Jambo from Tanzania!
July 18, 2024
Jambo all!
With the session coming to an end, we are certainly sad to see everyone leave. The group’s dynamic was unmatched by the end of the trip, and we are so happy to see the friendships that have grown throughout these three weeks. The safari section was a great way to end the session, taking it easy in the sweet rides while watching some of the most remarkable beings on the planet!
We started the safari in the Ngorongoro Crater outside of Karatu, and it couldn’t have been a better start to our last few days on the trip. We got the chance to see some hippos, colorful birds, and even a couple of rhinos! This ride through the caldera was capped off at the end with a tasty dinner and ice cream at camp. The day was certainly one to remember.
The next morning was an early one in order to get to the Serengeti with ample time to see some raw nature! These many hours of driving were fueled by Maude’s book that was passed around to many of the group and finished by many, with Nat holding the record of finishing it in two days! The ride’s entertainment was also fueled by Graham’s marvelous taste in music. She supplied much of the queue, and it was preferred by most. We stopped at the Naabi/Serengeti entrance gate for lunch and found the perfect table for our meal. Here, Ella Gray embarked on a secret mission to supply the entire group with surprise soda treats, which certainly boosted morale. The afternoon was chock full of amazing views of lion prides, leopards, elephants, and Kate’s favorite and most relatable, the secretary bird. The beautiful Serengeti sunset implied it was time to head to camp and enjoy some delicious chicken, veggies, beef, and rice. Earlier in the trip, we had bought teriyaki BBQ sauce from the grocery store, and it was surely a hoot. So much so that when it was accidentally tossed in the trash, Allaire, Ella, and Sophia came to the group’s rescue and dumpster-dived for the savannah delicacy. The group is eternally grateful for the bravery and determination of these individuals.
The following day of safari was just as jam-packed, and the savannah environment certainly didn’t disappoint anyone in the group. We rose early for an anticipated sunrise, giving us an early start to the Serengeti’s beautiful madness. The highlight of day two for most was likely the leopard that had brought a gazelle all the way up a tall acacia tree. It was a sight that seems impossible to forget. We closed the day off with a perfect sunset and some fried tilapia at camp.
We departed the Serengeti and later took another peek into the Ngorongoro Crater. Here, Mae took photography matters into her own hands by taking excellent surprise candid pictures with her disposable camera. The crater’s massive beauty was shining extra bright at that particular moment for the group, and we were happy to be able to see it again before heading into Karatu to stay at our well-decorated hotel. Here, we ate everyone’s favorite dish, Chips Mayai. It was a dinner worth celebrating with a memorable Moonup and ample time to spend together afterward before heading back to Arusha the next day.
On the way back, we stopped at the famous Safari Land to do some final souvenir shopping. Still, we arrived at our Arusha hotel with plenty of time to shower and hang out before prepping for our final banquet. Once we had cleaned off all the dust from the dry lands, we departed for the final banquet of a lifetime: gigantic plates of cheeseburgers, chicken piccata, and gyros at a nearby tavern. It was delectable. We returned to the hotel afterward and had Caroline’s and my favorite Moonup of the trip, hosted by the iconic duo Hays and Owen. Hays had the Nug Jug story of the millennium and had everyone in the group cackling, while Owen held down the fort with some deep-reaching questions. Our final surprise of the trip was a farewell gift of statement rings from a local vendor chosen specifically for each member of the group. It was the perfect mixed bag, and everyone left the final Moonup dancing and feeling much closer to one another. We were sad to see the final Moonup come to an end because it was one of the last times the whole group would be together again in a circle, besides later tonight with the midnight round of Five Crowns, of course. Right, Finn?
In all seriousness, we have thoroughly enjoyed every individual moment of this session with these all-time students. We will certainly miss the constant smiles, laughs, stories, and adventures from the crew. These past few weeks have been a wildly successful Moondance trip, having fully immersed ourselves in the culture, summited the world’s tallest free-standing mountain, and viewed the world’s wildest animals. We think everyone on the trip experienced the trip of a lifetime, and we can’t wait to see what the future holds for these individuals in the group.
Sincerely,
Corley and Caroline
Celebrating on the Roof of Africa!
July 13, 2024
Jambo jambo! I know you have all been waiting for this trip update and we have BIG news… our entire group summited Mount Kilimanjaro and was successfully able to stand on the roof of Africa. We have had the most incredible past week full of fun, challenging moments, and more belly laughs than I can begin to count. We can’t wait to tell you all about it!
Our trek began at the Machame gate. We would take the Machame route up the mountain- a 7 day trek known for its high success rate and amazing views. After a chaotic morning of finishing up final preparations, meeting our guides and porters who would be accompanying us up the mountain, and eating one final lunch at ground level, we crossed through the Machame gates and began our journey to the roof of Africa. Nat in particular seemed to have become friends with his porter upon arrival. On this day, we hiked through lush rainforests and admired all of the greenery and wildlife. We talked and played games all afternoon. You could always catch Owen singing songs, and others joining in! We hardly even realized as it began to get dark. Luckily, our group was prepared with headlamps and continued on to camp to which we arrived at shortly after dark. Huge thanks to all of our amazing porters who we would grow to know and love for having camp and dinner already prepared upon our arrival. We gathered in the dining tent and enjoyed popcorn and tea, followed by an incredible dinner. We ended the night with a moonup and went to bed excited for the days on the mountain ahead.
We woke bright and early to our porters offering coffee and tea delivered to us in our tents. Graciously, we sipped on our hot drinks as we quickly packed up our duffels and prepared for our first full day of hiking up the mountain. Today, in order to ease ourselves into the mountain lifestyle, we would only be hiking through the morning and would arrive at camp before lunch. On trail, we admired how the rainforest transformed into a Moorland environment. Graham showed great excitement toward the beautiful sunset over Kibo peak, which was a perfect ending to the already amazing day.
Day 3 was a special day on the mountain… it was Ella’s birthday! At breakfast we celebrated with a specially crafted birthday playlist, before getting on the trail for one of the most important days of the trek. Today, we would be hiking all the way to Lava Tower which is around 15,000 ft in elevation where we would be eating lunch, before hiking down to Baranca camp which is around 13,000 feet. This strategy of hiking high and sleeping low is best for acclimating, and is one of the reasons why the Machame route is so successful. Nevertheless, this day is extremely tough since it is such a long day and most everyone feels the effects of the altitude at least a little bit. Everybody faced these challenges with optimism and determination, and we arrived to camp with high spirits to continue to celebrate Ella’s birthday! She blew out fake candles on her “cake” (candy bar) as the group laughed and cheered. What a way to spend your 17th birthday!!
The next morning, we woke up to one of the most beautiful views of the mountain. The clear weather did not last for long, rather almost immediately as we began our scramble up the daunting “breakfast wall” a cloud rolled in causing intense fog that further added to this challenging section. “Breakfast wall” is one of the more challenging sections of this route as it is steep and calls for rock scrambling, this being said, it was also my favorite part of the entire climb as well as much of the groups for these exact reasons. It is called the breakfast wall because it is said that climbers will throw up their breakfast at the top because of how strenuous it is. Luckily nobody in our group was subject to this fate! It felt mystical hiking through such intense fog all day, and even though it was cold, our group was able to admire how beautiful it was. Upon arriving at camp in the afternoon, we ate lunch and afterward while some of the group went to nap, Finn rallied a group to play a card game that he had brought! Meanwhile, Sophia, Allaire and Ella Gray worked on their friendship bracelets! The stars at this particular campsite blanketed over the sky and Maude didn’t let this go unnoticed. She encouraged the beauty, raising morale before the group would vacate to their warm tents for bed.
Our group woke up on day 5 healthy and happy, excited to attempt the summit that night! At this point, our group was all mountaineering experts, so efficiently packed up camp and was on trail for the final push up to our highest camp- Barafu which sits at over 16,000 ft above sea level. We arrived at camp early in the afternoon for lunch, followed by nap time. We ate an early dinner and had a final Moonup where our LODs got us pumped for the climb up ahead and selected Kate and Hays to be our fearless leaders for the big day.
We retreated to our tents to try to get at least a little bit of sleep, but for most this was deemed impossible. We were awoken at 10:30 by our porters to coffee/tea and porridge. With headlights on, we set off up the mountain. For the next couple of hours, we hiked for one hour intervals with short breaks in between. We arrived at Stella Point around sunrise. The porters surprised us with hot tea, and we took photos and celebrated the accomplishment as the sun rose above the mountain top. At this point we could see the summit and our group was re-energized for this final, short section to the true summit.
Our porters danced their way to the summit, and even though we were all exhausted, we rejoiced as we took the final steps to the top. We had made it to Uhuru Peak!! Some tears were shed, and hugs were given. This was a moment I am sure no one will forget. To memorialize this achievement, we took countless photos and admired the views from the top. After a short while, it was time to go down, and we began the trek down the mountain. Our group learned a new technique called “boot skiing” which is a combination of running/walking/skiing down small skree. Mae led the group and before long we were all masters and back to base camp in no time. We celebrated with a lunch, recounting the morning before packing camp once again and heading down to our final camp on the mountain being Mweka camp.
After such a long day, we rewarded the group with a sleep in day (7:30 am is considered late on mountain time). We headed down the gates where we took one final photo with our guides, said goodbye to our porters, and hopped into the bus. We waved goodbye to the mountain as we drove away. We celebrated the climb with one final lunch of pizza with our guides, before returning to Arusha where we had a poolside barbecue at our hotel! We are heading out for safari tomorrow and could not be more excited to have the next couple of days to rest, see some cool animals, and more than anything just hang out with each other.
We could not be more proud of this group. Climbing Mount Kilimanjaro is no joke, but the mountain was no match for this group. We laughed and sang our way up that mountain and no matter what challenge we faced, this group faced it with positivity and determination. We are so proud of every single person in this group and we couldn’t be more excited to have been able to see every face at the top.
Until next time,
Corely + Caroline
Shoutouts:
Owen- Whatsup y’all, just hangin out in Tanzania. Bought some stuff at local markets and having a great time with the locals. Time to see this mountain for the first time. Happy Birthday Mama and Mathon too! Kili was top three hardest things i’ve ever done, at least summit day was for sure. Hope all is well in Memphis cause this place is insane. Grizz need to be making off-season moves and have no idea if they are or not. lots of love for all!
sophia – Hiiii guys!!! I’m having the best time with everyone and making the coolest memories. Just finished summiting Kili!!!!! It was so challenging but i’m so proud of myself and the whole group 😇 I can’t wait to tell you guys all about it. We started safari today and it’s already so cool. I hope you all had the best time on ur trips 🙃🙃Miss you guys!!! Xo😊🩷
mae- Hey y’all!!! Having so much fun in Africa😁😁 We had an awesome time during the service section where I became best friends with the sweetest girl at the school! kilimanjaro was so cool and summiting was amazing!!!!!!! excited to see y’all in a few days, I miss and love yall🩷🩷
kate- Hayyy!!! I miss you guys so much!
Hope y’all are having fun in monteagle, bahamas, and BVIs!! Killy was crazy. So excited for the next couple days of no physical activity on the safari and to talk to everyone in a few days if the wild animals don’t get me here in the middle of the night❤️ The gummy bears here are amazing and are sustaining me until i get back to American food. LOVE YALL x 10000000!!
Finn – Jambo family. Having a wild time here in Tanzania, on Safaris right now. Kilimanjaro was quite the journey, but we summited. I know it’s probably tough back at home with Pop Pop, but I can’t wait to get back. See you at JFK.
Ella- Haaiiiiiiiiiiiii!!!!!! i’m having lots of fun and i hope beeky and skeekye and adare and lekka are doing well and i miss them so so much can’t wait to see you all!!! lots of love. we finished kili hike yesterday which was sick and we all summited thankfully! 🙂 ilygsm 🩷🩷🩷🩷🩷🩷🩷🩷
Ella Gray – Hey y’all!!! Mom, Dad, Sarah, Bailey, and Avery…I miss you so much! Tanzania is the coolest place ever 🤩 The food is amazing and my group is awesome – I’m so grateful for this trip!!! Also, our whole group summited (woohoo!!) Can’t wait for Montreat when I get back! Miss and love everyone!!!! ❤️🏔️
Nat – Hey Yall! I hope y’all are doing well, this trip has been so fun and i’ll be forever grateful that I got to come. Kili was super hard and very challenging but it was so worth it when I got to summit. We are on safari rn and it is so cool, we have to come back as a family. Love and miss y’all!
Graham – Hey Mom and Dad! I hope y’all are having the best time in Montana! I am having so much fun and am so grateful that y’all sent me on this trip. The hike was pretty tough, but it was so worth it. The view and sunrise from the top were incredible. Tell Bramlett and OC hey for me, and I hope Murphy is doing okay! I love and miss y’all so much!!!!!!
maude – Hi Mom and dad! I climbed Kili. yayyyy. we r on safari rn. having the best time! i’ll see all of u soon. Tell Bebe and E and the dogs hi. Bryan- love u so much and miss u!! thinking abt u. see u soon! xoxo
allaire – hiii mom, dad, george, and gracie!! i am having the best time of my life!! Everyone in my group is amazing and so are my counselors! I hope y’all are having the best time in texas or in europe or wherever y’all are🤞🏼yesterday we finished hiking kilimanjaro and it was actually insane! Summit day was one of the hardest things i will prob ever do in my life, but the sunrise was the most beautiful thing ever! But, i’m so proud of myself for completing this and i can’t wait to tell y’all all about it!! i miss y’all so much and i can’t wait to tell y’all about my other adventures when i get home!! love y’all!! 🩷😁
Hays- hey mom dad and mike, just finished kili and it was intense to say the least. hope the grizzlies are making the right moves and i hope there’s a lot of good news waiting for me at home. give mylee lots of love for me. and also this is making out to be the best vacation i have ever been on and i highly recommend we do this as a family some time. also owen has given me the hardest laughs of my life. goodbye.
Jambo from Tanzania!
July 5, 2024
Jambo! This past week has been an incredible journey of getting to know each other and immersing ourselves in the local culture. We spent our time just outside the town of Mto Wa Mbu at Mungere School. It provided a wonderful opportunity to make friends with students we would never have met otherwise, and some of our group took this to heart while interacting with the local teens. From day one, Mae effortlessly connected with the kids, engaging deeply with them through games and art. Graham had a unique experience having her hair braided by one of the students, resulting in a hairstyle worth boasting about. Sophia even bonded with a teacher originally from her hometown! We further connected with the Mungere students by helping to set up a vegetable garden behind the school, preparing rows and fertilizing with sawdust and manure in hopes of a bountiful harvest.
After our work, we enjoyed lunch and looked forward to the afternoon’s activities, including soccer, Jenga, and basketball led by MVP Owen. It was a remarkable experience to share these activities with students from another culture. Our time at the school was likely the highlight of the week for many, but our stay at the campsite was also memorable. Perched on the rim of the Rift Valley, the camp offered a beautiful setting with a swimming pool and plenty of space for hacky sack, often led by Ella and Maude. But that wasn’t all we enjoyed; Kate and Ella Gray taught us how to make friendship bracelets, which we then shared with the students at Mungere School—a truly special experience to be part of.
Our group had a packed schedule of fun on the 4th of July, our last day in Mto Wa Mbu. We joined Mungere students on a hike to Majengo Falls, a breathtaking waterfall at the end of a beautiful trail. At the top, we relaxed with the students, admiring the cascading water. Finn had a memorable moment learning Swahili and intricate handshakes with some of the students. We cherished these moments with our new friends, knowing it was our last activity together. The hike back seemed to pass in an instant, but we were grateful for the shade when we said our goodbyes. After leaving the school, we visited a traditional Maasai village for a fascinating tour of their lifestyle and cultural ceremonies. We then went souvenir shopping in town, finding some of the coolest shops we’d ever seen—highlighted by Allaire’s zebra pants. Back at camp, we celebrated the 4th of July with classic American tunes curated by DJ Nat, and ended the night with delicious homemade pizza shared with the directors and teachers of Mungere School. Hays led the group in the campfire game “Mafia,” weaving unforgettable hypothetical stories. The next day, we packed up and headed to Arusha for a relaxing night in a hotel before beginning our climb up mighty Mount Kilimanjaro.
The group bonded remarkably well, feeling like we had been together for weeks. Caroline and I believe it was a special week for everyone, getting a true taste of the local culture around Mungere School. We were sad to leave, but the group is excited to begin our climb up Kilimanjaro!
Safe Arrival!
June 29, 2024
Hello Kilimanjaro Familiels!
All students have landed safely and the trip is off to a great start! We can’t wait to share more updates from their adventure. Please remember our leaders and students will be unplugged during their trips, but we will be posting trip updates throughout the next week! This will allow you to follow along with the trip. You can also follow us on Instagram, @moondanceadventures, to see more of what we are up to!
-Moondance HQ
