Mount Kilimanjaro

Mount Kilimanjaro is the highest freestanding mountain in the world and the highest mountain in Africa.  It stands 5,895 meters (19,341 feet) above sea level and is fourth highest of the Seven Summits.  Thousands of people climb the mountain each year, though you shouldn’t underestimate its challenges.  The altitude, low temperature, and occasional high winds make this a difficult and dangerous trek – not everyone makes it to the Uhuru summit.  Volunteers who wish to climb Kilimanjaro are advised to undertake appropriate research and ensure that they are both properly equipped and physically capable to do so.
There are six official climbing routes by which to climb Mt Kilimanjaro: Marangu, Rongai, Lemosho, Shira, Umbwe, and Machame.  The routes range from 5 to 10 days of climbing, though a minimum of 6 days is recommended to allow your body to adjust to altitude as you climb.  Acclimatisation is essential and most people experience some element(s) of altitude sickness.
Many volunteers have climbed “Kill” and found it to be a rewarding experience.  You can arrange a climbing trip at the beginning or end of your time with the organization.  Climbs are easily organized from our offices and there are discounts for our program participants a Kili climb and a safari.  You can bring your own gear from home or rent it from your tour company or the many climbing shops in Mosh

Safari

The Serengeti National Park has East Africa’s finest game areas and is one of the world’s best game parks.  It is home to approximately 500 bird species and 70 types of mammals, including the “Big Five” – rhinoceros, lion, leopard, elephant, and buffalo.  This high diversity in terms of species is a function of diverse habitats ranging from riverine forests, swamps, kopjes (rock hills/small Mountains), woodlands, and vast grasslands.  The Serengeti hosts the largest mammal migration in the world each October, which is one of the ten natural travel wonders of the world.  It is also home to the Maasai tribe.

The Ngorongoro Conservation Area is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and home to the magnificent Ngorongoro Crater and Olduvai Gorge.  It adjoins the Serengeti National Park.  The Ngorongoro Crater is a 260 km2 (100 m2) unbroken, unfolded volcanic caldera that acts as “a natural enclosure” for a very wide variety of wildlife.  It is home to a population of approximately 25,000 large animals, with reputedly the highest density of mammalian predators in Africa and the densest known population of lions.  Here you are likely to see wildebeest, zebra, eland, Grant’s gazelles, Thomson’s gazelles, elephants, buffalo, hyenas, jackals, mountain reed-buck, leopards, and, if you’re lucky, the rare black rhinoceros.  The Crater is also home to the “Big Five.”  The Olduvai Gorge is considered “the seat of humanity” after the discovery of the earliest known specimens of the human genus.  It is one of the most important prehistoric sites in the world and research there has been instrumental in furthering understanding of early human evolution.  Excavation work in the Gorge was pioneered by Mary and Louis Leakey in the 1950s and is continued today by their family.

Lake Manyara, said by Ernest Hemingway to be the “loveliest [lake] … in Africa,” is also a National Park that is the home of a diverse set of landscapes and wildlife.  This park can be visited in half a day and people come to see the lake, baboons, elephants, hippos, impalas, wildebeest, buffalo, warthogs, giraffes, giant fig trees, mahogany, and many types of birds.  The Rift Valley Escarpment provides a spectacular backdrop to Lake Manyara.

Many volunteers do a 2-3 days safari to Ngorongoro Crater, Lake Manyara, and Tarangire national park on a weekend, while others do a 5-7 day safari (including the Serengeti) at the beginning or end of their time with the organization.  Safaris are easily organized from Moshi