11-Day Kilimanjaro Trek and Tanzania Safari with Serengeti and Ngorongoro

• Drive from Arusha to the Mount Kilimanjaro National Park Gate.
• Leave the park gate and walk through the rainforest on a winding trail up a ridge.
• Lower down, the trail can be muddy and slippery. Continue a short distance until you reach Machame Camp.

• After breakfast, leave the rainforest glades and continue on an ascending path, crossing the little valley and walking along a steep rocky ridge covered with heather until the ridge ends.
• The route now turns west onto a river gorge - time for rest.

Dinner and overnight at the Shira campsite.

• From the Shira Plateau, continue to the east up a ridge, passing the junction towards the peak of Kibo.
• As you continue, the direction changes to the southeast towards the Lava Tower called the "Shark's Tooth."
• Shortly after the tower, come to the second junction, which brings you up to the Arrow Glacier at an altitude of 16,000 ft.
• Now continue down to the Barranco Hut at an altitude of 13,000 ft.

Dinner and overnight.

• After breakfast, leave Barranco and continue on a steep ridge, passing the Barranco Wall to the Karanga Valley campsite. This is a short day meant for acclimatization.

• After breakfast, leave Karanga and head to the junction that connects with the Mweka Trail.
• Continue up to Barafu Hut. At this point, you have completed the South Circuit, which offers views of the summit from many angles. Here, make camp, rest, enjoy dinner, and prepare for the summit day. The two peaks of Mawenzi and Kibo can be seen from this position.

• Very early in the morning (midnight to 2 am), continue to the summit between the Rebmann and Ratzel glaciers.
• Head northwesterly and ascend through heavy scree towards Stella Point on the crater rim. This is the most mentally and physically challenging portion of the trek.
• Stop for a short rest at Stella Point (18,600 ft) and see the most magnificent sunrise you are ever likely to see, weather permitting. You may encounter snow on your 1-hour ascent from Stella Point to the summit. At Uhuru Peak, you have reached the highest point on Mount Kilimanjaro and the continent of Africa. Faster hikers will see the sunrise from the summit.
• From the summit, descend straight down to the Mweka Hut campsite, stopping at Barafu for lunch. You will want gaiters and trekking poles for the loose gravel going down. Mweka Camp is situated in the upper forest, and mist or rain can be expected in the late afternoon. Later in the evening, enjoy your last dinner on the mountain and a well-earned sleep.

• After breakfast, continue the descent to the Mweka Park Gate to receive your summit certificates. At lower elevations, it can be wet and muddy. Gaiters and trekking poles will help. Shorts and T-shirts will probably be plenty to wear, but keep rain gear and warmer clothing handy.
• From the gate, continue another hour to Mweka Village. A vehicle will meet you there and drive you back to the hotel in Arusha.

• After breakfast, drive to Tarangire National Park for game viewing. The park is famous for its giant baobab trees, large herds of elephants, plains game, and predators. Tarangire also boasts spectacular birdlife, including endemic species.
• Leave the park in the late afternoon for Panorama Campsite for dinner and overnight.

• In the morning, depart for Serengeti National Park, passing through the Ngorongoro Conservation Area.
• Enjoy an en-route game drive along the vast Serengeti plains, followed by an afternoon game drive to the central area.

Dinner and overnight at Seronera Public Campsite.

• After breakfast, collect your picnic lunch boxes for another game drive through central Serengeti until midday.
• After lunch, leave the park for the southern border of Ngorongoro and the famous Serengeti plains, then continue to the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, arriving in the late afternoon.

Dinner and overnight on top of the crater rim at Simba Public Campsite.

• After an early breakfast, descend 2,000 feet to the crater floor for game viewing through the Lerai Forest with its yellow-barked acacias, searching for giant-tusked elephants, rare black rhinos, and black-maned lions.
• Ascend the crater wall after lunch and drive back to Arusha.