Exploring the Beauty of Tanzania: A Journey of Summiting the Tallest Mountain in Africa, Enjoying the Island of Zanzibar, and Walking Amongst the Wildlife

Morgan A.
Jan 21
7 min read

Introduction

Tanzania was the most unique and life-changing experience I've had to date. We got a taste of all of the classic tourist activities and had a wonderful time getting to know and appreciate the culture.

First and foremost, we succeeded in our main goal of the trip: to summit Mt. Kilimanjaro. That will of course be the focus of this post but we also experienced so much more. We spent time on Zanzibar Island where we snorkeled, explored Stone Town and Prison Island, and spent plenty of time by the pool. We walked among wild animals that I could never comprehend actually existed outside of a zoo before now. Above all else, we learned a lot about ourselves along the way.

The Climb: Summiting Mt. Kilimanjaro

As mentioned, we originally booked this trip with one main goal: summit Mt. Kilimanjaro. This was one of those bucket list trips that started as a passing comment just three months ago. Now most people spend years planning and preparing for this kind of journey. Nah, not necessary when you love to plan almost as much as you love to do (that's me).

One important tidbit about climbing Kili - you are required to go with a guide. There are tons of companies out there that offer this trip and since I am putting my actual life in the hands of someone else, I did my fair share of research before selecting one. I read reviews, looked at countless websites, Reddit posts, travel forums, etc. and landed on Monkey Adventures.

I must say, my research paid off. We had to most badass guide, Hadija. She was the only female guide we saw our entire time on the mountain and her knowledge and care were unmatched. Along with Hadija, we had an assistant guide who joined us every day on our hikes, Daniel. We also had a team of seven porters, a cook, and a waiter. The porters, cook, and waiter carried all of our things, the tents, the food, the toilet (quick tip: pay the extra $100 for a private toilet, you won't regret it), and all other equipment up the mountain and met us at camp each day. I really can't express how impressed I am with the porters. One of the porters even joined us on our summit push in case we needed help down the mountain and so that we didn't have to carry our own daypacks.

Once we landed on a tour company, we needed to select a route. There are five main routes ranging from five to nine day itineraries. Obviously, the longer the trip, the "easier" the climb will be as your body has more time to acclimate to the altitude. We chose the 8-day Lemosho route for one main reason: it's said to be the easiest route. I'm not going all the way to Africa to not make it to the summit and I'm also not going all the way to Africa to not enjoy myself. So we embraced the phrase "polepole", "slowly slowly" in Swahili, as our theme for the week.

As for the climb itself, I won't provide a detailed itinerary as you can find those on the tour company's website. Most days followed this general schedule:

- Asa (our incredible waiter) would come to our tent around 6:30 with coffee

- Breakfast in the mess tent at 7:30

- Pack up and head out for our journey for the day by 8:30

- Walk anywhere from 3-7 miles

- Arrive at the next camp early afternoon and have lunch

- Dinner around 7:00 followed by a briefing for the day to come

We did veer from the typical 8-day Lemosho route at the end of our trek. As opposed to waking up at midnight on day seven to make our summit push with everybody else, we actually made our summit push starting around noon on day six. It was a last-minute change suggested by Hadija and we happily agreed it would be the better choice. The trade-offs were we had just hiked three miles and up over 2,000 feet of elevation so our legs would be a bit more tired and we wouldn't be at the peak for sunrise. However, we wouldn't be part of the herd of people slowly making their way up the mountain in the pitch dark and freezing cold. This also allowed us to get a full night of sleep that night and make our way all the way back down the mountain on day seven, one day early. It also gave us the mountain completely to ourselves.

Now for the summit push. I want to start by saying this was the most mentally challenging thing I have ever done. Polepole is a generous way to describe our pace. It was SLOW. And I couldn't have gone any faster. Hadija paced us and knew exactly what we needed to do to succeed while her, Daniel, and our summit porter encouraged us, sang to us, and reasoned with us when they could tell we were battling against our own minds. The six hour journey to Uhuru Peak was brutal, to put it lightly. The war going on in my head was persistent but so were my legs. Did I get altitude sickness and feel dizzy almost the whole time? Yes. Was I determined to put one foot in front of the other because I ain't no quitter? Also yes.

The emotion that washed over me when I saw the Uhuru Peak sign was unexpected. I'm not a very emotional person in general so I tried chalk it up to exhaustion and a bit of delirium from the altitude...but in reality it was pride and gratitude and an overwhelming sense of accomplishment. I can count on two fingers the number of times I've been this proud of myself. And it wasn't just the fact that I reached the summit, it was an accumulation of all of the little things along the way - pushing myself to even start the journey that I didn't think was in the cards for me, allowing myself to be uncomfortable, realizing this is exactly why I took a leap and quit my job. Everything came to a head in that moment at Uhuru Peak. Uhuru translates to freedom and I couldn't have described the feeling any better. Freedom.

All that to say, this was the journey of a lifetime and I am so grateful to have experienced it.

By the Ocean: Zanzibar Island

We chose to stop at Zanzibar before we made our way to Moshi for our Kili trek. A lot of people that do Kili choose to go to Zanzibar after for some R&R but honestly, after we got done with our trek, we were so ready to go home, I'm glad we did it the other way around so we could fully appreciate Zanzibar.

Our resort was in the middle of a small village on the eastern side of the island. We spent most of our time lounging by the pool and attempting to rid ourselves of jetlag. I read three books, it was possibly the most relaxed I've been in a while as we allowed ourselves to truly do nothing. We did go snorkeling one morning and had the most delicious fruits I've ever had.

One of our days on Zanzibar was spent on a tour of Stone Town and Prison Island. We took likely the scariest boat ride of my life to and from Prison Island where we learned about the history of the island and how it was used throughout time. They have a turtle sanctuary here and have turtles as old as 200 years old. Stone Town is a lively town of winding streets where we saw the daily market, tasted Arabic coffee in the main square, and learned about its history and role in the slave trade.

Zanzibar is a melting pot of religions that all live as neighbors and respect each other's cultures. They speak freely of the horrors of the slave trade and encourage visitors to reflect. Above all else, this is where I fully felt the phrase Hakuna Matata come to life. The people of Zanzibar brush off worries as single moments in time and make sure to appreciate what they have. They live in close-knit communities where everybody helps their neighbor when they are in need and nobody takes anything for granted.

Walking Safari: An Immersive Wilderness Experience

Once we reached Moshi, we had a free day before we started our Kili trek. We knew we had to go on a day safari while in Africa. We chose a hybrid safari in Arusha National Park where we drove through the majority of the park and did a walking tour for a couple hours as well.

On our drive, we saw monkeys, zebras, giraffes, buffalo, flamingos, and sneak peaks of Kili and Mount Meru. The walking safari was definitely the highlight, though. We were escorted by a park ranger with a rifle for safety from the animals and got to see giraffes up close and warthogs (they call them pumbas). We kept our distance from the buffaloes, I guess those guys will charge...

The animals weren't the only sights either. The views of the plains and Kili were breathtaking and the waterfall was incredible. We learned about the plants and how some are used by local tribes for different purposes. We saw a tree that started growing from the top of another tree and down towards the ground, eventually consuming the host tree entirely, known as a strangler fig tree. All in all, a truly wild experience.

What a Journey

As you can probably tell if you made it this far, I had the most increbible time in Tanzania. I wouldn't change it one bit and I will always recommend others to give it a go. Even if your journey doesn't include summiting Mount Kilimanjaro, there are tons of day hikes in the area and in Mount Kilimanjaro National Park that I think are worth it.

I learned so much about not only Tanzania but also about myself. As our guide Hadija said, you can do anything as long as you want to. There's something special about challenging yourself physically that just allows you to fully be present. To slow down and enjoy the journey. I'm beyond grateful for my body for all it can do and I won't ever take that for granted.

If you have any questions about summiting Kili or about Tanzania in general, drop them below!