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What to see and do

• Manly Beach: Surfers love Manly Beach, and so do casual visitors who come to walk along the shore and perhaps have lunch at an outdoor café in Manly’s charming downtown. Also, getting there on a ferry from Sydney’s Circular Quay is one of the prettiest excursions you can make in this part of Australia.
  
  
• Penguins on Phillip Island: Phillip Island is just 90 minutes from Melbourne (about a $70 flight from Sydney). The Penguin Parade is the main attraction here, but visitors also spend time birdwatching, hiking, and visiting the koala conservation center. Tickets to the Penguin Parade are about U.S. $12. Or you can get a tour, including your transportation from Melbourne, for around U.S. $50.
  
  
• The Outback: A visit to the Outback is going to require a little more planning. You’ll probably want to spend at least four days on an Outback tour, and you’ll want to do it with an established tour operator, of which there are endless numbers. Activities include staying overnight on a working sheep station, seeing kangaroos in their natural habitat, and perhaps the most famous destination in the Outback, visiting Uluru, also known as Ayers Rock. Expect to spend somewhere around $200 to $500 per person per day, including your meals, lodgings and activities, for an Outback side trip.

MOUNT KILIMANJARO

Getting there
The simplest ways is to fly to Amsterdam and take a nonstop flight from there to Kilimanjaro International Airport on KLM. Airfare from New York, connecting in Amsterdam, is about $1,600.

When to go
January, February, July, August and September are among the most popular months to climb Kilimanjaro, when it’s not too cold and the clouds are at a minimum, giving you great views.

Know before you go
You’ll want to see your doctor about your trip four to six weeks before you go so he can assess your vaccination history and current health status with enough time for any inoculations to take effect. The Centers for Disease Control recommends vaccinations for yellow fever, hepatitis (A and B), and typhoid.

One of the most surprising aspects of Kilimanjaro is that it is open to climbers with no mountain climbing equipment or previous experience of scaling such heights. However, Kilimanjaro, at just over 19,000 feet, is the highest mountain that regular tourists can climb. Oxygen levels at the top are less than half of those at sea level. Climbers hike up and down at least 80 kilometers during the climb and return. Altitude sickness is a very distinct possibility. So it’s essential that you be in great shape.

Some people take pre-trek acclimatization walks on nearby Mt. Kenya or Mt. Neru, but you need to have the extra time and pay the extra cost for that. You should choose a trek of at least six to seven days so you can acclimatize as you ascend. The shorter the trek, the less likely you will reach the summit.

There are five common routes to climb Kilimanjaro with varying degrees of difficulty and number of climbing days.

You can only climb Kilimanjaro with a licensed operator and follow established routes. All climbs must be pre-booked, guides and porters need to be organized, you’ll need medical help if you get altitude sickness, so you wouldn’t want to do this on your own even if you could.

You can start your search for tour operators by going to tanzaniatouristboard.com. There are more than 200 licensed operators on Kilimanjaro. You can pay as little as $2,000 or as much as $5,000, depending on the number of days you spend on the trek and how many climbers in your party, but the average price is about $2,500 per person. That includes camping, food, guides, park fees and transportation to and from the base of the mountain.

High-end options: If you have the money, pay the extra cost for a rest day during your trek up the mountain. Also, add on a safari to either the Ngorongoro Crater or Serengeti National Park. It’ll be expensive, though. Expect to spend about $300 or more person per day for a safari. You can find a list of the best operators at travelandleisure.com.

The more affordable way to trek up Kilimanjaro is to go with a larger group (15 people) or to take one of the faster routes up the mountain — but that only increases the chances of getting altitude sickness, which can be fatal.

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