June 22, 2026
Hello Moondance Families!
Day 17- Once we woke up one last time at our site, we finished packing our bags for the safari section and got on the road for Ngorongoro Crater. We enjoyed driving back through the town where we stayed during the service section. After stopping for lunch, as we were pulling into our camp,Β we were already starting to see the wildlife surrounding us. Zebras, giraffes, cape buffalo, and all sorts of bush critters, too! We were welcomed to camp with an amazing dinner. Luckily enough for us, the room also had a TV that was playing the World Cup, which was a total treat for us to be able to watch in the middle of the African savanna. As we were getting ready for bed, George pointed out a herd of Cape Buffalo that were walking right through our campsite. It was hilarious, as well as magnificent to watch them walk right by us as if it were their own backyard.
Day 18- We woke up in Ngorongoro Crater to our guides treating us to another morning of tea/coffee in bed, with them making us our drinks of choice in our sleeping bags. We packed up our things, said goodbye to camp, and did a morning game drive around Ngorongoro Crater. Violet was the first to spot the rhinos that were passing by our Land Rover, and we waited for them as they slowly crossed the road we were driving on. It was an amazing start to the day. Aly was finding the playful fighting between Cape Buffalo particularly entertaining, as we kept driving through the crater with wildlife all around us. As we were on our way out of the crater, Mimi decided that her favorite animal of the day were the baby impalas. We stopped for lunch on the rim of the crater, and then began our journey towards the national parks. Vivian was keeping our whole car entertained her singing and stories. Once at camp, we had a fantastic dinner, and Parker got us with an excellent nug jug story to start Moonup, and we went to bed stoked to wake up early for our Serengeti game drive.
Day 19- Eeaaarly wake up to fuel up, gear up, and start out on the day for our morning game drive. As the Sun was rising over the Serengeti, we were greeted within the first couple of minutes by two elephants, that were just chilling right by our campsite. We headed into the bush, and Knox had a keen eye to spot some of the crocodiles that were just sun tanning on the edge of the water. We saw a few lions, and the one that caught Amelia’s eye was the lioness that was taking a nap in one of the Acacia trees, with her paws hanging down. We saw just about every single animal you could think of this morning, a truly successful morning game drive. We came back to camp for a lunch and then a much needed siesta. Lewis was DJing for us, queuing up a bunch of amazing songs for us to listen to as we chilled out by camp. We then drove out for a sunset game drive, and boy did it pay off. We had the most beautiful and magical experience with three heards of elephants. It was just us, about 20 elephants, and no one else for miles. It was a surreal and truly remarkable experience. We headed back to camp with our cups filled, and went to bed after a wonderful Moonup underneath the stars.
Day 20We woke up in the Serengeti one last time, packed our things, and had one last game drive on our way out of the park and Ngorongoro Crater. While we were seeing our last groups of wildlife, Emma was keeping our car entertained with her fantastic impressions, which kept us laughing all the way to lunch, where we had a nice pasta picnic on the rim of the crater. We finally made it to our new camp where we got to shower, change, and hang out all together for one last evening. I ran a little workout circuit called Bushman Bootcamp, where William was absolutely crushing the exercises, and Cooper was supporting and cheering everybody on. After a wonderful end-of-trip writing activity lead by Joan, we all sat around the fire before dinner, sharing stories and talking about how fun this trip has been. Jack was grinding out the rubix cube, trying to get it fully memorized before leaving tomorrow. We had a truly wonderful and beautiful final Moonup under the moon and the stars, and ended the final night with one big group hug.
Day 21- Last day :((We woke up at camp to one last morning of coffee and tea in our sleeping bags, had a fantastic breakfast of steak and eggs and beignets, and got on the road back to Arusha. We arrived to our banquet lunch restaurant, where we enjoyed a great last meal all together. We spent the rest of the afternoon sharing stories and recounting memories we’ve made from this trip, gathered our bags, and made our way to JRO for the students’ flight back home to the USA. This trip has truly been one of a kind, and a really special time all together. Joan and I want to thank the friends and family of the KIL1 students, and to the students, we want to say thank yall for being the best group of humans we could’ve asked for. KIL1 ’26 was such a fantastic group and we had such a fantastic adventure all together. Thanks for everything! See yall later!!! ππ»πΉπΏβ£οΈ
JP & Joan
June 18, 2026
Hey Moondance Families!
Day 9
While we’re sad to say goodbye to the town we’ve been at, the stoke for Kilimanjaro is already building so high. We packed up our things, had a quick overlap and said hello to KIL-2, ate a big lunch, and drove out on the bus back to Arusha. Once we arrived back at our hotel, we had a good ole fashioned duffle shuffle. The students packed up their duffles and day packs for all the gear they need for the trek up and down Mount Kilimanjaro. Once we finished packing, the owners of the hotel were so kind and hospitable to throw us a going away barbecue party. While we were eating our BBQ, a Tanzanian band came out to serenade us!! It was so special, and totally unexpected. We went to bed with so much excitement for the Kili section to begin.
Day 10
First day of Kilimanjaro! We woke up, had a wonderful final breakfast in Arusha, then left for Kilimanjaro!!!! We were greeted with a wonderful lunch, Jack helped everyone fill up their water bottles and camelbacks, and we headed to the entrance gate. We all got a group photo at the trailhead sign for the route. We began our trek. What’s so cool about Mount Kilimanjaro is the biodiversity and the various biomes you pass through on your way up through the elevation. We started out in the jungle, the rainforest biome. We passed through amazing greenery in a warm, tropical climate. Just as dusk was setting in we arrived at camp, where our outfitters, had dinner and our tents and camping area already prepared and ready for us!! Aly loved the news that we’d be having soup for every dinner, and we enjoyed our hot meal as the air got crisper. We cozied up in our sleeping bags in our tents, and went to bed!
Day 11
Today we woke up to the most incredible sunrise view of the peak of Mount Kilimanjaro. We had a clear view of the summit, which was as inspiring as you could imagine for our first time waking up on the mountain. We had a hot breakfast of porridge, eggs, sausage, and crepes, packed our bags, and began day two! Today, we went from the rainforest to the moorland biome. Moorland is notable for its heather shrubs and bushes – think of a more lush desert. While hiking, Knox found the best, most scenic spots to chill for our water breaks. Amelia was keeping the trail conversations alive by giving us the run down on all of her favorite podcasts. We arrived to our camp, Shira cave camp, just in time for lunch and to enjoy the breathtaking views here. We went on a short hike to the nearby cave to acclimate to the elevation, now at ~12,600ft. We had some tea time, where Parker was teaching everybody, including myself, how to solve his Rubix cube! We had a lovely dinner, and afterwards Violet took some photos of the stunning sunset on her camera, and after Moonup, encouraged everyone to stargaze as we were under some of the most stunning stars ever. It was Magic.
Day 12
Today we woke up for another amazing day of trekking on the mountain. At this point, we’ve started to enter Mount Kilimanjaro’s desert biome. We hike up high to a notable saddle, lava tower, where we stop for lunch. Lava tower is at 16,000ft, so we hang out and eat here as to acclimate even more to this higher elevation. Once we finished up, we started hiking back down towards our next camp. After a long and tough day, the porters knew exactly how to get our spirits back up again – with a welcome to camp song. They serenaded us with a variety of songs, and Mimi was right in the middle dancing with the porters as vibes were rushing back. Sunset tonight was something special. We got to see such amazing alpenglow on the Barranco wall, a towering rock face that we were sleeping under. We ate a big meal, and headed to bed, stoked to get to climb that wall tomorrow!!
Day 13
Day four on Kili! Big hike day ahead of us. We woke up to another beautiful sunrise on the mountain, ate, packed up, and began our ascent up the wall. Beautiful yet imposing, this wall was a fun challenge of scrambling up a few hundred feet. Once at the top, we began our entrance into the alpine desert biome, as we headed towards camp just above the river. Joan was hiking in front with Cooper, who our head guide nicknamed The Trooper, because he was so determined to get to camp. Vivian held it down in the back of the line, sharing stories of her life at home, favorite tv shows, and what she was looking forward to at the top. We got to camp just in time for another stunning sunset. The clouds were setting in, and while we were getting ready for dinner, Emma was being such a kind tent-mate and unpacked and set up her fellow student’s sleeping gear. We had a lovely dinner, Moonup, and headed to bed with anticipation of our last full day before summit!
Day 14
Day 5 on the mountain!! Today we are hiking to base camp. This is where it gets real. We go from alpine desert to the final biome, arctic. This was a challenging hike up 2000ft over 4 miles, to get us up to 15,331ft. Our base camp, is a stunning area just at the foot of the steep incline leading up to the summit. Once we arrived to camp, we immediately began packing, planning, and prepping for our summit attempt. It was a much shorter day, because after our 5pm dinner, we went straight to bed, as we were waking up at 11pm to begin our pilgrimage for the peak. This had some serious night-before-Christmas vibes. Everyone was eager, nervous, excited, scared, stoked, everything emotion you could imagine. It was Awesome. Let’s do this thing.
Day 15
Summit day. Game time. After a couple solid hours, with our gear laid out, we woke up, ate one last hot breakfast, geared up, and started our trek up to the peak. The energy in the cold midnight air was equally magnetic as infectious. We are all as stoked as can be to get up there and do the thing. With headlamps on, we start hiking ‘Pole Pole’ style, which translates to slowly, slowly. As we start climbing the +4,000ft of elevation, right around 5am, the Sun began to rise. It was truly one of the most beautiful, stunning things we’ve ever seen. I started playing Here Comes The Sun by the Beatles. Lewis was so happy to hear the music, see the sunrise, he was sharing all of his emotions with us, which got us all so emotional and Grateful. It was such a beautiful moment we all hope to remember forever. We pass the checkpoint at the rim of the crater of the dormant volcano that is Mount Kilimanjaro, and we got a water break, time to fuel up with snacks, and began the final push to the peak. As we passed through fields of ice, William was determined and pressed on through the very challenging terrain at the final part of this hike. He finally did it. We reached the PEAK. 19,341ft. The Roof of Africa. The tallest freestanding mountain in the world. We had such a beautiful moment up there, all hugging and crying, taking photos, and congratulating each other. Words can’t really describe the emotions and the feeling from the summit in a perfect way, but it truly was a once in a lifetime experience. Something special, is that George was wearing the hiking boots that his father wore up to Kilimanjaro, making this the second time those boots have seen this summit. After taking photos and one last group, congratulations, we began our descent. We hiked all the way back down to 10,000ft in order to shake off any remaining altitude sickness at camp. With exhausted muscles and overflowed cups, we go to bed after one of the best days of our lives.
Day 16
Our final day on Mount Kilimanjaro! After some much needed as well deserved rest. We pack our bags one last time before descending off the mountain. The residual stoke is still so high from yesterday. Everyone kept looking up at the peak as we were hiking down and couldn’t believe we were at that summit the day prior. Over a few muddy miles down, we finally arrive at the exit gate. We receive our certificates, get one last group photo, and head to our victory lunch. After lunch, we said our goodbyes, and headed back to Arusha. Once at back, we are greeted with dinner, then prepare and pack for our Safari section! Everyone’s still wiped from summit day yesterday, so we take it easy, head to bed, and make sure everyone catches up on that well deserved R&R. This past week was seriously such a once in a lifetime adventure. We’re all so Grateful for the opportunity. See yall after Safari!!!
πKIL1 Thank you’s
MIMIHI MOM AND DAD!!!!! Thank y’all soososooooo much for sending me on this trip I have had the BEST TIME EVER. I love all of you so much and cannot wait to tell y’all all about it. WHOOOOOOOPPPPPPPPPPPP.πΊπ₯³π―
VIVIAN Hey fam!!!! Omg seriously so appreciative for y’all for sending me on kili and for all of the support, this has genuinely been the BEST trip of my life!! Let’s just say I PEAKED yesterdayππ love y’all and can’t wait to see y’all soon!!! π₯³
AMELIA Hi Mom, Dad, Thatcher, doggos, and everyone else, I miss you guys so so so much and I am so excited to see you very very soon. π Thank you so much for giving me this opportunity, it is truly a once in a lifetime experience. π€πΌποΈ
GEORGEHi Momma, Dad, Margaret, I miss y’all so much and am so thankful for this trip. Love you all so much, I can’t wrap my head around around how amazing all of you are for the sacrifices made for me, and HAPPY EARLY FATHERS DAY! πΉπΏππ
LEWIS Hi Mom and Dad I miss y’all tons and I am having the best time and I cannot thank you guys enough! Happy Early Fathers Day and LETS GO STANLEY CUP CHAMPS CANESSSS AND GO HEELS BABY ππ»πΉπΏ
ALYSON Hi guys! Happy birthday to Todd and happy early Father’s Day to both. π»π₯³π€πΌ
EMMA HEYY FAM + CAMILE!! I miss + love y’all so much but I’m having the time of my life π₯³ I can’t thank yall enough for sending me on this trip! HAPPY FATHERS DAY!! β€οΈπ
VIOLET HELLOOOOOO FAMILY. i hope Europe is the best and y’all don’t miss me too much π thank you so much for sending me here this has genuinely been the best trip ever. kili was SOOO worth it but now I am tired and will need a pedicure π happy father’s day dad and i’ll see y’all so soon! I love everyone!!! β€οΈ
COOPER Hey fam. Thank you so much for sending me on this awesome trip of a lifetime. I have truly had a blast even though it was so hard. Happy Father’s Day again!!πππ
KNOX Hey family, thank you so much for sending me on this amazing trip I love y’all so much. making it to the top was one of the greatest moments of my entire life, I laughed a lot and cried some happy tears too. Happy Father’s Day dad! π»π»π»
PARKER Hey Mom, Dad, Sabrina, Rocco, and Buddy, I can’t wait to see you all in a few days! Thank you for sending me on this trip – it has been really fun. I was able to summit Kilimanjaro with some struggle but I did it! Happy Early Father’s Day and I hope to see you all soon.
JACK Hey y’all! I can’t wait to see you guys in a couple of days. I summited Kilimanjaro!!! Mom and Dad-Thank you so much for sending me on this trip of a lifetime, and happy early Father’s Day Dad! We are going to the Serengeti tomorrow! Love y’all so much π»πΉπΏπ
WILLIAM:Hello again Mom, Dad, Charlie, and Howard! We just summited Kili and it was tough but very exciting. Now we’re on to the safari section. Hope y’all are doing well and thanks again for sending me on this awesome trip! Also happy early Father’s Day dad! Love y’all!
June 9, 2026
Day 1
TRAVEL DAY!!!
Day 2
Arrival day!! The students arrive right at 8pm in the Kilimanjaro airport and are greeted with PERFECT Tanzanian weather. Not too hot, not too cold, gentle breeze. After some brief hello’s and get-to-know-you’s, we pile into our outfitter’s bus and head to our hotel in Arusha, D3D. We hop off the bus and immediately are treated to a fantastic feast of chicken, steak, rice, fries, veggies, and soup! We even had a fantastic selection of ice creams for dessert. Followed by a quick Moonup, as everybody was exhausted, and said goodnight!! Everyone is so stoked to get going tomorrow, so we let everyone go get the much needed sleep as to be as prepared as possible for the following days!!
Day 3
Time to go to Migombani!! We woke up this morning ready to tackle our first full day together. After a filling breakfast, we packed our bags and hopped into the van to take us to Migombani, the camp we stay at for our service section. Cooper found the best snacks in the grocery store we stopped at along the way, and shared with everyone. Once we arrived, we were shocked at the beauty of this campsite. Green grass, infinite pool, and brand new tents, just for us!! We had a great lunch from our kitchen team, a group of great guys we got a photo all together with. We met with Ashley of Red Sweater Project, who did a briefing on what our service the following days would look like. We spent the rest of the afternoon hanging by the pool, reading, and George took on and challenged some of the other children at our campsite to some soccer and chill games of hacky sack. We had a fantastic dinner at the Sun was setting, and our first full Moonup around a proper campfire! Stoked for the first day of service tomorrow.
Day 4
Red Sweater Project Day 1! Today we woke up on a mission to make it a great day. We had some tea and hot coco, followed by an amazing Tanzanian breakfast. Ashley and Sheb from RSP came to pick us up to drive to school. We drove over across town and into the plains in these cool Land Rover trucks and when we got to the school, the children welcomed us with warm arms. We got a tour of the school’s grounds, did a round of introductions between us and the students, and got to work! We picked up our tools and headed down to the basketball court, where our goal was to clean and renovate it. Joan and I loved seeing Parker immersing himself immediately and going to one side of the court with a group of the children. Aly was asking the amazing questions to the RSP staff all day, and loved learning about the composting and rabbit nursery. We had a quick lunch, and spent the rest of the day playing soccer and volleyball with the children! Violet was amazing about asking the students to teach her some Swahili, and she even learned how to count 1-10! William joined the volleyball with the students, and they all appreciated his help versus the other team. We wrapped up, and said see you tomorrow! To the students. We headed back to camp where we spent the afternoon playing some games and hanging out before dinner time. Mimi was the game master, coming up with fun games for everyone to join. We had an amazing dinner of peanut chicken and lentils. The stars were so amazing for Moonup, the LODs Aly and George decided to just have us close out the night with some stargazing. It was Awesome.
Day 5
Day two of service! We woke up to another perfect day of weather at our campsite, and had a breakfast featuring beignets! We headed to the school to continue our work on renovating the basketball courts. We cleared the brush with piled up with an awesome controlled burn, and played some classic games with the school children, like Telephone, which was so fun to do in both English and Swahili. We had a great lunch, and then headed down to the soccer fields for some game time! We spent the afternoon playing soccer with the children, running up and down the field kicking it and having an absolute blast. We were sad to have to pack up our things and say goodbye for now, but as we were leaving the school for the day the kids came running with our busses and waved us out down the road, so cute!! When we returned to camp, we enjoyed some poolside downtime as the Sun was setting, and another incredible dinner prepared by our new friend, Samuel. A moving Moonup, and then bedtime!!
Day 6
Day three of Red Sweater Project! Today, we got ready for another great day at the Mungere School. Today we were cleaning up the garden. The Leaders Of the Day, Amelia and Jack, made groups and delegated tasks. Jack lead his team with the weeding and picking up rubbish around the garden, and Amelia demonstrated to her crew how to properly dig the holes for planting. After a solid morning of work, we headed out after lunch to something very special – we were visiting a child’s Boma. A boma is a communal living area that is traditional for the Masai tribe, and some of the children from the school are from the Masai tribe, so we went to see and learn about traditional Masai living. It was very special to arrive and immediately be welcomed by a ceremonial dance of singing and jumping by the Masai people. Knox was jumping the highest in the group, and after the ceremony was over, the tribal leader gave him props and told him that is a significant accomplishment in their culture. The little girls of the tribe were obsessed with Vivian, running up to hold her hand and touch her hair. After a tour of the boma, we thanked our guide, Moses, and said goodbye to our new Masai friends. On our way back to Migombani camp, we stopped and treated everyone to our first ice cream stop!! We rode the good vibes through the rest of the day, accompanied by Llewis’ great music taste on aux, queuing all of his favorite songs on the group speaker. We had another amazing dinner, Moonup, and went to bed!
Day 7
RSP day four! This morning, instead of driving straight to school, we were dropped off at the nearby neighborhood, to simulate the walk to school that the school children do everyday. It was an incredible 2-mile walk, passing through the children’s villages and through the fields to Mungere. Once we were there, we finishing up our work in the garden from yesterday, and then were rewarded with some more playtime with the kids. While some of us were playing futbol in the field with them, others were under the trees in the shade braiding hair and sharing stories. Emma had the most intricate braid, and a group of 8 girls were all working on her hair all at the same time.Β We ate lunch, and then headed to two different art markets, to see some authentic Tanzanian paintings and woodwork pieces for purchase and admiring. Followed by more chill time at camp, and a NOLS leadership exercise in the grass, as well as a presence / grounding activity. We devoured some dinner, had another beautiful Moonup, and went to bed!
Day 8
Last day with Red Sweater Project π Today we met with the Mungere students one last time, this time at the trailhead of a hike to a local waterfall. It was a beautiful 3-mile hike to a stunning waterfall, where we played, hung out, and got some awesome photos with each other. We then hiked all the way back to school through some beautiful banana fields, with thousands of bananas growing all around us. Once back at the school, we had one last bout of playtime together, ate lunch, and then sadly had to say goodbye to the children. Some tears were shed, but everyone was so happy to have had met each other. It was a beautiful goodbye. We then drove to ‘Safari-land’ where we saw some really unique African souvenirs and had a late afternoon snack. When back at the camp, the chefs made us a special final dinner here at Migombani. Pizza night!!! We filled ourselves completely with fantastic homemade pizza. It was incredible, followed by one last Moonup under the stars in the grass. Everyone is so so stoked to begin the Kilimanjaro section of the trip. We are in great hands, and will update y’all when we are back down off the mountain!
KIL1 Trip Update 1 Shoutouts
Knox:
I love you mom and dad I’m having a great time! Tell Owen he’s a bum and I miss himππ
Cooper:
Hey fam, I’m having a great time and stoked to hike. Happy birthday and Father’s Day Dad. Love y’all!!!π¦π¦π¦
Amelia:
Hiiii guys (Mom, Dad, Joel, Thatcher, & doggies) I miss you guys and also Happy Father’s Day! I’m having such a fun time in Africa, it is absolutely beautiful here. π¦ππΉπΏπβ¨π«Άπ°
Alyson:
Hey!! I am having the best time other than the fact my monkeys got to some of my stuff. Also I am on the trip with the guy Alex outfitted and we call Alex knucks because of his tattoos and that’s what he remembers.
Jack: Hey Mom Dad and Eleanor! I am having the best time here and I got my bag π₯³ππ. We are climbing Kili in two days!! π»π§π΄οΈπποΈ I hope y’all are goood and give Teddy chicken for meπππ (Dog is M’Bwa in Swahili btw) and I love and miss you guys so much. Eleanor have fun in AMG, tell Caitlyn I have JP and we said hi
Llewis: Hi Mom, Dad, Lawton, Odette, Jewell, and Tate! I am having a blast here I love Africa so much the culture is so cool here. We have been doing service this week and we climb Kili in two days. I am nervous but I am prepared and ready. I love you guys so much and Happy Fathers Day Dad! Go Canes
William: Hey Mom, Dad, Charlie, and Howard! Hope y’all are doing well without me. I’ve had a lot of fun so far getting to know everyone and working with the local kids at the school. I’m excited to start Kilimanjaro soon so wish me luck. Love y’all!
Parker: Hey Mom, Dad, Sabrina, Rocco, and Buddy! I am having a great time here – we just finished our cultural immersion section and are about to start climbing Kilimanjaro; the trip has been really fun so far, the food has been good, and I am super excited for the climb. I hope you all are doing well and Happy Early Father’s Day Dad! (P.S. Could you please buy me more shorts for the marina?)
Emma: hey!! I’m having the best ever!! I’m so excited to summit mt Kilimanjaro this coming week! I can’t wait to tell y’all all about it! Love and miss y’all! β€οΈβ€οΈ xoxo Emma
George: What’s up mother and father! I hope you are both well. I’m having a good time here in Tanzania and I’m excited to start the climb for Kilimanjaro. Love y’all and miss y’all, tell Sue, Ruth, Tess, and Margaret I said greetings from the roof of Africa.
Mimi: hi mom and dad and family!!!!!! Thank you sososoosososoosooooooo much for letting me come here I am having the BEST TIME EVER. I have had the most wonderful time ever on this amazing place πΊ. Tell Elle that I love and miss her so much and I hope she is doing well && that I love rye. YAY send all the good lucks my way for the hike!! Tell everybody I say hi and miss y’all.
Violet: HEY GUYSSS!!!! I am having the best time in tanz and my group is soooo good so don’t worry πππ I am missing y’all so much π and I hope y’all are having fun in Europe without me. Tell ham, goon, weez, and tom tom I say hi π₯Ή I AM ABOUT TO CLIMB KILI WISH ME LUCK ποΈπͺ©
Vivian: hey yall!!!! Just talked to mom lolll but I miss y’all a lot!! Having a lot of fun, loling a lot, seeing lots of awesome things, loving it allπ happy late bday to mom, happy upcoming bday to baker, and happy early Father’s Day to dad!!! Love y’all!! Pray for me during the hike up Kili!! Also if friends are reading this miss all of y’all too!! See y’all in abt two weeksπππΊ
June 3, 2026
Hello Kilimanjaro Families!
We heard from our leaders this morning that the group has landed safely! The trip is off to a great start, and we cannot wait to hear more stories 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