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NEXTThere’s an urgency to climbing Kilimanjaro—the famous “tropical ice” that covers the 19,341-foot Tanzanian peak has melted to 15 percent of its 1912 size, diminishing your chances to chip glacial ice for your sundowner gin and tonic after the summit push. Cheekiness aside, Africa is a place of great flux, with precious animal populations shrinking faster than high altitude glaciers. Make sure to see them both by combining a summit bid on Tanzania with a safari to see the continent’s Big Five—lions, elephants, cape buffalo, rhino, and leopard. Try Abercrombie and Kent’s new trip up the southern flank’s Umbwe route. It’s a far steeper approach than the standard—and crowded—Mishame route, but your group should have a campsite to itself. Combine a November ascent with a four-day safari to witness the great wildebeest migration on the Serengeti, one of Earth’s wildest spectacles ($7,924).
The biggest of the big five. Via Shutterstock
Photo: Graeme Shannon
