We decided to take the Lemosho route, which is one of the best routes with the highest success rate for reaching the summit.

We departed from Londorosi Gate and hiked 7 km (4.3 miles). After 3.5 hours, we arrived at Mti Mkubwa Camp.

Its name means "Big Tree Camp" in Swahili, and it is the first campsite for climbers trekking Mount Kilimanjaro via the Lemosho Route. Located at an altitude of 2,650 meters (8,694 feet), it serves as a good introduction to the mountain's diverse ecosystems, offering a lush rainforest setting teeming with wildlife.

This is Shira II Camp. The group had orange and blue tents, along with a large blue dining tent that could accommodate all 20 climbers and the guide.

We had breakfast and dinner served inside every day during the trek. In the background, you can see Mount Kilimanjaro, with Uhuru Peak visible to the right.

The black tent spotted to the left is a toilet tent. The altitude of this camp is 3,850 meters (12,631 feet).

We are now going from Shira II Camp towards Lava Tower. There are about 20,000 tourists taking the Lemosho route every year, so it can be quite crowded at times. I think there are about 3 locals per tourist to carry luggage, food, and water, and also to guide.

There is no water in many places, so it must be carried a long way to each camp. There are some places where they can collect it, and then it's filtered before being handed over to us. We had no problems at all - I think it's because it's cleaned by filtration and not by chemicals.

The porters (called "mwanabeba mizigo" in Swahili) are very fast. Even though we leave before they start taking down the tents, we are often overtaken by them shortly after departure, unless they take a shortcut. The shortcuts are sometimes more dangerous, and the guides do not take tourists that way.

The porters are always very happy, even though they carry many kilos, and they smile and greet you back if you say "Jambo" (hello in Swahili).

When climbing Kilimanjaro, acclimatization is very important. Two times we walked further up than where we were supposed to sleep, because going up and then a little down again helps you adjust to the thin air.

The first time was here, at Cathedral Point in the Shira Plateau. We went there and took some great pictures of the surroundings, including the mandatory group picture with the rest of our group.

After the pictures, we had our lunch, which every person carries from the last camp you stayed in, along with the water you need for the hike. You are supposed to drink about 3 liters during the daily hike, because it helps you avoid altitude sickness.

In the front you see our guide Tongei, a former Masai warrior. He is a really great guy, whose main task is to keep the pace slow. If you hurry too much, you will also suffer from altitude sickness.

One of the first Swahili words/phrases you learn is "Pole pole," which means "slow, slow."

When hiking for many hours, some rests are needed. The group consisted of people from 15 years to 60 years old, and not everyone could keep the same pace.

When taking a break for food or just waiting for those who fall behind, I sometimes played a game with the guides. It goes like this:

Setup: The game consists of three rows, each containing five vertical lines. This can be visualized as:

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Gameplay: Two players take turns removing one or more lines. The player who is forced to take the very last line loses the game.

Moves: A player can remove lines in two ways:

• Vertically: A player can remove one or more lines from a single vertical column
• Horizontally: A player can remove one or more lines from a single horizontal row

This particular version with the option to remove lines either vertically or horizontally from a grid is a specific variation of the traditional game of Nim, where players typically only remove items from distinct piles.

Our last camp was Barranco Camp. Once again, you can see the summit in the background. The other tents belong to different groups. When we arrived at the camp, Sofia was too sick to continue climbing. We still didn't know that she had pneumonia and COVID-19, but she was having a lot of trouble breathing, which was quite painful.

From here, there is a route down to a place where a car can pick you up. "Shortcut" might not be the right word, as it took 8 hours to descend, but considering we took four days to get here, it is significantly shorter.

A few hardcore climbers take this route going up, but most will suffer from altitude sickness because the ascent is too fast. Going down this way is not a problem.

We spent the night here because it got completely dark just one hour after we arrived at the campsite. The transition from sunshine to total darkness happens very quickly, and there is no lighting on the trails.

This is the panorama view from Kilimanjaro on our descent. In the morning, the weather was very beautiful, even though it was a bit cold.

Being at that altitude has a great advantage, because the chance for sunshine is always higher. This view greatly compensates for the low temperature - about 2-4°C.

After an hour of hiking, we passed through the clouds, which had started to dissolve.

The descent from Kilimanjaro was very steep, and that is why only a few people choose this way up to the summit. The trees are covered in Usnea, or Old Man's Beard.

Frequently seen draping the branches of trees in the forests of Mount Kilimanjaro is Usnea, a lichen commonly known as "Old Man's Beard." This distinctive, hair-like organism is not a single plant but a symbiotic partnership between a fungus and an alga.

Usnea presents as long, thread-like strands of a pale, greyish-green color, hanging from tree limbs and trunks, giving the appearance of a long, wispy beard. It thrives in the humid, misty conditions found in the mountain's forest and heath zones, typically between 1,800 and 4,000 meters.

When you climb Kilimanjaro, you don’t come across many flowers along the way. But every now and then, one catches your eye — and few are as memorable as the Impatiens kilimanjari.

Often called the Elephant’s Trunk Flower, it grows in the cool, shaded forests that wrap around the slopes of the mountain. At altitudes between 2,400 and 2,800 meters, its vivid blossoms stand out like small bursts of color against the deep green of the rainforest. Spotting one feels almost like a reward, a quiet reminder of the mountain’s hidden beauty.

This is from Mbuyuni Market in Moshi. Fish are rare and expensive, because Moshi is very far from the nearest place that supports fish.

Fish transported to Moshi from the coast or Lake Victoria can encounter several challenges, especially when sold at local markets. The logistics can be difficult due to long distances, poor roads, and limited cooling capacity during transport, which increases the risk of fish becoming spoiled or bad before reaching the market.

Lack of proper cooling and fast delivery can lead to loss of freshness and quality, which affects both the price and consumer confidence. Furthermore, delays and transportation costs can make fish more expensive or less available at the market in Moshi.

Melons, avocados, grapes, lemons, coconuts, bananas, peppers, sweet potatoes, cucumbers, peas, onions, pineapples and many more can be found at Mbuyuni Market. Bananas are especially very important in this region. Most of Tanzania's bananas are grown here, and they are a part of every meal.

This market in particular is where the locals come to shop for all they need. Everything needed for daily life can be bought here. This picture is from the "fruit area," and in other places you will find meat or fish.

Different clothes and shoes/footwear can also be found at the big market.

Getting around in Moshi is easily done in a TVS King Deluxe. This robust and fuel-efficient three-wheeler stands as a cornerstone of daily transport for the residents of Moshi, Tanzania.

Commonly known locally as a "bajaji," this vehicle is a familiar sight on the bustling streets of the town, providing an essential and affordable mode of transportation for both locals and tourists navigating the area.

If you are traveling alone, many people use motorcycles. There are also taxis, but they are more expensive.

The last night at Hotel Springlands in Moshi. The rest of the group had returned from Kilimanjaro, and all met at the hotel to celebrate those who reached the summit.

As an end to the first part of our trip, it was an obvious choice to drink the Kilimanjaro Lager, and just as obvious it was to choose the Serengeti Lager as the next, because that's where the last part of our trip went.

On our first day on safari, we went to Tarangire National Park. It is a small park, but the wildlife is rich. This park has more African elephants per square kilometer than any other national park in the country.

The national park lies about 120 km southwest of Arusha City. The park got its name from the Tarangire River that flows through the center of the park and forms the dry season refuge for wildlife, especially elephants.

The Secretary Bird has a characteristic crest, long legs, short toes, and a very long tail. It is the largest of the birds of prey with a height of up to 1.2 meters. Its wingspan reaches an impressive 2 meters.

It eats many different smaller animals, including insects, small mammals, lizards, snakes, turtles, and other birds.

Most Secretary Birds are not afraid by nature. This bird of prey hunts and kills its prey by kicking or stomping on it with its long legs. The Secretary Bird kicks with a force equivalent to five times its own body weight. Therefore, a single kick can be enough to kill a snake. Afterward, it swallows the snake in one mouthful.

Most of the time it walks on the ground, but its large wingspan also makes it an excellent glider.

The African buffalo is a large, powerful herbivore with heavy curved horns and a dark, muscular build, often found in herds across grasslands and woodlands.

A small oxpeckers  is resting on its back. The birds move busily through the fur. They feed on ticks, flies, and parasites, sometimes alerting the buffalo to danger with alarm calls.

A cheetah seeking the shade of an acacia tree is a common and iconic image of the African savannah, where cheetahs often rest in the dappled sunlight to escape the heat and observe their surroundings. This serene scene showcases the cheetah's adaptation to the open grasslands, utilizing the tree as a crucial resting spot for comfort, camouflage, and surveying the plains before their next hunt.

The Grey Crowned Crane (Balearica regulorum) is a striking bird native to eastern and southern Africa. Recognizable by its golden feathery crown, it has a gray body, white wings with black and chestnut accents, and a distinctive red throat pouch.

Unlike most cranes, it can roost in trees thanks to its long hind toe. The species is often found in wetlands and grasslands, where it feeds on seeds, grasses, insects, and small animals.

Known for its elaborate courtship dances, the Grey Crowned Crane is also Uganda's national bird and a symbol of elegance across Africa.

Wildebeest rest in the midday heat. The wildebeest is an African savanna-dwelling antelope. It is especially famous for its annual migrations in the Serengeti-Masai Mara ecosystem, where 1-1.5 million wildebeest migrate in search of new grazing grounds.

We did not see the large herds on our trip, even though our guide frequently used his long-range walkie-talkie to communicate with other guides. They tell each other where there is something exciting to see and can find out where specific animals are located.

This is why you often see many jeeps gathered together where there are interesting animals close to the road. Guides are not allowed to leave the road system, but it is also very extensive, so it should be possible to get close to most animals if you know where they are located.

In the background, around the zebra, you can see springbok. This is a medium-sized antelope that mainly lives on dry savannas and grasslands.

A herd of zebras has gathered around a waterway. We saw many zebras on our safari, sometimes very large herds of up to 1,000 animals.

On one occasion, one of the large herds passed by quite close and chose to cross the road right where we were parked. We were surrounded by zebras on all sides, and it is quite impressive to think that the foals can find their mother based on the pattern of their stripes.

This is the jeep we used to get around the three safari parks. When you are inside the parks, you are not allowed to get out of the vehicles for safety reasons, but when you can raise the roof as shown in the picture, you can still get some great photos and get the feeling of being close to the animals.

This was the most common vehicle in the area, but you also saw some private cars. It is allowed to visit the parks without a guide, but then it is mostly pure luck if you see all the many different animals, when you don't have the guides' local knowledge and don't have the opportunity to communicate with them via long-range walkie-talkies.

Just outside the Ngorongoro Crater, we saw this Masai village from the road toward Serengeti. People no longer live inside the safari parks, as they have chosen to relocate them to preserve wildlife.

The Ngorongoro Crater is the remains of a volcanic cone that collapsed several million years ago, but it is still surrounded by a 600-700 meter high crater rim. The almost flat plain at the bottom has a diameter of around 20 kilometers, and reportedly, the grass-covered crater floor is Africa's answer to the Garden of Eden.

We also visited a Masai village on our trip between the safari parks. Upon arrival at the village, we and a couple of other tourists were greeted with a welcome ceremony. We were also told how daily life typically takes shape.

After watching the ceremony, we could walk around and look at the houses, and in one place we even went inside. In the background, you can see a fence made of thorny branches. This is protection against wild animals at night.

When the visit was coming to an end, we were presented with some handmade souvenirs. There was no pressure to get tourists to buy anything, and you could browse in peace and see them and select what you might want. After some minor negotiation, we bought a face mask and a couple of decorative items.

At the entrance to Serengeti National Park. We arrived late in the afternoon, after spending the whole day in the Ngorongoro Crater.

Serengeti National Park in Tanzania is one of the world's most famous safari destinations. The park is especially known for "The Great Migration," where over one million wildebeest and hundreds of thousands of zebras and gazelles annually migrate across the enormous plains in search of fresh grass and water.

The national park covers an area of nearly 15,000 km² and is home to exceptionally rich wildlife, including "The Big Five" (lion, leopard, elephant, rhinoceros, and buffalo) as well as cheetahs, giraffes, hippos, and hundreds of bird species. The landscape consists primarily of open savanna with the characteristic acacia trees.

Two of our overnight stays on safari were in these large safari tents. They were set up on the savanna and were guarded by Masai warriors. Inside the tent, when you entered, there were three large beds. At the back of the tent, there was access to a small section where there was a shower, toilet, and washbasin.

The camp is not surrounded by a fence, so if you needed to leave the tent at night, you had to call for the Masai who patrolled the area. This also applied when going to dinner, because at six o'clock in the evening, it was completely dark and difficult to navigate the paths from place to place. The meals were served in a larger tent, where the tourists assigned to this camp ate breakfast and dinner.

It was very special to be able to hear both hyenas and lions relatively close by throughout the night, but we felt safe in the hands of the Masai. Sleeping on the savanna was a special and wonderful experience that I would recommend to anyone who gets the opportunity.

This was the only crocodile we saw on the trip. It was quick to leave the shore and dive into the water. It is a Nile crocodile and it is Africa's largest reptile. It lives in rivers, lakes, and swamp areas in large parts of Africa south of the Sahara.

A fully grown male can grow over 5 meters long and weigh up to 750 kg. It is an apex predator known for its extremely powerful bite and its hunting technique, where it lies in ambush at the water's edge and attacks prey such as wildebeest, zebras, buffalo, and fish.

It plays an important role in the ecosystem by regulating the population of other animals.

A lion family rests in the midday heat in the shade of a tree. As on so many other occasions, news quickly spreads among the guides about where you can get close to the animals, and within a few minutes, several more safari tourists arrive.

The animals in the safari parks are accustomed to visitors and don't react to them. Only the most shy animals, such as leopards, are difficult to get close to. They get up and leave.

The African lion (Panthera leo) is a large carnivorous mammal and the only cat to live in social groups. Males are recognized by their impressive mane, while females are the primary hunters in groups called prides.

Lions inhabit savannas, grasslands, and open woodlands of Sub-Saharan Africa. As apex predators, they hunt medium to large mammals like wildebeest, zebra, and buffalo.

Males weigh 150-250 kg and females 120-180 kg. Their iconic roar can be heard up to 8 kilometers away. The African lion is listed as Vulnerable with only about 20,000 remaining in the wild due to habitat loss and human conflict.

The warthog gets its name from the cartilaginous wart-like growths protruding on both sides of its head. These warts may serve as weapons, defense against other warthogs, or protection for the eyes during fights.
Warthogs prefer to flee from predators rather than fight, but are known for fearlessly defending their families. They live in family groups consisting of females with young, while males form bachelor groups or live alone.
With poor eyesight but excellent smell and hearing, warthogs can run 50 km/hour with their 45cm tails held upright. They roll in mud to cool down since they lack sweat glands.

Funfact. Pumbaa is swahili for silly.

Key Facts:
Habitat: African savannas south of the Sahara
Weight: 60-120 kg
Diet: Grass, herbs, roots, bulbs, fungi, and insects
Speed: Up to 50 km/hour
Status: Not threatened

Hippos depend on water to keep their sensitive, nearly hairless skin cool and protected from strong sun rays. Without water, they become dry and dehydrated. Water helps regulate body temperature and provides hiding places while they rest. Their sensitive skin overheats without water cooling and you will mostly find them in ponds during the day. Water and mud prevent their skin from drying and cracking. Their eyes, ears, and nose are positioned high on head for underwater observation.

A giraffe at an acacia tree eats leaves for food, as acacia trees are the giraffe's primary food source. The giraffe uses its long, tough, dark tongue to extract leaves between the tree's thorns. Its tongue is dark to protect against sunburn. Giraffes are ruminants and eat up to 60 kg of leaves daily.

Acacia leaves: Giraffes love eating juicy leaves from acacia trees and uses  their tongue as tool: The long, dark tongue, nearly half a meter long, captures leaves between sharp thorns.

Acacia Tree Thorns:
Acacia trees use thorns to defend against giraffes, but the giraffes evolved a tough, rough tongue with slimy coating to glide past sharp thorns.

These two cheetah cubs sat waiting for their mother. It is common for their mother to leave them to go hunting. The primary reason a female cheetah leaves her cubs is to hunt enough food to sustain herself and them.

For the first 18 months of the cubs lives, cheetah mothers teach them how to hunt and survive on their own. Cheetah mothers are very dedicated, but they must prioritize hunting to maintain their own survival and ability to care for the cubs.

Male cheetahs do not participate in raising the cubs, leaving this responsibility solely to the mother.

This is an adult male Agama mwanzae in its natural habitat. The lizard is positioned on a sun-warmed rock surface, which is typical behavior as it depends on external heat for thermoregulation.
Agama mwanzae is a day-active lizard adapted to life in dry and warm environments. Its colors play a role in communication with both species members and potential predators.
The species is not threatened, but populations can be affected by habitat changes. Its preferred habitat is dry, rocky areas with sparse vegetation.