Climb Kilimanjaro (5895m) via The Machame Route & Go On Safari

Fly into Kilimanjaro International Airport and transfer to your accommodation at the Kilimanjaro Wonders Hotel, where your host will be waiting for you. After meeting your guide for a detailed briefing and equipment check, you can get to know your fellow travellers and then retire for an early night, ready for tomorrow’s adventure.

Take a 45-minute drive through the mountain village of Machame to the Kilimanjaro National Park Gate where your ascent will begin. Hike through the lush rainforest and along winding trails and learn about the local wildlife, perhaps even spotting a blue monkey or a tree hyrax. Have your gaiters and trekking poles at the ready, as the trail can be muddy and slippery at the lower elevations. Reach your campsite, settle in and enjoy your first night on the trek.

Leave the rainforest behind you and take the ascending path through the valley and along a steep rocky ridge. From here, the route turns west into a river gorge which you will follow all the way up to Shira Camp. Drop off your daypack in your tent and climb the slope above camp for dramatic views over the surrounding plateau and the alpine landscape that awaits you next.

Spend the day acclimatising as you continue the route along the alpine desert of the Shira Plateau. Hike east towards Kibo’s glaciated peak, then southeast towards Lava Tower (also known as the Shark's Tooth) at 4600m. You'll stop for lunch here to aid with acclimatisation before continuing your trek through moorland dotted with Giant Senecio trees, descending slightly to your overnight camp at Barranco where you'll have a hearty dinner and a good night’s rest.

Today is another important acclimatisation and contingency day to boost your chances of summit success. After breakfast, follow a steep ridge to the base of the Barranco Wall. This is a challenge both physically and mentally, as the wall appears higher than its 257m. Slow and deliberate steps are the trick to an easier scramble to the top (most hikers find it easier than anticipated, so fear not!). At the top, look out over the Heim Glacier and then wind up and down the Karanga Valley to reach your base for the night.

Follow a short but steep trail through the ever-thinning air to Barafu Camp – your last stop before summit day. This camp is located on a rocky and exposed ridge, 'barafu' means 'ice' in Swahili. Have an early dinner, get yourself ready for the summit push in the morning and get some sleep. Nearly there!

Set off in the dead of night to begin the most physically and mentally challenging part of the trek. With head torches on, ascend slowly through heavy scree towards Stella Point (5756m) on the crater rim, followed by a further ascent to Uhuru Peak (5895m) – the highest peak on Mount Kilimanjaro, the highest point in the whole of Africa and possibly your greatest trekking accomplishment. After a rest and some photographs, begin the long descent over dusty terrain forged by volcanic ash, eventually dropping back down into moorland as you reach Mweka Camp (3100m) for a well-deserved rest.

Continue your descent to the Mweka Park Gate through lush forest – eyes peeled for fluffy black and white colobus monkeys as you reach the lower elevations. The weather here will be significantly warmer making the terrain wet and muddy so have your gaiters and trekking poles handy. When you reach the park gate, you’ll collect your summit certificate before driving back to your hotel in Moshi where you can enjoy a hot shower and celebrate the end of the first part of your adventure. Following your trek, there will be a tipping ceremony for the crew who helped you to scale the mountain – please see the FAQs below for more information on this important local custom.

Travel to the second part of your adventure – visiting three of Tanzania's top wildlife hotspots on a spectacular game safari – beginning with the beautiful Lake Manyara National Park. This impressive reserve is one of Tanzania's most dramatically located wildlife areas, with an enormous soda lake that covers two-thirds of the entire park. It's home to a wide variety of animals – including tree-climbing lions, one of Africa’s largest concentrations of elephants and at certain times of year, large flocks of flamingos. After a mesmerizing day, head to your countryside lodge where you’ll enjoy dinner and a good night's sleep.

Well rested after a comfy night and hearty breakfast at your lodge, you'll head out early to drive up and over the rim of the Ngorongoro Crater. Descend 600m to the crater floor, into one of the most densely populated wildlife areas in Africa. A UNESCO World Heritage Site, the conservation area is home to approximately 25,000 large mammals, including some of Tanzania's last remaining black rhino. Supported by year-round water and food, the crater is packed with game animals, including herds of wildebeest, zebras, buffalos, warthogs, hippos and elephants, as well as their predators such as lions, hyenas, jackals and cheetahs. Enjoy lunch in the crater and then make your way back to the hotel in the afternoon, to enjoy another relaxing evening.

Travel into the Tarangire National Park for a morning game drive. Covering 2,850 square kilometres, Tarangire is the sixth-largest national park in Tanzania, famous for the diversity of its wildlife, which congregates here thanks to its freshwater sources. Keep your eyes peeled as you’re likely to see large herds of elephants wandering through the long grass, giraffes munching on acacia trees, and if you're lucky, tree-climbing pythons in the massive baobab trees. The Tarangire National Park is also home to three rare species of animals – the Greater Kudu, the Fringed-eared Oryx and a few Ashy Starlings. Leave this wonderful park behind and return to Moshi, where you'll probably want to grab a final farewell dinner with your fellow travellers.

Enjoy a relaxed hotel breakfast to mark the end of a remarkable trip and then head back to the airport, or continue your adventure in Tanzania.