Kilimanjaro Climb & Tanzania Safari
Day 1
Nairobi
Meals Privided:
On arrival in Nairobi, you will be met and transferred to your hotel by our drivers. Upon arrival in our Nairobi hotel our local representative will meet you to ensure that all is well. Our representative will provide details of tomorrow's private transfer to Moshi as well as any additional tours or activities that you may wish to enjoy whilst in Nairobi. The rest of the day is at your leisure. Please note this is an arrival day and you may arrive at any time.
Day 2
Machame
Meals Privided:
Breakfast
This morning you will depart on your private transfer from Nairobi through to Macheme. You will exit Kenya and enter Tanzania at the Namanga border post. The drive today covers approximately 420 kilometres and should take about six to seven hours. The final stretch of travel from Arusha should offer views of this magnificent snow-capped mountain, really whetting your appetite for the forthcoming ascent. The Aishi lodge is beautifully located in the village of Machame, at the foot of Mt Kilimanjaro. The lodge features large gardens, comfortable rooms and a peaceful setting amidst local banana plantations, and is a perfect place from which to start and end your Kilimanjaro climb! In the evening there is a briefing on the trek. At this time you will also receive your own personal trek pack. This trek bag will contain a kit bag that your porter will carry, an appropriate sleeping bag, sleep sheet, down jacket and sleeping mat. You will need to transfer your other possessions into this bag. You will be able to leave your normal travelling bag and any excess luggage at our Machame hotel to be collected upon your return.
Day 3
Machame Hut
Meals Privided:
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Today you will meet up with your porters and guides after breakfast at the hotel, and transfer the short distance to the Machame Gate, at around 1800 metres, situated at the entrance to the forest. After completing registration procedures at Machame you should be on your way by late morning. Today’s walk is about five to six hours, gradually ascending through the forest to a ridge between two streams, before eventually emerging into heather at around 3000 metres. Note that it can be wet in the rainforest. The night is spent camping near Machame Hut, at much the same altitude. The porters will carry your trek bag with all of your kit. You will carry a day bag with your wet weather gear, camera, lunch and water. The porters will generally walk ahead so that they can reach camp first and put up your tents prior to your arrival.
Day 4
Shira Hut
Meals Privided:
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
After breakfast, you set off around 8.00am to head up to the Shira Plateau. From your overnight campsite you cross a small valley and continue up along a steep ridge, through open moorland, to about 3600 metres. The peak lies straight ahead of you, giving you inspiration on what is, at times, a tough day’s walk. After some three to four hours the route veers left before flattening out into a gorge, and from here you gradually ascend towards the Shira Plateau, and your overnight camp, Shira Hut, at 3850 metres, to the west of Kibo.
Day 5
Barranco Hut
Meals Privided:
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Today is an important acclimitisation day as you travel up to 4250 metres before spending the night at Barranco (3950m). The path continues directly up the ridge towards Kibo. This is high altitude desert, with glorious views of the Western Breach of Kibo. After about four hours the path forks to the right and descends into a gorge (‘barranco’ in Swahili). There is a fair bit of ‘up and down’ walking today which can be quite tiring. Turning south-east towards the lava tower known as Shark’s Tooth, you reach Barranco Hut and your overnight campsite at 3950 metres. With luck you’ll enjoy a great sunset tonight!
Day 6
Karanga Valley
Meals Privided:
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
This morning you will climb the Barranco Wall (not a technical climb) and then follow the Kibo South Circuit. Wonderful views are to be had of Kibo's southern glaciers if the weather is clear. There's a pleasant lunch stop by the river, in the Karanga Valley. This is a relatively short day, and you should arrive at your camp around lunchtime, located just after the Karanga Valley set atop a ridge. Today is a valuable acclimitisation day as you will be walking for the morning only and you will be ascending and descending various ridges and valleys during your walk.
Day 7
Barafu Hut
Meals Privided:
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
From Karanga you head up to the intersection of the South Circuit and the Mweka route. Here you start climbing up a ridge for a further two hours to Barafu Hut, at 4600 metres. Barafu is Swahili for ‘ice’ and it can be very cold here at night. Once again you should arrive late lunchtime, allowing plenty of time to rest before the final summit attempt.
Day 8
Summit - Mweka
Meals Privided:
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
A long, hard day! Leaving your campsite between midnight and two am, the climb from Barafu to Stella Point is fairly steep. At Rebmann Glacier (4870m) you head north between Rebmann and Ratzel Glacier, where you may enjoy some stunning views. This brings you up to the crater rim just west of Stella Point (about six to seven hours), where you join the main trail for the last leg (about an hour) to the summit at Uhuru (5895m). You then head back down, via the Mweka route, where your tents will be pitched for the last time. The section from Uhuru down to Barafu (four hours) is scree (as on the way up), then you head down through the various vegetation zones, on a continual downhill, into Mweka which is located on the edge of the rainforest area (three to four hours). At an altitude of approx 3100 metres, it's nice to have some 'air' to breathe!
Day 9
Machame Village
Meals Privided:
Breakfast
From Mweka down to the park gate, is a three to four hour walk, through the rainforest, which may be slippery in patches. At the gate you can often buy beers (or from the villages on the way back), and then there’s a very short hike to the roadhead where you will be met by the vehicle and transferred back to the hotel for a swim, a beer, and a VERY welcome hot shower!! Celebrations at the Aishi lodge will, no doubt, continue into the evening!
Day 10
Lake Manyara - Ngorongoro Conservation Area
Meals Privided:
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
This morning you will be met at the lodge by your private transfer vehicle and driven from Moshi to Arusha and on to Lake Manyara for a short game drive. This picturesque lake is home to large numbers of birds, including flamingos, and pelicans are often seen on the water or shore. In addition, the area is also known for its black-maned, tree-climbing lions that can be a highlight of any safari. Large herds of buffalo and elephant are also often sighted.
We depart Lake Manyara for our camp for the next two nights is beautifully located on the rim of Ngorongoro Crater. It is highly recommended to take time in the late afternoon to pause and take in this incredible vista, as the sun sets over the crater.
Day 11
Ngorongoro Crater
Meals Privided:
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Today we explore the world-renowned Ngorongoro Crater, widely regarded as a microcosm of natural habitats in Africa and often touted as a veritable Garden of Eden. Within this crater lies every type of ecosystem, including riverine forests, open plains, freshwater and alkaline lakes. Ngorongoro Crater is the remnants of an ancient volcano caldera, and within its 300 square kilometres is a remarkable concentration of wildlife. The scenery is spectacular as we descend almost 600 metres down to the crater floor. There is every chance of seeing considerable quantities and varieties of wildlife in this compact area, including the highly endangered black rhinoceros. In the afternoon we leave the crater and return to our tented camp for a second night. (National park regulations stipulate that vehicles are only allowed a maximum of six hours in Ngorongoro Crater.) The late afternoon can be spent relaxing at camp, enjoying the wonderful views.
Day 12-13
Serengeti National Park
Meals Privided:
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
The seemingly endless Serengeti Plains portray the essence of Africa. They are home to massive numbers of grazing animals and also various predators and the interaction between the many species often provides some of the best wildlife viewing opportunities in the world. Along the way we have the option to visit Olduvai Gorge - a site famous for the discovery of fossilised remains of pre-historic man.
Our base in the Serengeti is an eco-friendly, atmospheric tented camp with a maximum of only 20 guests. Each spacious tent comes equipped with two beds, solar lighting and ensuite facilities. There is a large dining tent as well as a comfortable lounge area with a small reference library and bar. In the evenings, time is spent recounting the day's adventures around a safari campfire.
A typical day sees us returning to camp during the hotter hours in the middle of the day, where we get to enjoy a hearty meal, relax and maybe take a siesta. Depending on wildlife movements and opportunities for sightings, our drive could sometimes be a continuous one that last all day and involves returning to our camp in the late afternoon.
Day 14
Serengeti National Park - Arusha or Nairobi
Meals Privided:
Breakfast, Lunch
This morning's final game drive takes place enroute to the airstrip as you approach for your flight to Arusha.
For those leaving us in Arusha it is a fond farewell and for those continuing to Nairobi, you will be transferred by private vehicle to either Nairobi's international airport or our Nairobi hotel. If you wish to be dropped of at the airport prior notice must be provided to us.
You will arrive in Nairobi in the early evening at which time arrangements cease. Any flights out of Nairobi should not be booked prior to 8.30pm, and a night spent in Nairobi is highly recommended as the transfer may be late and the journey a tiring one. The six hour drive from Arusha to Nairobi can be replaced by a flight between Kilimanjaro Airport and Nairobi. The flight, and transfer between Arusha and Kilimanjaro Airport, needs to be pre-booked and is at additional cost.
