This will be your day to prepare for your climb. Start hydrating. Your guide will brief you, check your gear, work out last minute details if you need to hire anything and answer any last-minute questions. Spend the rest of the day relaxing, shaking off your jet lag and spend another night at Rivertrees Lodge (FB).

Today is the day you will start your climb up the Machame route. After breakfast you will be picked up from Rivertrees Lodge and depart by vehicle to the Machame Gate of Mt. Kilimanjaro. At Machame gate your crew will finalize packing and after finishing with formalities you will start off on your climb. Today’s hiking is through verdant Afromontane forest to camp and on route you will have a picnic lunch. Look out for pretty endemic flora and a gradation of forest zones!

After breakfast you will hike to the next camp. The first section is relatively steep and altitude is gained rapidly. Remember, “pole-pole” (Swahili for slowly), as there is no rush to get to the next camp. You will enjoy a picnic lunch on the trail today. The zone you pass through today is known as the heath zone where attractive helichrysum (part of the sunflower family) and lobelia plants become apparent.

Today is a climb high sleep low day. You ascend into alpine desert and for those that are feeling strong you can even head up higher after lunch before descending to camp. Lunch is taken as a picnic lunch on route.

Famous for it’s giant groundsels, this high altitude zone takes you to glacial valleys and onto your next camp. Today is a relatively short day hiking and lunch is often had at the camp. In the afternoon a walk can be taken with your guides for great views of the Southern walls of Kibo and deep glacial valleys.

Today is another half day ascending to higher altitude and closer to the snow line. Once again lunch is taken in camp allowing plenty of time to relax before the summit bid. Desolate alpine desert and at times strong winds rip over this camp and yet in the evening splendid views of Mawenzi peak are the norm. A relatively early dinner is taken before heading to rest for the evening.

Most people depart just before midnight for the final summit bid. Patience and persistence is the name of game to reach the summit and by dawn as the first rays of light start to appear, most arrive near the rim. Ascending via Stella Point affords a relatively short final section to Uhuru peak, the Roof of Africa! What goes up must come down and your goal today is to descend to Mweka Camp.

You will complete the last of the mountain descent then return to Arusha for another night at Rivertrees Lodge. Today is the day to get cleaned up, pack away your climbing gear and prepare for the more relaxed portion of your safari. Fall asleep in a nice comfortable bed while savoring the accomplishment of reaching the roof of Africa!

Today you will say goodbye to your friends at Rivertrees and after breakfast head off with your guide to Tarangire National Park. Tarangire has the second highest density of elephants in Africa and it is not uncommon to have one wander into camp! Return at the end of the day to watch the sunset before heading off to dinner. You might even fall asleep to the sounds of lions off in the distance or close up! (But don’t worry there are Maasai guards posted around camp all night).

Today you will spend another day in Tarangire National Park and all the wildlife there is to see – your experienced guide will take you to the best places to see elephant, buffalo, lion, giraffe, zebra and wildebeest; and perhaps an elusive leopard or cheetah.

 This morning you will be driven back to Arusha for a flight to the Northern Serengeti. Upon arrival a representative from KasKaz Camp will meet you. With only eight tents, this camp is superbly located to provide a indulgent base for optimal migration viewing. With large netted windows and draped roofing in each suite for “Serengeti-style air conditioning”, there is even a hammock to relax in after your game drive. Camp personnel are on call 24 hours to ensure that everyone is content in this stunning environment. Here you will spend the next 3 nights observing wildlife and having a chance to witness the Great Wildebeest migration as they cross the Mara River back and forth from Kenya

Spend a full day in the Serengeti. You will go on a game drive to look for wildlife and perhaps enjoy a lunch in the bush. With only a handful of crossing points there is a good chance to witness the migration. There is a wide variety of wildlife in the area (including cheetahs). Then return at the end of the day to sit around the fire, enjoy a sundowner and contemplate all that you have seen.

Today is your final day in the Serengeti. You could spend weeks here and not see everything. Your guide will continue to educate you how all of the animals and nature live together. As you sip your sundowner around the fire think back on all that you have seen, all that you have done and the people you have met.

 Today, you will fly from the Serengeti to Zanzibar via Arusha. Upon arrival in Zanzibar you will be met and transferred to Unguja Lodge. This will be your home for the next several days where you can dive, snorkel, swim with dolphins or simply do nothing at all.

Spend the day at Unguja Lodge (FB). You can swim, snorkel, take a dhow sailboat ride or just do nothing at all.

Spend a final day on Safari at Unguja Lodge (FB). Take a final walk on the beach as you reflect all that you have seen, done and experienced—the gorillas, golden monkeys, canoe trips, dives and snorkel trips, the people you have met and the beautiful sunsets you have witnessed.

 Today at the appropriate time you will be transferred back to the Zanzibar airport for a flight to NBO for your international flight home.