Tanzania Safari and Kilimanjaro Climb

Touch down at Kilimanjaro International Airport to start your extraordinary journey. A driver transfers your party to Rivertrees Country Inn. Surrounded by gardens and set within a grove of trees, it’s a gentle spot to recuperate from your long travel day. Anticipation heightens as you meet your guides for a full expedition briefing and gear check. At dinner, a pizza oven churns out pies with a Tanzanian twist. 

Lace up your hiking boots! Your luxury Kilimanjaro climb begins in a lush, Afromontane forest. Expect dappled light, muddy trails, and blue monkeys crashing through the canopy. The pace is slow and deliberate (pole, pole), giving you time to acclimate. You’ll camp at Mti Mkubwa Camp, dozing off to the forest’s night chorus. Day’s-end elevation: 8,695 feet. Hiking time: 4 to 6 hours. 

As you ascend through heather and moorland, the trees fall away and Kilimanjaro reveals herself. This is the first moment you glimpse the peak in full, and it hits differently. Shira Camp offers vast views and a shift in air—crisper, thinner, and quiet. Elevation: 11,844 feet. Hiking time: 5 to 7 hours.

You cross the wide-open Shira Plateau and head toward the remote Moir Hut. This camp, tucked into a rocky valley beneath the Lent Hills, is one of the most peaceful spots on the route. If you're up for it, an afternoon acclimatization hike offers even broader views of this high-altitude desert. Elevation: 13,780 feet. Hiking time: 4 to 5 hours.

This is your first big test. The morning climb to Lava Tower is tough but rewarding, with moonscape terrain and dramatic drops. You’ll lunch at nearly 15,000 feet before descending to Barranco Camp—a perfect example of "climb high, sleep low" for acclimatization. Camp sits beneath towering cliffs with hanging glaciers and stars blink brightly enough to stop conversation. Elevation: 12,796 feet. Hiking time: 7 to 9 hours.

Don’t let the name intimidate you. The Barranco Wall is a scramble more than a climb, and it’s often a group favorite. There’s something about the camaraderie of helping one another through the trickier sections that brings people together. After the wall, it’s a gentler walk to Karanga Camp. This afternoon is for rest, tea, and prepping your summit kit. Elevation: 13,108 feet. Hiking time: 4 to 5 hours

Your party arrives at Barafu Camp in the early afternoon. It's stark, windswept, and buzzing with anticipation. Dinner is early. Headlamps and gear are laid out by 7 p.m. Everyone tries to sleep, knowing the summit bid begins in the dark, in just a few short hours. Elevation: 15,332 feet. Hiking time: 4 to 5 hours.

Set out around midnight. The group is quiet, focused, determined. By dawn, you’ll crest the crater rim at Stella Point. With a final push, reach Uhuru Peak—the highest point in Africa. Photos are snapped, hugs exchanged. But you’re only halfway. Descend steep switchbacks to Mweka Camp for one final night on the mountain. Summit: 19,341 feet. Camp: 10,171 feet. Hiking time: 14 to 16 hours.  

Descend through the final stretch of rainforest until your feet find level ground. Bid farewell to your support team, grateful for the light they lent to every teeth-gritting step of your achievement. Your group returns to Rivertrees for well-earned hot showers and a hearty celebratory meal. Massages and overnight laundry feel nothing short of divine. 

After an easy morning, fly to the Northern Serengeti and arrive at Lamai Private by mid-afternoon. This stylish four-tent camp is yours to enjoy in total privacy. After the intensity of the climb, endless plains offer a different type of awe and pool time feels downright luxurious. A private chef and plentiful lounge spaces mean dinners are a moveable feast.

A private guide and vehicle are at the ready. And since you’re not sharing with strangers, each day is yours to shape. Lamai Private is a stone’s throw from the Mara River where wildebeest make perilous river crossings during the northern Serengeti’s Great Migration season (July to October). The rest of the year, the plains teem with resident predators and prey: lion prides, elegant leopards, herds of lumbering elephants, and plentiful grazers. 

Game viewing isn’t just about what you see, but how you see it. Today, you’ll pare back to basics on a walking safari. Get a little red dirt on your boots as you follow a guide and ranger through the bush. Sprung from the lofty confines of the Land Cruiser, your senses tingle. The plains suddenly feel like a vast sea and safari’s small wonders come into focus.

Rise to golden light as the bush awakens. A cup of coffee by the morning campfire awaits you. Criss-cross the savannah, checking to see if the lions had a successful night hunt. Perhaps your guide surprises you with a bush breakfast in a secretive spot. Midday, retire to the pool, then worship your final sunset with a perspiring G&T. Gather as a group for a lantern-lit dinner, then trace constellations overhead. 

Your Tanzania Safari and Kilimanjaro Climb comes to an end. A final morning game drive is followed by a short flight to Kilimanjaro International Airport. Board your homebound flight or continue your onward journey. A congratulatory certificate is ready to be framed, but your Kilimanjaro accomplishment lives forever in your heart.