2024 Mt. Kilimanjaro Race, Serengeti Safari and Hike

A deposit of $250 per person is required and will be applied to the package price.

A second deposit equal to 50% of your package amount is required by February 1st, 2023.

Final payment must be made no later than October 1, 2023.

Packages are 100% non-refundable without insurance.

Required:  Yellow Fever*.

TwinRX (Hep A & B) and Typhoid are highly recommended.

Please see your local Traveler’s Health Center for full details, information and vaccination.  Travelers must present their official Yellow Fever card upon entering Tanzania.  Requirements may change.

*Yellow Fever vaccination may or may not be required at the time of entry into Tanzania, however if it is and you do not have the vaccination, you may be given it at the airport or refused entry.

Depart for Tanzania and your Great African Adventure!

Arrive at the Kilimanjaro International Airport in Tanzania (KIA) and be greeted by a rep who will transfer you from the airport to the Honey Badger Lodge.

The Honey Badger Lodge is situated close to Mt Kilimanjaro and hence offers amazing views of the mountain! Off the beaten path and in a quiet suburb but still a short taxi ride into the town of Moshi, the Honey Badger Lodge offers a quiet escape and is equipped with a pool, bar, restaurant and landscaped grounds.  You’ll be using the same property throughout the trip which will make it easier with regards to leaving unneeded luggage while on Kilimanjaro or during the safari.

Overnight at the Honey Badger Lodge.

Machame Gate (1490m) to Machame Camp (2980m)
Hiking time: +/- 7 hours
18KM
Habitat: Mountain Forest

The Machame Route is arguably the best route as it has the best scenery and maximizes the time and options available for hiking while allowing for a more leisurely pace.

The nights are spent camping and we provide top mountain guides, porters and cooks to look after you.  Camping equipment is provided and is carried by the porters.  There are no shower/bath facilities while doing the hike and toilets will be long drops.

After a hearty breakfast your guides will come to collect you and you will drive from the lodge to Machame village gate (although you may have to walk to the gate depending on the road conditions). After registering at the gate, you will begin by entering the rain forest.

You will have a welcome packed lunch stop about halfway and will reach the Machame camping area in the late afternoon. The crew will set everything out at your campsite and all you have to do is sit back, relax and enjoy the great outdoors.

All meals included today but you may want to bring your own snacks.

Situated in a rural community, the lodge offers breath-taking views of Mt Kilimanjaro (the highest mountain in Africa). Joseph, Jenny and the Honey Badger Lodge staff warmly welcome you and endeavor to make the Honey Badger feel like home. We recognize that everyone has different preferences and expectations for their travels and we are ready to accommodate your needs.

IMPORTANT NOTES:

If you interrupt your climb, for whatever reason (illness, through choice, bad weather etc) and return from the mountain early, then you will be liable for extra transport and additional hotel nights, meals etc. No climbing fees and related costs will be refunded.  These additional amounts must be settled with the hotel prior to departing Moshi.

Prior to departure, you will need to pack the bulk of your clothing and gear into a large rucksack or duffel bag which will be carried by the crew. Note, no bag on Kilimanjaro (irrespective of who carries it) should weigh more than 15 kg and will be weighed at the gate). Clients will carry a smaller backpack or day-pack with key items of clothing and personal effects.

Today is a well-deserved recovery day. Sit poolside at the Honey Badger Lodge and sip drinks while looking through your hiking photos from Kilimanjaro or head into Moshi to grab some souvenirs.  Runners will need to go to the race expo to pick up their bib, then rest up for tomorrow!

Overnight at the Honey Badger Lodge.

Today you depart pre-dawn for the start of the Mt Kilimanjaro Marathon!

The 42.2KM marathon route leaves Moshi Stadium and heads down towards the town, and then along the main road to Dar es Salaam for approximately 8 to 9KM.  This section of the route is relatively flat, and there are plenty of well-wishers along the road.  Turn around and head back to the town of Moshi, tracking down into the actual town itself before turning toward the mountain and heading up a long, steady ascent towards Mweka.  The uphill climb is gradual, but with Kilimanjaro towering above and all the local villagers out to cheer you on, the time passes quickly.  The turnaround point marks approximately 10KM and the last section is a fast-downhill run back towards the stadium.  Regular water tables as well as “sponging points” and the odd “shower” keep you refreshed and cool along the entire route.

Should you be running the Half Marathon (21.1KM), the route for this race covers the second half of the full marathon.  You leave Moshi stadium and start slowly ascending the road up towards Mweka.  It’s a gradual climb, and Kilimanjaro should be in full view as you steadily ascend the route.  At approximately the 10KM mark you turn and head back down the same route in a fast descent.

The 5KM Fun Run takes place through the shady streets of Moshi.  The start is from the stadium, but the route differs to the full and half marathons.  Water will be provided en-route and there is usually a large crowd of well-wishers to cheer the athletes along.

The route passes through many small farms, villages, parts of town, banana and coffee plantations and patches of forest, providing great excitement to the residents who give ample vocal support.

After the race you will be transferred from Stadium to the Honey Badger Lodge.

Overnight at the Honey Badger Lodge. Breakfast is included.

After breakfast, your driver-guide will collect you, and your safari will commence. You will drive from Moshi to Manyara National Park. This takes approximately 4 hours including time to stop by your campsite before entering the park. After enjoying a picnic lunch, you will go on the first game-drive of your safari and in this park; the afternoon is the best time to view animals. Frequently seen in Lake Manyara National Park are zebras, impalas, monkeys, giraffes, buffalos, hippos, warthogs among many others. Before dark you shall return to the Lodge for dinner and overnight stay.

Depart for the Ngorongoro Conservation area for overnight at a lodge.

Lake Manyara National Park is famous for its tree-climbing lions, which spend most of the day spread out along the branches of Acacia trees six to seven metres above the ground.  Nestling at the base of the Great Rift Valley escarpment, the park is noted for its incredible beauty.  As visitors enter the gate they pass into the lush forest, home to troops of baboons and both blue and velvet monkeys.  Further along, the forest opens up into woodlands, grassland, swamps and, beyond, the soda lake itself covering, 200 square kilometres and sanctuary to over 400 species of bird including flamingo, pelican, stork, sacred ibis, cormorant, and Egyptian goose.  The park is particularly noted for its huge herds of buffalo and elephant, as well as giraffe, hippo, reedbuck, warthog, wildebeest, zebra and a great variety of smaller animals.

All meals are included today.

Drive to Serengeti National Park via Olduvai Gorge, which takes between 3 and 4 hours. Olduvai Gorge is an archaeological site located in the eastern Serengeti plains, where early human fossils were first discovered. It has the amazing landscape that earned it the Maasai name Serengeti – Endless Plains. In the evening, enjoy a game drive in the Serengeti. Again, this is a great time to view game – particularly the carnivores as this is their favorite time to hunt. Before dark you shall return to the Lodge for dinner and overnight stay.

The Olduvai Gorge, located within the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, is a short drive off the main road between Ngorongoro and the Serengeti.  The name “Olduvai” derives from “Oldupai”, which is the Masai word for the type of wild sisal that grows in the gorge.  It was here that, in 1959, Dr Louis Leakey and his wife Mary discovered the skull of first Zinjanthropus Boisei, or “nutcracker man”, and then, a year later, the remains of Homo Hablis or “handy man”, regarded as mankind’s first step on the ladder of human evolution.  But many more fossils have been discovered here, including those of prehistoric elephants, giant-horned sheep and enormous ostriches.  There is a small museum and an observation platform, overlooking the gorge, where visitors can listen to an informative talk from the resident guide.

All meals are included today.

After breakfast, begin your day with a morning game drives in the Serengeti, and then later in the afternoon drive to Ngorongoro via Olduvai Gorge. Once at the crater’s rim, get some rest and dinner at the Lodge where you will spend the night.

The Ngorongoro Crater, at 2,286 metres above sea level, is the largest unbroken caldera in the world. Surrounded by very steep walls rising 610 metres from the crater floor, this natural amphitheatre measures 19.2 kilometres in diameter and 304²km in area. It is home to up to 30,000 animals, almost half being wildebeest and zebra. Buffalo, elephant, hippo, hyena, jackal, lion, ostrich, several, warthog, bushbuck, eland, hartebeest, reedbuck, waterbuck and huge herds of both Thomson’s and Grant’s gazelle are easily seen on the crater floor. Thanks to anti-poaching patrols, the crater is now one of the few places in East Africa where visitors can be certain of seeing black rhino, with the number now approaching 25. Leopard may occasionally be seen in the trees of the forest surrounding the crater while cheetahs are also present. Countless flamingo form a pink blanket over the soda lakes while more than 100 species of birds not found in the Serengeti have been spotted. The crater, which has been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site, lies within the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, which covers more than 8,300²km.

The Serengeti National Park is arguably the best known wildlife sanctuary in the world. Serengeti means “endless plains” in the Masai language, and within its boundaries are more than three million large mammals. About 35 species of plains animals may be seen here, including the so-called “big seven” – buffalo, elephant, lion, leopard, rhino, cheetah and African hunting dog. The black rhino population of the Serengeti has developed well in recent years thanks to constant surveillance. Other animals frequently seen in the Serengeti include baboon, caracal, civet, bat-eared fox, genet, giraffe, hippo, honey badger, hyrax, mongoose, ostrich, several, both Grant’s and Thomson’s gazelle, velvet monkey and some 20 types of antelope including hartebeest, impala, kudu, reedbuck, roan, topi, waterbuck and the much smaller dik dik, duiker, klipspringer and oribi. There is, of course, also a profusion of birdlife. Over 500 species including bustards, cranes, eagles, herons, owls, storks, vultures and the bizarre, long-legged secretary birds.

All meals are included today.

After breakfast, drive down into Ngorongoro Crater and enjoy a half day game drive. This is undoubtedly one of the best places to see the rare black rhino in Africa, not to mention the prides of lion and the magnificent black-mane lions. There are lots of colorful flamingos and the variety of water birds. In the crater you are also likely to see leopards, cheetahs, hyenas, many members of the antelope family, and small mammals of all sorts. In the late afternoon, we will drive you back to the Honey Badger.

Breakfast included today.

Today you will be transferred to the Kilimanjaro International Airport for your return trip to Canada.