We are pleased to announce the dates for the YExplore 2019 Kilimanjaro Adventure will be from January 17 until January 31, 2019. This includes a seven day African Wildlife Safari and a six day trek to the summit of Mt. Kilimanjaro. The duration of the trip activities will be 13 days from January 18th to the 30th. You will be picked up at Kilimanjaro airport on January 17th and returned to the same airport on January 31st.

2019 Kilimanjaro Adventure

With the success of our 2018 trip, we are so excited to get the ball rolling for our 2019 Kilimanjaro Adventure.

You too can stand on the summit of Africa’s tallest mountain on Uhuru Peak at 19,341 feet (5895 meters) above sea level. This peak is one of the fabled Seven Summits and is an accomplishment of a lifetime. We have found a wonderful partner in Soaring Flamingo who provides us with experienced guides and a team of dedicated mountaineers who assist us through every step of this journey. I can’t say enough about our team from this past experience. Our lead guide Julius has guided over a thousand people on this trek and has summited more than 300 times. He stopped counting at 300. So many guides and porters we encountered, stopped along the way just to pay their respects to a legend.

Bonaventure was our other guide with almost as many summits as Julius. They complemented each other well and made sure of our safety throughout our journey. Also included on our team was a cook, a server, and several porters who carried our food and overnight gear. I know this may sound excessive but it is a great boost to their economy to provide jobs and it is actually illegal to trek Kili without a guide service.

We will be climbing the Machame route in 2019 and have decided the duration of the trek will be six days. This will provide enough time for acclimatization while providing a healthy challenge for the hike. Many others attempt this route in less time but we feel the acclimatization process is too important to ignore. You can expect to camp in some of the most exciting landscapes the world has to offer. Tent space is limited in these smaller camps so you can imagine how exciting some of the tent placements are. Here’s a view from our tents on summit night.

The 2019 Kilimanjaro Adventure actually begins with an African Wildlife Safari in Serengeti National Park. We will spend 3 days in the savannah before moving up to the Ngorongoro Highlands to begin our acclimatization for the six day Kilimanjaro hike. I’ve never been more excited than sleeping in a tent on the floor of the Serengeti. Wild animals will be our neighbors for two nights in the Serengeti, and we receive all kinds of visitors. Soaring Flamingo will have chefs cook every meal for us on this trip and they are truly dedicated to pleasing their guests.

On safari, we can expect to see many mammals and birds with a few reptiles and interesting insects. On our last trip we saw every member of the fabled African Big Five. You can view some more of the wildlife images I took in the gallery below. All photos are by John P. DeGrazio except the ones with me in them. Those are from kindred spirits.

From the Serengeti, we will spend two nights on the rim of the Ngorongoro Crater. On the first night, we will camp at a location that will provide an excellent opportunity to spend the entire next day viewing wildlife like lions, hippos, and possibly even a rhinoceros. For the second night, we will be treated with luxury accommodations at the Ngorongoro Sopa Lodge where we will be able to photograph both sunset and sunrise on the crater.

From the lodge we will venture to the Ngorongoro Highlands for a couple of moderate acclimatization hikes to the Olmuti and Empakai Craters to see some more exotic wildlife. Then we will proceed to our specially arranged camp in a Maasai village for an exclusive cultural exchange. From camp, we will be able to visit a school, a medical center, and the boma of our host and lead guide, Olotumi Laizer. Each year he invites special guests to his native home in Tanzania, and we are extremely fortunate for this unique opportunity.

2019 Kilimanjaro Adventure

We have incorporated philanthropy as a major component of this trip. The price was set at $6850 USD to allow for fair wages to all our guides and support teams as well as establishing funds to donate. This will help provide a sustainable infrastructure to the village. YExplore will be donating to the school and medical center as well as providing opportunities for some local children to advance their education. That is where you come in to help, and you have to do nothing more than sign up for this trip of a lifetime. We have also created flexible options for 2019 if you only wish to participate in the safari or the Kilimanjaro trek but not both.

The time I spent in Tanzania this past January has affected me deeply. That is why I am so dedicated to developing a successful international program at YExplore. I am looking forward to the 2019 Kilimanjaro Adventure and hope you may join me on the Endless Plain next winter.

Please visit our Kilimanjaro Trek and Wildlife Safari Page for more details.

To get a full picture of our global treks, take a look at this page. If you would like to read an interesting story about Kilimanjaro, read here more.