Overview
Our 5 Day Safari & Kilimanjaro Foothills Adventure is the most unique and most exciting combination itinerary available in northern Tanzania — a breathtaking five-day journey that seamlessly blends the extraordinary wildlife encounters of Tanzania’s legendary northern safari circuit with an unforgettable exploration of the breathtaking foothills and lower slopes of Mount Kilimanjaro — Africa’s highest peak and the world’s most iconic mountain — creating a completely distinctive and deeply personal Tanzania adventure of extraordinary variety, extraordinary beauty, and extraordinary lasting significance departing from Arusha with Serengeti Scent Adventures
Highlights
- Kilimanjaro sunrise — the most breathtaking natural view in all of East Africa
- Exceptional birdwatching — outstanding species diversity across all destinations
- Ancient montane rainforest — extraordinary biodiversity on Kilimanjaro’s lower slopes
- Enormous elephant herds — over 3,000 elephants in Tarangire
The 5 Day Safari & Kilimanjaro Foothills Adventure is one of Serengeti Scent Adventures’ most unique and most exciting itineraries — a beautifully crafted five-day journey that combines two of Tanzania’s most extraordinary and most completely different natural experiences in one perfectly designed adventure.
Distance: 120 km — approximately 1.5 to 2 hours
Meals: Lunch & Dinner
Overnight: Tarangire area
Depart your Arusha hotel at 7:00 AM and drive southward toward Tarangire National Park. Enter the park and begin your first extraordinary game drive through the iconic ancient baobab landscape — searching for enormous elephant herds, giraffe, lion, leopard, buffalo, zebra, and wildebeest along the beautiful Tarangire River corridor. Bush picnic lunch in the field. Afternoon game drive through the park’s diverse habitats searching for African wild dog, greater kudu, and the park’s exceptional 550+ bird species. Sundowner stop before dinner and overnight.
Distance: 80 to 120 km within park
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Overnight: Tarangire area
A full and deeply rewarding day exploring Tarangire National Park. Dawn game drive along the Tarangire River — the most productive time for predator and elephant encounters. Search for lion prides, African wild dog packs, and the park’s remarkable greater kudu in the remote Boundary Hill area. Bush picnic lunch beneath an ancient baobab. Afternoon game drive through the northern Lemiyon area and beautiful Silale Swamp — exceptional for buffalo, elephant, and the park’s extraordinary endemic birds. Sundowner before dinner and overnight.
Distance: 200 km — approximately 3 hours
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Overnight: Ngorongoro crater rim
After breakfast depart Tarangire northward and westward through the beautiful Maasai steppe toward the Ngorongoro Conservation Area — stopping at the legendary Olduvai Gorge for a fascinating guided museum visit at the extraordinary Cradle of Mankind. Continue ascending through the dramatic Ngorongoro highlands to the breathtaking crater rim arriving in the beautiful late afternoon for the most overwhelming and most emotionally powerful panoramic view of the magnificent caldera. Dinner and overnight at your crater rim lodge.
Distance: 280 km — approximately 3.5 to 4 hours
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Overnight: Moshi area — Kilimanjaro foothills
Early morning descent into the extraordinary Ngorongoro Crater at first light for the most dramatic game drive of the itinerary. Search for the critically endangered black rhinoceros, enormous lion prides, massive buffalo herds, spotted hyena, hippo pods, and spectacular flamingo flocks. Bush picnic lunch on the crater floor. Ascend from the crater in the early afternoon and drive eastward toward Moshi — passing through the beautiful Arusha landscape with the first extraordinary views of Mount Kilimanjaro emerging above the horizon. Arrive in Moshi for dinner and overnight in the magnificent shadow of Africa’s highest peak.
Distance: 90 km — approximately 1.5 hours return to Arusha
Meals: Breakfast, Packed Lunch & Dinner
Overnight: Return to Arusha
An extraordinary morning guided forest walk on Kilimanjaro’s lower slopes — entering Kilimanjaro National Park through the beautiful Marangu Gate at an altitude of 1,860 metres and ascending into the extraordinary ancient montane rainforest of the Kilimanjaro lower slopes. Your experienced guide introduces you to the forest’s extraordinary diversity — pointing out black and white colobus monkeys, blue monkeys, olive baboons, beautiful Hartlaub’s turaco, and dozens of other spectacular forest bird species in one of the most beautiful and most biodiverse forest ecosystems in all of East Africa. Experience breathtaking Kilimanjaro summit views on clear mornings — the snow-capped Kibo cone rising dramatically above the forest canopy in one of the most extraordinary and most deeply moving natural panoramas in the entire world. Packed lunch enjoyed in the beautiful forest setting. Return to the gate and drive back to Arusha arriving approximately 5:00 to 6:00 PM — concluding five extraordinary days of safari and mountain adventure.
- ✅ Hotel pickup and drop-off in Arusha
- ✅ All transport in a private 4x4 Toyota Land Cruiser with pop-up roof
- ✅ Professional English-speaking Serengeti Scent Adventures guide for all 5 days
- ✅ All park fees — Tarangire NP (2 days), Ngorongoro CA (1 day) including crater descent fee & Kilimanjaro NP lower slopes entry (1 day)
- ✅ Olduvai Gorge entry & guided visit — Day 3
- ✅ Kilimanjaro lower slopes forest walk with certified mountain guide — Day 5
- ✅ All meals as specified throughout
- ✅ Bottled drinking water throughout
- ✅ All fuel costs
- ✅ Snacks & refreshments
- ✅ Sundowner drinks
- ✅ Government taxes & levies
- ❌ International flights to and from Tanzania
- ❌ Tanzania visa fees (USD 50 per person)
- ❌ Travel insurance (strongly recommended)
- ❌ Tips & gratuities (USD $15 to $20/day safari guide, USD $10/day Kilimanjaro guide)
- ❌ Personal items & souvenirs
- ❌ Alcoholic beverages
- ❌ Optional full Kilimanjaro climb (available on request — see our Kilimanjaro packages)
- ❌ Optional Arusha National Park visit (available on request)
- ❌ Any expenses of a personal nature
Frequently Asked Questions
The guided lower slopes forest walk covers approximately 8 to 12 kilometres return — ascending from the Marangu Gate at 1,860 metres to approximately 2,700 metres through the extraordinary ancient montane rainforest. The walk takes approximately 4 to 5 hours at a relaxed and enjoyable pace and is suitable for any reasonably fit adult wearing comfortable closed-toe walking shoes. No specialist hiking equipment is required
Kilimanjaro’s summit is most clearly visible in the early morning before cloud builds — and our Day 5 forest walk is timed to maximize the chances of extraordinary clear summit views during the morning hours. The most reliably clear Kilimanjaro summit views occur during the dry season months of January to March and June to October.
This itinerary is an excellent introduction to Kilimanjaro for guests considering a future summit attempt — the lower slopes forest walk provides a beautiful first experience of the mountain’s extraordinary forest zone, a genuine feel for the trails and terrain, and an excellent motivational encounter with Africa’s greatest mountain. Contact Serengeti Scent Adventures to discuss combining this itinerary with a full Kilimanjaro climb.
Yes — the lower slopes of Kilimanjaro National Park support populations of buffalo, elephant, and leopard alongside beautiful primates and exceptional birdlife. Wildlife encounters on the lower slopes forest walk add an exciting and completely unexpected dimension to the Kilimanjaro experience that consistently surprises and delights every guest.
