On this 12-Day Kilimanjaro Hike and Rubondo Island Adventure, you will visit Africa’s highest mountain, Kilimanjaro Mountain, and Africa’s largest island national park, Rubondo Island National Park.
12-Day Kilimanjaro & Rubondo Island Tour Highlights
- Day 1: Arusha to Moshi Town
- Days 2-8: Hiking the Mighty Kilimanjaro Mountain – Machame Route
- Day 9: Rest Day in Moshi Town
- Day 10: Transfer to Rubondo Island National Park via Mwanza
- Day 11: Explore Rubondo Island National Park
- Day 12: Rubondo Island National Park to Mwanza City
Detailed 12-Day Kilimanjaro & Rubondo Island Tour Itinerary
Day 1: Arusha to Moshi Town
Arrival and pick up from Arusha airport, and then drive to Moshi town at the base of Kilimanjaro Mountain, where your tour guide driver will drop you at your hotel for the night.
Make your final preparations and have enough rest for tomorrow when you start your quest of conquering Africa’s tallest mountain, Mount Kilimanjaro.
Days 2-8: Hiking the Mighty Kilimanjaro Mountain – Machame Route
There are several established routes on Mt. Kilimanjaro that can take you to the top of Africa at Uhuru Peak.
For this 12-day safari, you will access Kilimanjaro via the famous Machame route on a 7-day hiking experience.
This is the most popular route on the mountain and has a high summit success rate because of its good acclimatization possibilities.
The climb will start from Machame gate, ascending the mountain via the Machame Route and descending via the Mweka route, ending at Mweka gate.
You will reach the summit of Kilimanjaro, Uhuru Peak, on day 7.
The campsites on the Machame route where you will spend your nights are Machame camp, Shira camp 2, Barranco camp, Karanga camp, Barafu camp, and Mweka camp.
On day 8, when you return from the mountain, your tour driver guide will be waiting to drive you to your hotel in Moshi town, where you will have a well-deserved warm shower and continue your celebrations of your just-concluded accomplishment.
Day 9: Rest Day in Moshi Town
Spend this day at leisure, resting, re-energizing, and getting time to shop for anything you might need for the remaining days of the safari, such as new fresh batteries for your camera, snacks, among other items.
Day 10: Transfer to Rubondo Island National Park via Mwanza
Enjoy your breakfast, and after that, your tour guide driver will pick you up from your hotel and drive you to Kilimanjaro International Airport for your domestic flight to Mwanza Airport in Mwanza city.
From Mwanza, you will be driven to Kasenda village, where you will board the park speedboats for a boat transfer to Rubondo Island National Park.
On arrival, you will be transferred to your accommodation for the night, either at the TANAPA bandas or Rubondo Island camp.
Day 11: Explore Rubondo Island National Park
Rubondo Island National Park is one of the least visited hidden gems of Tanzania, so expect a private island safari experience.
Activities on the island include game drives, guided forest walks and nature walks, chimpanzee trekking, bird watching, fishing, boat safaris, and canoeing safaris.
Animals on the island include hippos, bushbucks, sitatungas, giraffes, elephants, warthogs, otters, crocodiles, suni antelopes, mongoose, black and white colobus monkeys, chimpanzees, and vervet monkeys.
The park also hosts a rich birdlife, butterflies, and diverse vibrant flora, including wildflowers like jasmines and different orchid species.
Day 12: Rubondo Island National Park to Mwanza City
Your 12-day Kilimanjaro hiking and Rubondo Island visit come to an end with a transfer from the island to Mwanza city at Mwanza airport.