12-Day Serengeti vs Ngorongoro Crater vs Kilimanjaro

A 12-day itinerary combining the Serengeti, Ngorongoro Crater, and Mount Kilimanjaro typically involves a few days of safari in the Serengeti and Ngorongoro, followed by a climb of Kilimanjaro, concluding with a transfer to the airport. The trip usually starts with arrival in Arusha or Moshi, includes multiple days of game drives in the Serengeti and Ngorongoro Crater, and allocates several days for the Kilimanjaro climb itself.

A 12-day itinerary typically combines all three destinations: a safari in the Serengeti and Ngorongoro Crater, and a trek up Mount Kilimanjaro. The trip prioritizes distinct experiences: the vast plains and Great Migration in the Serengeti, the unique and wildlife-rich caldera of Ngorongoro, and the challenging, high-altitude climb of Kilimanjaro. The feasibility of a 12-day trip depends on your physical fitness and how much time you can dedicate to the 6-7 day climb on Kilimanjaro.

A Complete 12-Day Serengeti vs Ngorongoro Crater vs Kilimanjaro Hike

Day 1: Arusha

Once you’ve gone through baggage claim at Kilimanjaro International Airport, a private guide who speaks English will meet you in the public waiting area. Upon arrival at your hotel, this guide will gladly transport you there and help you check in.

An agent from the tour will come to your hotel to go over the trip information and address any questions you may have before you set out on your first day of activities.

You will be given a welcome package upon your arrival in Arusha, which includes travel documents and a map.

We will stop at nothing to ensure your complete protection while you are in our care. Accordingly, a “Flying Doctors” insurance policy is given to every passenger in case of the very improbable occurrence of a major sickness or accident. The cost of the evacuation flight back to Nairobi for treatment is covered by this emergency evacuation insurance, but it does not cover the cost of any medical care that may be received. For complete peace of mind, we advise getting travel insurance.

Day 2: Kilimanjaro

A fully functional safety equipment is carried by each trip crew. As part of the equipment, you will find a portable altitude chamber for use on crater ascents, first aid kits, pulse oximeters, oxygen with regulator and mask, a neck brace, a mobile phone, a satellite phone for use on Shira and Crater, a water filter, a stethascope, a portable stretcher, and AMS monitoring sheets for both guests and crew.

Our tour guides and crew members have received extensive training to help our guests descend the mountain as independently as possible. Acute Mountain Sickness (AMS), High Altitude Pulmonary Oedema (HAPE), and High Altitude Cerebral Oedema (HACE) are more severe types of mountain sickness, and their training includes monitoring systems and their management.

For many adventurers, climbing Africa’s tallest mountain, Mount Kilimanjaro, is an essential item on their bucket list. The ascent to the peak is not particularly difficult, but it does necessitate some planning. The climb entails several days of hiking at high altitude, therefore a decent degree of fitness and determination are necessary.

Temperatures can drop below freezing on the peak and rise to scorching lows at the base. You must have warm and cold weather gear, including layers, sturdy hiking boots, and appropriate clothing.

Depending on your preference, you can choose from a number of alternative routes up the mountain, each with its own unique landscape, degree of difficulty, and typical duration of 6–10 days. Because there is less time to acclimatise, shorter routes are steeper and more direct, necessitating an extremely high level of fitness.

There is a wide range of comfort levels available on climbs, from basic camping to premium expeditions with all the bells and whistles.

Based on your fitness level, travel preferences, and objectives, your Destination Expert will recommend the ideal route, length of stay, and amenity level.

Your journey to Kilimanjaro begins after breakfast. At the gate, your crew finalize packing and after finishing with formalities you start of from Machame gate. As you make your way to Machame Camp today, stop for a picnic lunch in the lush afromontane forest. Keep your eyes peeled for some lovely endemic plants and a progression of forest zones!

Day 3: Kilimanjaro

Your walk today will begin at Machame Camp and end at Shira Camp. Gaining elevation is quick in the initial portion, which is also rather steep. Today, we’re going on a walk with a picnic. You are now traversing the heath zone, a region characterised by the appearance of lovely helichrysum and lobelia plants. From glacial valleys to lava tubes, there are many geologic formations that can be observed today.

Day 4: Kilimanjaro

This is a day of low-key walking, high-effort sleeping. After cresting the alpine desert, you can descend to Barranco Camp, or, if you’re feeling particularly energetic, you can even climb Lava Tower. We pack a picnic lunch to eat on the go. This acclimatisation day is long, but it will be worthwhile in the end.

Day 5: Kilimanjaro

Ascending the Barranco wall and hiking through glacial valleys leads to the Karanga Camp from the renowned Barranco Camp, which is home to enormous groundsels (Dendrosenecio species). Before continuing on to Barafu in the afternoon, lunch is enjoyed at Karanga valley. Even though this camp is located in a barren alpine desert and powerful winds can whip it, evenings often bring breathtaking vistas of Mawenzi peak. It is customary to have dinner at a reasonable hour before retiring for the night.

Day 6: Kilimanjaro

For the last summit attempt, most people leave well before midnight. To reach the peak, one must be patient and persistent; most climbers reach the rim by daybreak, when the first light of day begins to peek over the horizon. The last ascent to Uhuru, the Roof of Africa, is a short one if you start at Stella Point. Ascending means descending, and your objective for the day is to make it to Mweka Camp before nightfall.

Day 7: Kilimanjaro

Having said goodbye to your crew about midday, you will be collected up and transferred back to your lodgings after descending through the montane forest once more after breakfast.

Day 8: Arusha TO Ngorongoro

From Arusha, you will be driven to the breathtaking Ngorongoro Crater by your guide. It is about a three-hour drive.

You can tailor your stay in the Ngorongoro region to your interests by choosing from a variety of optional activities. There is a wide variety of activities available, such as guided wildlife discovery walks, cultural tours to local Masai villages, bush picnics, and sundowner drinks. Also, you might plan a trip to the enormous Ngorongoro Crater, where you can see a wide variety of animals. Feel free to ask your Destination Expert any questions you may have about the optional activities.

Day 9: Ngorongoro

An expert tracker-guide and private vehicle will accompany you today while touring Ngorongoro National Park.

Explore the Ngorongoro Crater, one of Tanzania’s most impressive wildlife preserves, today. Departing from your camp in a privately driven vehicle following a local expert guide, make your way to the entrance of the park, then drive a further 20 minutes to reach the rim of Ngorongoro Crater: the world’s biggest dormant, undamaged, and unfilled volcanic crater. The enormous crater that now stands as a result of the volcano’s collapse on itself was formed when a tremendous explosion produced this geological wonder. Roughly 12 miles wide and some 2,000 feet deep, the trip from crater rim to bottom takes approximately 45 minutes by vehicle. The exceptionally fertile crater bottom has attracted incredibly dense populations of species, and at present over 25,000 large animals call the crater home, including some of the world’s few living black rhinoceros. The crater floor is also host to some of the largest densities of carnivores in the world, containing big prides of lions, packs of hyenas and solitary predators like cheetahs and jackals. With your guide’s help and your own sharp eyes, you should be able to see a variety of animals, including the more elusive leopards, servals, and bat-eared foxes.

Day 10: Ngorongoro TO Serengeti

From your Ngorongoro lodge, your guide will collect you and take you to the world-famous Serengeti plains. Along the way, you can enjoy a picnic lunch, visit the Serengeti Welcome Centre and Lookout Point, or explore Olduvai Gorge. Once you’ve crossed into the Serengeti, you can take a wildlife viewing drive through the park on your way to your next lodging. Depending on how many stops you make and how long you watch the game, the drive can take anywhere from five to six hours. During wet seasons, transit times tend to be longer.

“The Cradle of Mankind” is a common name for the enormous Olduvai (or Oldupai) Gorge. Natural erosion over millions of years created the 30-mile-long chasm, which begins on the Serengeti plains to the east. The Great Rift Valley, which stretches across eastern Africa, is carved out by the steep-sided gully known as Olduvai, after a plant that is commonly used by the Masai people: Sansevieria-Ehrenbergii. Bandages, rope, baskets, roofing materials, and apparel are all made from this locally abundant shrub. Join your knowledgeable local guide as you explore Olduvai Gorge today.

With the help of a seasoned tracker-guide, you will go on a safari in the Serengeti that will be an adventure you will never forget. African Big Five—bison, elephants, rhinoceroses, leopards, and lions—are among the resident animal species that have made the park famous around the world. The park is also home to a small group of black rhinoceros, although sightings of these animals are extremely rare. There are always cheetahs, hyenas, and African wild dogs around because of all the topi, gazelle, waterbuck, and Coke’s hartebeests. Ostriches, crowned cranes, marabou storks, and secretary birds are just a few of the over 500 bird species found in the park. These birds are among the most popular and photogenic in the world.

Day 11: Serengeti

Get your African journey started this morning with a wildlife drive across the Serengeti, Tanzania’s oldest and most famous national park. In the Serengeti, you can witness the “circle of life” in action with its vast herds of herbivores and sly packs of predators. It’s a place like no other for game viewing. An animal lover’s and photographer’s paradise, you can practically guarantee sightings of giraffes and elephants munching on shrubbery, gazelles, buffaloes, impalas, and cheetahs and hyenas lurking in the shadows, and an incredible variety of birds swooping through the air.

You can tailor your Serengeti experience by participating in one of many extra activities. Hot air balloon rides over the park for a bird’s-eye perspective and then a descent to the tree line for up-close animal viewings are among the most popular excursions. Many Serengeti visitors also place a high value on visiting neighbouring towns. Such and similar experiences, along with a plethora of others, may be available at your resort, usually for an extra fee. For further information, please contact your Destination Expert.

Witness the Great Migration, a wildlife extravaganza unlike any other in Africa. Observe large groups of wildebeest, zebras, and Thomson’s gazelles as they forage for new grass in the Serengeti habitat. Because they are always on the move in response to changes in food and water availability, each game drive is different and full of surprises. After them come predators like hyenas, leopards, and lions, generating dramatic situations that show the plains’ beauty and brutality.

Day 12: Serengeti TO Arusha

If time permits, your knowledgeable guide will pick you up from the Serengeti for one more game drive before dropping you off at the airport for your next journey. You won’t have another opportunity like this to see the park’s breathtaking scenery and wide variety of animals.

From Serengeti, you can take a plane to Arusha. The plane will stop multiple times during the voyage. It will take around two hours to get there.

Important information regarding baggage limitations for this flight: 1) There is a 32-pound (15-kilogram) maximum per individual. All bags should have soft-shelled utensils. 3) If you need more baggage allowance, you can arrange it for an extra fee; for more details, contact your Destination Expert.

A private guide and driver will be at your service today.

Included in your tour is a buffet meal this afternoon.

If you have the time, stop by a nearby crafts market to buy trinkets to remember your trip by.