Kilimanjaro - Marangu Route & Zanzibar Adventure
11 days, Moshi to Stone Town
When arranging your transportation, such as flights, please take into consideration the below time restrictions for joining and departing from your group. With these times, we have taken into account travel time to/from the airport in the given destination and required time for check-in or baggage collection/immigration.
Itinerary
Day 1Moshi
Arrive at any time.
Arrive in Moshi and head to the hotel. Attend a pre-departure meeting with the local guide to go over last minute details of the trip.
Please note: While it is our intention to adhere to the route described, there is a certain amount of flexibility built into the itinerary and on occasion it may be necessary, or desirable, to make alterations. On Day 1 of the tour you will be advised of any amendments.
Your Welcome Moment: Welcome Moment - Meet Your CEO and Group
Your opportunity to meet your CEO and fellow travellers, and learn more about your tour. Opt to join the group for a local meal afterwards. Don't forget to see the notice in the lobby (or ask reception) for the official time and place to meet up with the group.
Accommodation
Below is an example of the hotel we may use in this city. For the actual hotel your specific departure will be using, please check your voucher.
Stella Maris Executive Lodge (or similar)
Day 2Moshi/Mandara Huts
Hike through the forested, lower slopes to Mandara escarpment.
Most days the hiking will begin early in the morning, with hikes of around 5 to 6 hours. The guides will set a moderate pace, so as to allow for time to acclimatize to the altitude changes. Guides will continually repeat the words, “pole pole” (po-ly, po-ly), which means “go slowly” in Swahili.
Private Vehicle
Settle in and scan the scenery from the convenience of a private vehicle.
Marangu Gate to Mandara Hut
Walk 4 hours to the Mandara Hut (2743m, 8999 ft) after registering at the gate. The slopes of Mt Kilimanjaro are classified as rainforest zone so there will likely be rain in the afternoon while travelling under the lush canopy. Enjoy the view while hiking through the lower terrain and possibly spot some of the exotic wildlife in the area. The Mandra Hut has sleeping bunks, running water and flushable toilets.
Meals included:
Breakfast | Lunch | DinnerDay 3Mandara Huts/Horombo Huts
Hike through the heather and moorland zone to Horombo Hut.
Mandara Hut to Horombo Hut
Continue up through the upper rainforest zone and reach the moorland zone at 3000m (9842 ft). In this zone plants grow to outrageous heights like the giant lobelia and giant groundsel that can reach up to 5m (16 ft). Enjoy the view of the semi-alpine zone's plants and ravines. Reach Horombo hut (3720m, 12205 ft) and get some rest.
Meals included:
Breakfast | Lunch | DinnerDay 4Horombo Huts/Kibo Huts
Proceed onto the Kilimanjaro Saddle, through a desertlike alpine zone, to Kibo Hut.
Horombo Hut to Kibo Hut
Start the slow trek through the heathland and enter the alpine desert zone. Because of the increase in altitude, hike a slow pace today to allow time to get acclimatized but pay attention to any signs of altitude sickness. The ascent to the saddle of Mt Kilimanjaro is between the peaks of Kibo and Mwenzi, get a great view of Kibo after crossing the saddle. Rest for the night at Kibo Hut (4703m, 15430 ft) and prepare for the upcoming hike to the summit.
Meals included:
Breakfast | Lunch | DinnerDay 5Kibo Huts/Horombo Huts
Night hike to the summit via Stella Point. Appreciate the beautiful sunrise from the roof of Africa, then descend back to Horombo Hut.
Kibo Hut to Summit
Wake up just after midnight to start climbing to the summit. Gillman’s Point (5861m, 19229 ft) on the crater rim is easier to reach when the scree slope is frozen so the climb is best done before daylight. The view of the sunrise from the summit is also worth the early start. From Gilman’s Point, continue on to Uhuru Peak, the highest point in Africa.
Summit to Horombo Huts Camp
Take a quick moment to enjoy the view and celebrate a successful climb before starting the descent to Horombo Huts Camp. Enjoy a well-deserved rest during the last night on the mountain.
Meals included:
Breakfast | Lunch | DinnerDay 6Horombo Huts/Moshi
Descend the mountain, passing through villages and plantations on the slopes en route to Moshi. Meet the mamas of the Moshi Women’s Cooperative, a G supported project, for a climbing ceremony.
Transfer by shuttle bus to Moshi. Time to relax, take a shower, and celebrate with a drink. Cheers to climbing Mt Kilimanjaro! Before dinner, you will be welcomed and congratulated on your climb by the mamas of the Moshi Women’s Cooperative, a project supported by G Adventures. They will present you with a gift and a certificate to remember all your efforts on the mountain.
Opt to pre-book the Lala Salama Spa & Beauty Aromatherapy Massage, which partners with Moshi Women's Cooperative, by adding it to your checkout page, or ask your GCO or travel agent for assistance.
Horombo Huts Camp to Marangu Gate
Continue the descent to the Marangu Gate, passing by the Mandara escarpment on the way. Enjoy the easier descent and hikers who successfully reached Uhuru Peak will receive a summit certificate.
Private Vehicle
Settle in and scan the scenery from the convenience of a private vehicle.
Your G for Good Moment: Moshi Women's Cooperative Visit
This project is supported by the Planeterra Foundation and G Adventures. Women and girls are often the first to be excluded from educational programs in Tanzania, with most girls being pulled out of school by Grade 3 to help out around the home. Our ground partners provide free adult business education for women in Moshi, and Planeterra and G Adventures have rented a cooperative space to allow these students to practice their academic skills and save income to start their own business. Feel free to shop for for souvenirs and speak to the women who run the cooperative about their lives and how the project has assisted in building a brighter future.
Optional Activities - Day 6 HideShow
Lalasalama Spa & Beauty Aromatherapy Massage
Want to revive sore muscles with a relaxing massage? Lalasalama Spa & Beauty has joined with The Moshi Women’s Cooperative, a project supported by G Adventures, which provides business education to local women. Have the Moshi Mamas come to your hotel and indulge in a 30 min massage after completing your hike to the roof of Africa!
Accommodation
Stella Maris Executive Lodge (or similar)
Meals included:
Breakfast | LunchDay 7Moshi/Stone Town
Fly to the beautiful island of Zanzibar and transfer to the hotel. Enjoy an orientation walk with your CEO in historic Stone Town, and opt to continue on for a longer walking tour, or explore on your own.
Transfer to the airport for a short, but scenic flight to this island paradise. Arrive in Stone Town in time for lunch and an orientation walk. If you opt to continue on for a longer tour of Stone Town, you will be visiting the Old Slave Market and Palace Museum; entrance to these sites are optional and are to be purchased on site.
Private Vehicle
Settle in and scan the scenery from the convenience of a private vehicle.
Plane
Look! Up in the sky! It's a bird! It's a plane! It's... yup, it is a plane, actually.
The airport transfers and flight are included but will be unaccompanied by a CEO.
Stone Town Orientation Walk
This orientation walk is just a brief introduction. If you'd like to learn more in depth information about Stone Town, we recommended going on a guided city tour.
Optional Activities - Day 7 HideShow
Christ Church Cathedral & Old Slave Market
5USD per personTour the site of what was once one of East Africa's most notorious slave markets, and the Anglican cathedral that was constructed in its place.
Stone Town Walking Tour
15USD per personEnjoy a walking tour along the bustling narrow streets of Stone Town and admire the historical old buildings and homes that are part of a preservation program funded by UNESCO and the Aga Khan Foundation. Also, visit the historical site of the slave market and learn about this dark aspect of history. Continue to the local fruits and vegetable market, fish market, Tip tipu house, and National Museum.
Sultan's Palace Museum
3USD per personTour this opulent palace built by the second sultan of Zanzibar in 1883 as an extravagant Arab mansion.
Accommodation
Spice Palace Hotel (or similar)
Meals included:
BreakfastDay 8Beach day in Zanzibar
Visit a local spice plantation for a guided tour. Continue to the white-sand beaches and turquoise waters of Zanzibar's beautiful coast.
Private Vehicle
Settle in and scan the scenery from the convenience of a private vehicle.
Spice Plantation Guided Tour
Delight your senses with a guided tour and learn about an assortment of spices, such as cloves, black pepper, cardamom, cinnamon, nutmeg, breadfruit, jackfruit, vanilla, and lemongrass, and their various uses. It was the spice plantations that brought the beginnings of Zanzibar’s infamous slave trade dating back to the 1840s.
Free Time
Settle into island life and explore during some free time.
Optional Activities - Day 8 HideShow
Swimming
Grab your bathing suit and go for a refreshing swim.
Accommodation
Spice Island Hotel and Resort (or similar)
Meals included:
BreakfastDays 9–10Beach day in Zanzibar
Enjoy free time to lounge on the beach, snorkel, or tour the island.
Free Time
Do as much or as little as you'd like on this island slice of paradise.
Optional Activities - Days 9–10 HideShow
Swahili Cultural Tour
70-200USD per personTake a couple of hours to get to know the life of a Zanzibarian by being immersed in the local culture. Follow a guide through a rural village to see elements of day to day life, sit with men of the village to see how they weave palm fronds to make the thatch roofs for their huts, opt to play a game of Bao (Zanzibar favorite game past time), and enjoy a traditional dance performance.
Swimming
Grab your bathing suit and go for a refreshing swim.
Jozani Forest Tour
36-160USD per personKnown for the red colobus monkeys, a visit Jozani forest is a highlight when in Zanzibar. Explore the nature trails while following in the footsteps of a guide who will inform about the impressive flora and fauna surrounding you.
Scuba Diving
130USD per personTake a boat to Mnemba, a small island surrounded by a circular reef boasting an an abundance of colourful coral and marine life. Suit up and enjoy the excellent visibility allowed by the turquoise waters of this region. If you are lucky, you just might be able to spot the bottlenose dolphins that are known to visit this area.
Snorkelling
40USD per personEnjoy a day of snorkelling in the safety of an experienced snorkel guide in the area of one of Zanzibar's most well-known reefs surrounding Mnemba island. Lifejackets, short wetsuits and buoyancy aids available. Price is dependent on pick-up location.
Accommodation
Spice Island Hotel and Resort (or similar)
Meals included:
BreakfastDay 11Stone Town
Morning group transfer from the beach. Depart Stone Town upon arrival in the late morning.
Onward travel should be booked no earlier than 2:30pm.
Private Vehicle
Settle in and scan the scenery from the convenience of a private vehicle.
Departure Day
Not ready to leave? Your CEO can help with any onward travel arrangements you require.