Post-Kilimanjaro: which option?

[Jo]

Hi, it’s been years since I posted on here, but I lurk occasionally and I have questions that you all might be able to help me with. 

I’ll be in East Africa at the beginning of June next year for a scheduled Kilimanjaro climb. This is in many ways the trip of a lifetime for me, and I’ve spent months researching and planning the climb details, but I haven’t thought much about anything else for this trip. Well, I booked the actual climb last week so now my dates etc are clear and I’m starting to wonder what, if anything, else I might want to do.

My climb package finishes after breakfast on a Sunday, June 1, and I have up to 12 more days to spend in Africa. I know Egypt fairly well (and will be there in April-May for work), I spent a summer in West Africa many years ago, and I was in Botswana and South Africa in September (also work, but with a few days of sightseeing in Johannesburg and Cape Town). I did a short (half day) game drive in Botswana and we were lucky - we saw lots!

So, I’m considering the following:
1) Zanzibar. I’d like to see Stone Town, the spice industry, and I think relaxing on the beach could be gorgeous.
2) Kenya, with a tour of Nairobi and a short (3-4 day) safari. I actually found a tour package that combines both 1 and 2 and works with my dates and budget, so I suppose that’s option 3.
4) Victoria Falls. it seems a shame to get so close and with just a little work, I could get there, but it’s not something that’s been on my radar before this trip.
or 5) a Gorilla trek. This kind of feels like the thing I most want to do. It seems fascinating. 

I’m not sure which one to pick. I’m traveling by myself (unless I can convince a friend to join me post-Kili) so a package tour is probably necessary. 

If if you’ve done any of these, would you recommend it?
if you were choosing out of this list, which one would you pick? Which one would you least enjoy?
And if you’ve climbed Kilimanjaro, how did you feel 2-3-4 days after your climb ended? 

I’d appreciate any info or suggestions you all might have. Thanks!

[emilyinchile]

I would probably try to combine gorilla trekking with Zanzibar. A once in a lifetime nature adventure combined with a few days of R&R on the beach sounds like a great combo. Is that an option?

If the only options are exactly as you've stated, I'd do Kenya and Zanzibar because as you said, why not do both?

[chimera]

#3 if those are your choices

We had 3 days in Vic Falls last year - one of them we did a day trip to Chobi so we had more stuff to do. We weren't into the bridge jumps or the helicopter ride. We did the Falls walk in Zim, had tea the Hotel, and went over to Zambia other than the Lvingstone Museum and going out to the edge of the Falls there. We did a sunset river cruise because it was included, it was ok.

[thebulldog]

We did Kili last year (http://pandce.proboards.com/thread/586056/aw-operation-climb-kilimanjaro-complete) it was the HARDEST THING I HAVE EVER DONE. How many days are you going and which route? How you feel after will depend on how the climb goes for you. Personally, we did a Tanzania safari after and I was very glad we did not have to deal with traveling to another country or something very "active" for lack of a better work. We were just exhausted and my legs did not feel 100% normal for a few days. The idea of doing gorilla treking AFTER that does not appeal. Some in our group did that before and their photos were AMAZING.

I was sad we did not go to Zanibar - but we just did not have the time or money to add it on to the trip. I echo others that you really cannot go wrong with any of these options, you will have just climbed a mountain and you will need a mental and physical break. Also -we just used our kili guide company to do the safari (Ultimate Kilimanjaro). I cannot imagine doing a safari without some type of guide. they know the parks, know where the animals are etc...these parks are just HUGE EMPTY SPACE. I still have no idea how our driver knew where he was going.

It is an amazing, life changing experience and I cannot wait to see your summit pics.

FYI - SUMMIT DAY IS THE WORST. THE. WORST. It is cold, dark and long but once you see the sunrise and the curve of the earth from 19,000 feet -- it is totally worth it.