East Africa is home to the Masai Mara, Serengeti, Great Migration, Ngorongoro Crater, Mt Kilimanjaro, Gorillas, Zanzibar… and in our opinion, the best African adventures can be found in this region.
Pushing your limits on the snow capped peak of The World’s Highest Free-Standing Mountain, blowing your mind on safari, opening your eyes to new culture, language and experience and inspiring the inner philanthropist in you when you visit Africa’s largest urban slum to meet your sponsor student… this is the ultimate African adventure.
If you want an African adventure that will give your friends serious FOMO, look no further!
Our team of professional and experienced mountain guides have supported 100% of our small group trekkers in safely reaching the summit of Kilimanjaro over the past 3 years.
Available as a private tours all-year-round. Contact our team to find out more.
We are a social enterprise. This means we place more emphasis on doing the right thing and making a positive impact in the communities we travel to than we do on making a profit. To prove it, we’ve graphed how your fee will be spent during this adventure.
We are proud to report that 71% of your fee will be spent in Tanzania, stimulating local business, creating local jobs and supporting local communities. Another 2%, the same percentage as our profit, is invested back into local initiatives and grass-roots charities.
Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, Nairobi (NBO) (Google Map)
Kilimanjaro International Airport, Tanzania (JRO) (Google Map)
No. If you are prepared to train for 3 – 6 months before you depart, you will be able to attempt Kilimanjaro. Most of the walking is on well marked tracks and until summit night most of the days are not too difficult for someone with a reasonable fitness. Most people struggle with altitude more than physical fitness.
Most days you will walk about 5 – 8 hours and cover between 5km and 11km. The idea is to go as slow as possible so that you can keep your heart rate low, conserve energy and minimise your risk of altitude sickness. This will give you the best chance of making it to Barafu Camp.
If you are doing well and make it to Barafu, you will have a chance to attempt a summit
Summit night will be the hardest night of your life. Starting at midnight, you’ll walk until sunrise when you will reach Stella Point. The walk is incredibly slow, very cold (approx. negative 20 degrees Celsius) and most people will experience at least a few minor altitude symptoms (i.e. headache, nausea, difficulty breathing, etc.).
From Stella Point, it is about 45 minutes to Uhuru Peak and if you are in good shape you should make it comfortably.
After summiting, you will have about 30 minutes to take photos and enjoy the panoramic views before walking back to Barafu Camp. This will take you about 3 – 4 hours.
Refer to the before you go page for important information on packing, training, altitude, etc.
Packing for Kilimanjaro takes quite a while and we recommend you watch our packing video on YouTube.
All other days are generally warm so long shorts/pants or a long dress/skirt with a shirt are your best options. Dark colours are best. See full packing lists here.
Yes. Kenyans and Tanzanians love visitors and most will go out of their way to make you feel welcome. It is extremely rare for anything bad to happen within the national parks and we will not be travelling to the border regions where the Australian Government advises not to travel.
As with all travel, your biggest risk is being robbed or having a road accident. Travelling in a small group, avoiding popular tourist areas, travelling with reputable companies and having our experienced tour leaders and local team with you 24/7 significantly reduces these risks. See SmartTraveller or talk to our team for further travel advice.
We strongly recommend that you see a travel doctor before you depart. At a minimum, you will need the yellow fever injection to enter Tanzania & Kenya.
“The best 3 weeks of amazing adventure I have ever had.”
“You come with preconceptions and leave with perspective.”
“I would have gladly paid double once I’d experienced the tour AOL organised for us.”
“The most inspiring and authentic 2 weeks of my life.”
“Kilimanjaro is indescribable; best thing I’ve done in my life.”