoll offers the island’s best snorkelling, with reef fish, turtles and dolphins offshore. The food is a highlight, grilled seafood, coconut and spice along the Swahili coast. The country is quiet here, and on most outings you have it to yourselves. Your guide has the ground worked out, and knows where the day is likely to lead.

What’s Included

Kilimanjaro park, camping or hut, rescue and guide fees
All meals on the mountain and a full mountain crew (guides, cook, porters)
Transfers between Moshi and the trailheads
Full-board safari and park fees on the days shown

What’s Not Included

International flights and Tanzania visa
Personal trekking gear (hire available in Moshi)
Travel insurance covering high-altitude trekking
Tips for the crew, drinks and personal items

Why Is This Kilimanjaro Trip a Good Option?

Standing on the roof of Africa is the draw, and the Machame route is a sound way up. Longer routes give your body more time to adjust, and time on the mountain is the single biggest factor in reaching the top. You climb through five climate zones in a week, rainforest, heath, moorland, alpine desert and the arctic summit, watching the country change under your boots. No technical climbing is needed, only fitness, warm kit and a slow, steady pace, while the crew carry the camp, cook the meals and watch your health each evening. Coming down to the Serengeti, the Ngorongoro Crater and Zanzibar afterwards means you go home having done the mountain and the wildlife both. If your dates fall in a wet month, a climb on the drier northern side such as the six-day Rongai itinerary makes a more sensible first leg.

Can You Do a Kilimanjaro Trip in 12 Days?

On Kilimanjaro, days equal success. Only six of these twelve days are spent climbing, and a six-day Machame ascent reports between 50 and 73 percent, so the safari and beach days add nothing to your acclimatisation. Shorter climbs cost less but summit rates fall as the days drop. This length suits a reasonably fit walker who has trained with hills and long days on foot. What no itinerary can promise is the summit, weather and altitude decide on the night, and a good crew will turn you around if your body says so. Adding the safari and beach after the climb is the right call if you have come this far, since the rest of Tanzania is close.

What Is the Price of This Kilimanjaro Trip Package?

A Kilimanjaro climb is priced by the day, because park, camping and rescue fees run well over USD 100 per day before the crew and food. Operators who pay and equip their crews properly are not the cheapest, and cutting corners on Kilimanjaro is a false economy. As a guide, this trip runs from around USD 3,700 to 6,100 per person, with group size and hotel level the main variables, plus the safari and beach portion. Tell an operator your dates and group size for a firm quote.