Serengeti & Kilimanjaro

About this trip

Exactly what you do each day, where you sleep, and how it flows — written by us, from the real itinerary.

1. 1
   Day 1 · NairobiNairobi

   

   You arrive in Nairobi for a welcome meeting at 6 pm. If you land early, visit the National Museum of Kenya or Karen Blixen Museum, or join a local guide on an Intrepid day tour to find lunch spots and try local food. Tonight, ask your leader for dinner recommendations and explore the city with your group.

2. 2
   Day 2 · Amboseli National ParkAmboseli National Park

   

   Board your overland vehicle for Amboseli National Park (392 square kilometres), home to Kenya's largest elephant population including 'big tuskers' and rare 'super tuskers' with tusks over 45 kg each. On clear days, Mt Kilimanjaro dominates the horizon. Arrive and head straight out on a game drive.

3. 3
   Day 3Naramatisho

   Cross into Tanzania and visit the Naramatisho Women's Centre, run by the Pastoral Women's Council, an Intrepid Foundation partner. Watch traditional songs and dance, learn about women's empowerment programmes, then visit the workshop to see Maasai beadwork and visit a nearby Maasai village to experience daily life and customs.

4. 4
   Day 4 · Ngorongoro Conservation AreaSerengeti National Park (Ngorongoro Crater)

   

   Pack your camping gear into a six-person jeep and head to Ngorongoro Crater. Spend 3–4 hours on safari in this intact volcanic caldera, spotting black rhinos, lions, leopards, elephants, impalas, zebras and hippos among roughly 30,000 animals. Then drive to Serengeti's wide-open plains, green after rains or brown in dry season, teeming with hoofed animals and predators.

5. 5
   Day 5 · Serengeti National ParkSerengeti National Park

   Wake at dawn for a game drive while animals are most active, returning by 11 am for brunch. Relax during the heat, then head out again as temperatures cool for a second drive before dinner. Alternatively, book a balloon safari: you'll be picked up before dawn, briefed on safety, then drift through the dawn sky sometimes at tree height for photos.

6. 6
   Day 6 · Serengeti National ParkKaratu

   Enjoy a leisurely morning 4WD safari with a picnic lunch as you leave Serengeti National Park, soaking up final views. Then make the long drive to Karatu, where you'll base yourself for the next two nights.

7. 7
   Day 7 · KaratuKaratu

   Visit a local coffee farm for a hands-on experience at the farmer's home. Pick ripe berries from the trees, watch the husk come off, then roast, pound and grind the beans the traditional way before enjoying a cup with your host.

8. 8
   Day 8 · ArushaMarangu

   After breakfast, board your overland truck one final time back to Arusha. You're dropped at Impala Shuttle Office, then take an unescorted shuttle bus to Marangu (1300 m), nestled in Mt Kilimanjaro's foothills, departing around 9 am. A second welcome meeting at 6 pm includes a briefing and kit inspection by an experienced climber, followed by a hearty dinner.

9. 9
   Day 9 · MaranguMandara Hut (2720 m / 8923.8 ft)

   After breakfast, walk to Marangu Gate (1860 m), the Mt Kilimanjaro National Park entrance, where you'll meet your guides and porters. The Marangu Route, known as the 'Coca Cola' route, is Kilimanjaro's oldest track. Watch for resident wildlife as you begin your trek, enjoying the vast landscape.

10. 10
    Day 10 · Mandara HutHorombo Hut (3720 m / 12204.7 ft)

    Trek 12 kilometres over steeper terrain in 5–6 hours from Mandara to Horombo Hut (3720 m). The rainforest gradually gives way to alpine meadows dotted with giant heather. Once out of the forest, you'll see Kibo and Mawenzi, two of Kilimanjaro's three great cones, with Shira as the third, lying directly ahead as you traverse several ravines.

11. 11
    Day 11 · Horombo HutHorombo Hut - Acclimatization Day (3720 m / 12204.7 ft)

    Walk towards Mawenzi Hut, passing unusual Zebra Rocks on a steep grassy slope, rewarded with views towards Kibo. Return to Horombo for lunch. Spend the afternoon resting and acclimatising to the altitude, or ask guides about short walks nearby. Drink plenty of water before the next intense days.

12. 12
    Day 12 · Horombo HutKibo Hut / Mawenzi Peak (4720 m / 15485.8 ft)

    Trek approximately 10 kilometres in 5–6 hours from Horombo to Kibo Hut (4720 m) as the landscape becomes increasingly rugged and rocky. The air thins noticeably, so you'll slow your pace. Marvel at giant groundsels and lobelias across sparse moorland, skirt Mawenzi Peak, cross the stark lunar landscape of the Saddle, and reach Kibo Hut for an early night before your summit attempt.

13. 13
    Day 13 · Kibo HutsHorombo Hut - Uhuru Peak Summit Day (3720 m / 12204.7 ft)

    

    You're woken at 11 pm for hot tea, then trek the final 6 kilometres (6–8 hours) to Uhuru Peak under torchlight, zigzagging up a large scree slope to Gilman's Point (5685 m). Hopefully you'll arrive for sunrise views over Mawenzi Peak and the crater's ice fields. This stretch is brutally cold and physically hardest for most trekkers.

14. 14
    Day 14 · Horombo HutMarangu

    Descend 20 kilometres through alpine meadows and rainforest back to Marangu Gate in 5–6 hours. Transport waits to return you to the hotel for a shower. Share a celebratory meal with your group to relive the past five days on the mountain.

15. 15
    Day 15 · MaranguMarangu

    No activities or trekking planned. Arrange a transfer to Kilimanjaro Airport or shuttle to Nairobi with your group leader, discussed at the welcome meeting.

What's included

• Guide: On this trip you will be accompanied by three crew members - Group Leader, Cook and Driver who will usually be Kenyan. Your Group Leader’s role involves organizing the overall operation and smooth-running of the trip, managing trip logistics, coordinating the tipping kitty (where applicable) and will form work groups to take turns cooking, cleaning and shopping. (From time to time your leader may drive as well) Your Group Leader will work towards making the trip as safe and enjoyable as possible for all travellers. Intrepid trips are built around the co–operation and participation of all the group members under the supervision of the group leader. The group leader will show the group how to set up and use the equipment. While not being guides in the traditional sense you can expect them to have a broad general knowledge of the countries visited on the trip, including historical, cultural, religious and social aspects. We also use local guides where we think more specific knowledge will add to the enjoyment of the places we are visiting, especially when tracking and identifying game - we think it's the best of both worlds. Regardless of the country of origin, our Group Leaders are chosen for their leadership skills and are wonderful ambassadors for our company and our beautiful continent and its people. Your Cook is responsible for the cooking and will help to coordinate the work groups for preparing the meals and washing up! Cooks are also responsible for organizing food shopping (they are always happy to have you on board) and most importantly, they make sure high hygiene standards are kept at all times while camping. Your Driver’s main responsibility is to get you to your destination safely; they are also responsible for the maintenance of the vehicles along the way. Everyone is expected to participate and carry their share of the workload/duties, making camp chores easier. The duties Rota system is adopted where all members share in general camp duties – cooking, shopping, washing up etc. If the whole group participates it will be quicker, easier, and more fun. We endeavour to provide the services of an experienced leader and crew; however, situations may arise where your leader is new to a particular region or training other group leaders., KILIMANJARO CLIMB: This trip is led by experienced guides, with a minimum of 1 guide to every 2 climbers. Sufficient porters are employed to carry the group’s equipment.
• Meals: 13 breakfasts, 12 lunches, 13 dinners
• Activities: Amboseli National Park - Overland Vehicle Game Drive Naramatisho - Maasai Village Visit Naramatisho - Women's Centre Visit Ngorongoro Crater - 4WD Safari Serengeti National Park - Afternoon 4WD Safari Serengeti National Park - Morning 4WD Safari Karatu - Coffee Tour Complimentary Sleeping Bag and walking pole hire ( must be requested at time of booking ) Mount Kilimanjaro - Trek Briefing Mount Kilimanjaro - Return transfers from hotel to park gate Mount Kilimanjaro - Porterage of 1 bag (9kg/20lb max) Mount Kilimanjaro - Emergency oxygen and comprehensive first aid kits Fully catered trek including National Park entrance fees, climbing fee, mountain huts & rescue services (5 days) Mount Kilimanjaro - Services of experienced English speaking mountain guides (first-aid qualified) cooks and porters (a minimum of 1 guide to every 2)
• Transport: Our trucks are purpose-built, self contained safari vehicles. Our fleet of vehicles varies depending on your group size, trip route and style. Your vehicle type may differ from those listed above. It is also important to note that our overland vehicles are not air-conditioned, but all vehicles have windows that can be opened to allow for fresh air. Each seat will have access to a power socket to charge your devices. This outlet will use a UK/K: enyan 3 pronged outlet. There are many early starts with long hours spent driving on rough roads on all African itineraries. While most people love the chance to watch the changing landscape and daily village life, feedback shows that long periods of inactivity does not appeal to all clients. We provide the approximate distance covered each day and how many hours this normally takes to drive so that you can choose the safari experience that is right for you. African conditions are extremely tough on vehicles. While we fastidiously maintain our vehicles at our workshops, you should not expect Africa to be your traditional touring experience. While it's certainly our aim to avoid them, it's important that you set off on your trip knowing that the occasional breakdown can happen and are best treated as part of the African adventure. Due to wet weather there may be times when we have to take an alternative route which will mean longer travel times. Overland Vehicle, Minibus, 4WD Safari Vehicle
• Accommodation: Accommodation on this trip is mainly in two-person canvas dome tents with camping mattresses supplied. The type and variety of accommodation are determined by conditions on each of our routes. Each route is different - on some, we use a mixture of campsites and wild camps; on others, we also use hotels. In Africa, it's not usually practical to camp when staying in towns and cities, so we use hotel accommodations and eat out in local restaurants. There may be the occasional night stop when we stay on the grounds of a hotel or at a campsite, which may also have rooms/cabins available. In this case, there may be a choice of camping or upgrading to a room. Rooms cost approximately USD : 40-100 per room per night for a twin room and cannot be pre-booked. Standards of these rooms vary greatly, and we recommend viewing the room before purchasing the night's accommodation. The day-by-day itinerary advises when upgrades may be possible (subject to availability). Keep in mind that if we are staying in dormitory accommodation, you may have to share with other passengers or be split into same-sex rooms. Campsites do have facilities, but they usually aren't to the same standard you would find in Western countries. For example, the bathroom facilities can be very basic. Toilet paper is rarely provided, and shower facilities can be as simple as a hose pipe spurting out cold water. Wild camps have no facilities at all. At times, there may be spare tents in the vehicles. Unfortunately, these cannot be used without the purchase of a single supplement. This is to ensure the tents avoid wear and tear or are clean and ready for the customers arriving on the next section of the trip., On the mountain you'll be staying in basic but comfortable wooden A-frame huts with single beds and simple mattresses. The huts are 4, 6 and 12 share depending on where you are on the mountain. Due to limited accommodation on the mountain, you may need to share a hut with non-Intrepid passengers and/or members of the opposite sex. There are also washroom huts with western & drop toilets and basins. Camping (with facilities) (3 nights), Camping (with basic facilities) (3 nights), Hotel (3 nights), Mountain hut (5 nights)

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