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A small line of climbers on the snowy upper slopes of Kilimanjaro near Stella Point, with a sea of cloud below in the sunrise light

Sample journey · 13–15 days

Kilimanjaro first, then the Serengeti

Moshi, the Lemosho or Machame route to Uhuru Peak, the Ngorongoro Crater & the Serengeti plains

Photo: Kristoffer Darj / Unsplash

Illustrative journey ideas — not bookable packages. No prices, dates or accommodation are implied.

This is the most physically demanding of our sample Tanzania journeys. Its first half has a single aim: to climb Kilimanjaro, Africa's highest mountain (about 5,895 m), by the longer Lemosho or Machame route, which gives the body time to adjust to altitude step by step. You walk for several hours each day, and the landscape changes as if you were crossing several climate zones in a week: rainforest, heath, valleys of giant groundsels, a desert of stone and finally the glaciers at the crater rim.

A summit is never guaranteed: altitude affects everyone differently, regardless of fitness, and the guides may decide to turn back if that is safer. So we plan the route with time in hand, and after the descent comes a rest day and a completely different rhythm: an open-roofed vehicle, a morning in the Ngorongoro Crater and a few days in the Serengeti while your legs recover. The journey suits active travellers and groups of friends with time to prepare; the pace, the stays and the safari would be shaped around you.

The route

The journey

  1. Kilimanjaro Airport
  2. Moshi
  3. Lemosho or Machame route
  4. Uhuru Peak
  5. Moshi (rest)
  6. Ngorongoro Highlands & Crater
  7. Serengeti
  8. Arusha or Kilimanjaro Airport
  1. Kilimanjaro's snow-dusted summit seen through maize leaves in a farm field below the mountain

    01Days 1–2 · Moshi & the foothills

    Two quiet nights below the mountain

    After a long flight via a European hub comes Kilimanjaro Airport and an hour or so by road to the countryside around Moshi, where small guesthouses often sit among coffee and banana farms. The first day is for sleep and getting your legs back. On the second you meet your lead guide: the route is talked through, kit is checked, and anything missing can be hired locally. In the afternoon, an unhurried walk around a coffee farm or Moshi's market. Early in the morning, when the air is clear, the summit of Kibo sometimes shows above the cloud, a reminder of where you're going.

  2. Tents and small huts at a mountain camp, with the snow-streaked slope of Kibo behind

    02Days 3–5 · The Lemosho route: forest & the Shira Plateau

    Pole pole: slowly, slowly

    The Lemosho route begins on the mountain's western slope: after registering at the park gate, the trail dives into damp rainforest where colobus monkeys can sometimes be heard among the mossy trees. The first night's camp is still in the forest; the second and third are on the broad Shira Plateau, at around 3,500–3,800 m, where Kibo appears in full for the first time. The guides keep repeating the Swahili 'pole pole', slowly, slowly: drink plenty, walk at an easy pace and let your body adjust. Porters and cooks go ahead and have the tents up before you arrive. The Machame route is a day shorter and starts on the southern slope; which to choose is something we'd discuss based on your time and experience.

  3. Giant groundsels on a rocky slope of Kilimanjaro, with Kibo's glaciers and cliffs above

    03Days 6–7 · Lava Tower, the Barranco Wall & Karanga

    Climb high, sleep low

    Day six matters most for acclimatisation: the trail climbs to Lava Tower, at around 4,600 m, then drops almost 700 metres to sleep in the Barranco Valley, where giant groundsels (senecios) grow among the rocks. The next morning brings the Barranco Wall, a steep rocky section where you sometimes use your hands, though no technical skills are needed. Beyond it the trail winds through valleys to Karanga camp. Breathing is harder now, the nights are cold, and each evening the guides check how you're feeling; the next day's plan depends on it.

  4. A glacier wall in Kilimanjaro's summit crater beneath a starry night sky

    04Days 8–10 · Barafu & Uhuru Peak

    The night you walk to the summit

    On day eight, a short walk to Barafu camp at around 4,670 m, an early supper and a few hours' rest. Around midnight, with a head torch on, the climb begins: slow zigzag steps over scree, cold well below freezing and a silence broken only by breathing. At dawn you reach Stella Point on the crater rim, and about an hour later Uhuru Peak. You don't stay long at the top, as altitude is no place for a long rest; then comes a long descent to Mweka camp, and on day ten down through the forest to the gate and back to Moshi. Not everyone reaches the summit, and that is normal: the guides make the call to turn around, and your safety always matters more than a photo at the top.

  5. A zebra rubbing its head against a rock on the grassy floor of the Ngorongoro Crater

    05Days 11–13 · Rest & the Ngorongoro Crater

    Rest for the legs, a crater for the eyes

    Day eleven is for rest alone: a hot shower, a long sleep and lunch in the garden. On the morning of day twelve the safari guide arrives in an open-roofed vehicle, and the road heads west past Arusha and the Lake Manyara escarpment to the cool Ngorongoro Highlands near Karatu, where a night among coffee fields awaits. On day thirteen, an early descent into the crater, the vast caldera of an extinct volcano whose floor is grazed by zebra, buffalo and wildebeest; with a little luck lions or black rhino appear too, though no one can promise it. After lunch, the road across the highlands to the Serengeti.

  6. A lone acacia on the Serengeti plains in sunset light, with low hills in the distance

    06Days 13–15 · The Serengeti

    Plains you no longer have to walk

    Two nights at a tented camp in the central Serengeti or another part of the park chosen for the season. Mornings and evenings are for game drives among the granite kopjes where lions like to rest, along the Seronera where leopards are often seen, and across the wide plains where, at certain times of year, the migrating wildebeest herds graze. At midday, rest in camp, and in the evening, if you like, a sundowner. On the last day, a short light-aircraft flight to Arusha or Kilimanjaro Airport and the journey home.

Experience highlights

  1. 01

    Several climate zones in a week

    From mossy rainforest to heath, valleys of groundsels and glaciers at the crater rim.

  2. 02

    Sunrise at Stella Point

    After a night's climb, the first light above a sea of cloud and the outline of Mawenzi to the east.

  3. 03

    The team that makes the mountain possible

    Guides, porters and cooks whose evening songs in camp become part of the journey.

  4. 04

    A safari as the reward

    A morning in the crater and the Serengeti plains, when your only job is to look.

First, we listen. Then, we explore what's possible.

Make it your own

  • More time on the mountain

    With a day or two more, you could acclimatise before the climb by hiking in Arusha National Park or on the slopes of Mount Meru, or choose a longer route with an extra night high up. The more time you have, the more gently your body adjusts.

  • A longer safari

    Instead of two nights in the Serengeti, four or five, adding Tarangire with its baobabs and elephants, or the northern Serengeti when the migration is there. The journey then grows to almost three weeks.

  • An ending by the sea

    After the mountain and the safari, a few days on Zanzibar: the lanes of Stone Town, spice farms and simply quiet by the Indian Ocean.

  • For a group of friends

    The mountain is easier together: your group can have its own guiding team and camps, and its own vehicle for the safari. The pace is still set by the slowest step, and that's a good rule.

Practical considerations

  • This is a physically demanding journey: a few weeks of regular hiking with a pack before you go helps a great deal. No technical climbing skills are needed, but stamina, patience and a willingness to listen to the guides are.
  • Altitude affects everyone differently, even very fit people, and the summit is never guaranteed. Talk to your doctor or a travel clinic well in advance about altitude, your health and whether a journey like this suits you.
  • The drier months on the mountain are usually around January to early March and June to October, but the weather high up changes quickly. In the long rains, usually March to May, the trails are more slippery and some safari camps close.
  • We would choose a climbing team for how it follows recognised porter-welfare principles: fair pay, load limits and proper equipment. Park fees and permits depend on the route and the number of days, so we check them when planning.

General guidance only. Seasons, weather and wildlife are never guaranteed, and travel requirements are always worth checking before you go.

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