Itinerary

1. Day 1: Airport pick up, transfer to hotel in Moshi

   • Airport pick up, transfer to hotel in Moshi.

   Overnight accommodation in Moshi including breakfast.

2. Day 2: Machame Gate (1,800m) to Machame Camp (3,100m)

   Trekking Time: 5-7 hours / Distance: 9km / Altitude Gain: 1300m

   • A one hour drive will take you to Machame gate (1,800m above sea level) where we will complete National Park registration formalities. 
   • You will meet your cook and porters and begin your trek to the top of ‘The Roof of Africa’! Your climb starts steadily, following the trail to the west of Makoa stream into dense, ever-changing rainforest. 
   • The trail is sometimes muddy and slippery. Approaching Machame Camp (3,100m) the path emerges onto alpine moorland with beautiful views of the Western Breach.

3. Day 3: Machame Camp (3,100m) to Shira Camp (3,840m)

   Trekking Time: 5 – 7 hours / Distance: 9km / Altitude Gain: 740m

   • The trail continues northeast and heads towards Shira camp, bringing you out of the forest and up a steep boulder ridge leading to the Shira Plateau. 
   • From here you will be able to take in the stunning views Kilimanjaro has to offer, including Mount Meru in the west with its breath-taking sunsets. 
   • We camp at Shira Camp, where you will have an excursion of the area hiking at higher altitudes to assist in your acclimatization.

4. Day 4: Shira Camp (3,840) to Barranco Camp (3,950m) via Lava Tower

   Trekking Time: 6-7 hours / Distance: 11km / Altitude Gain: 110m

   • The trail to Barranco Camp, taking 6 – 7 hours, is extremely beautiful and starts with a gentle incline towards Kibo. You will reach a ridge marked by a rock named the Shark’s Tooth (4,400m) and go south, crossing shallow valleys to Lava Tower (4,600m). 
   • We will gradually descend to Barranco Camp with its great views of the icy Western Breach and the Barranco Wall, better known as the ‘Breakfast Wall’. This is an acclimatization day following the ‘walking high, sleeping low’ rule of mountaineering.

5. Day 5: Barranco Camp (3,950m) to Karanga Camp (3,930m)

   Trekking Time: 4 - 5 hours / Distance: 5km / Altitude Gain: 200m, Altitude loss 220m

   • The day starts with a not too technical trek up Barranco Wall (200m High) which, although steep, only requires hand-and-feet climbing for a few stretches. 
   • The top of the ‘Breakfast Wall’ has attractive vistas of Kibo and the surrounding landscape. 
   • We will then follow the trail with many up and down sections across small streams and then cross the Karanga River to the Karanga campsite (3930m). This is just a short day of trekking to help with acclimatization.

6. Day 6: Karanga Camp (3,930m) to Barafu Camp (4,700m)

   Trekking Time: 2- 4 hours / Distance: 4km / Altitude Gain: 770m

   • The fifth day starts by following the path up and across a rocky zone with views of the mountains’ Southern Glaciers. Continuing our eastward traverse to Barafu Camp we meet the crossroads with the Mweka route. 
   • A further hours climb up a steep and rocky lava ridge will bring us to Barafu Camp. You have completed the South Circuit of the mountain and from here you will be able to view the summit from a number of different angles. 
   • The terrain at Barafu Camp is inhospitable and has very little vegetation; it often snows at this point and in the rainy season can be blanketed. 
   • We will set up camp, rest and enjoy a hearty meal before heading to bed – the summit is just a further 1,188m, which we will start to attempt at midnight.

7. Day 7: Barafu Camp (4,700m) to Summit (5,895m) (Midnight start), descent to Mweka Camp (3,100m)

   Trekking Time: 6 – 7 hours / Distance: 5km / Altitude Gain: 1195m

   • Waking up at 23.00hrs you will have a light snack and hot drink before starting your 5km trek to the summit. This is the most exhausting day of your climb with an overall trekking time of approximately 16 hours. 
   • This section of your climb is the coldest with temperatures ranging from -5°C to -10°C. 
   • We will head North West, following the trail up an increasingly steep valley on the edge of scree fields you will pass the Rebmann and Ratzel glaciers towards Stella Point (5,672m).  
   • You are now on the southern rim of Kibo, where you will have spectacular views as the sun rises. Just a further hour’s climb will bring you to Uhuru Peak – congratulations you have reached the highest point of Mount Kilimanjaro, the ‘Roof of Africa’. You will be surrounded by awe-inspiring ice cliffs and magnificent views of Mawenzi peak and beyond.

   Summit (5,895m) to Mweka Camp (3,100m)

   Trekking Time: 5 – 6 hours / Distance 9km / Altitude loss: 2795

   • We will start our descent to Stella Point and then get back on the trail to Barafu Camp where you will have a short rest before heading to Mweka Camp (3100m), it is a 9km trek and on-route you will be able to take in the spectacular views of the plains of Kilimanjaro. This is not a difficult route, taking just 4 – 5 hours, the trail takes you down a rocky scree path (remember to go ‘Pole pole’) through moorland and then into beautiful forest habitat. 
   • We will share our last meal on Mount Kilimanjaro and you will have a very well deserved sleep.

8. Day 8: Mweka Camp (3,100m) to Mweka Gate (1,800m)

   Trekking Time: 4 – 5 hours / Distance: 10km / Altitude Loss: 1300m

   • You will start your day with breakfast and then singing and celebrations with your porters before descending 1300m to Mweka Gate, considered an easy days’ climb with it taking just a few hours to get to get to the gate. 
   • On arrival at Mweka Gate you will receive your Gold Summit Certificate, a token for you to take home to remember one of the biggest adventures you have experienced. 
   • You will continue a short walk to Mweka Village where you will be transferred back to your hotel for a refreshing hot shower, dinner and perhaps even a Kilimanjaro beer!  

   Overnight accommodation in Moshi including breakfast

9. Day 9: Rest day

   • Today your driver guide will give you a briefing of what to expect of your following 5 day safari. 
   • You will have a walking tour of Moshi and get to learn more about the local traditions and culture. 

   Overnight accommodation in Moshi including breakfast

10. Day 10: Moshi – Tarangire National Park

    • Early morning drive from Moshi to Tarangire National Park, taking approximately 4 hours. 
    • Once at the gate you will register and we will begin our mid-morning game drive. Tarangire National Park contains a range of different habitats from grasslands and woods, to low hills, scrub and swampland in the south. Tarangire is south east of Lake Manyara and is well-known as the home of elephants, where it is not unusual to hear of hundreds of sightings a day. It is also home to the mystical baobab trees, the elephants’ favorite food. 
    • Other wildlife include; waterbucks, impalas, wildebeest, zebra and buffalo. Most of the predators which can be spotted are lions and hyenas. You will also spot the stunning birds of East Africa, from the Fire Finch to the African Fish Eagle. 
    • The Tarangire River cuts through the park and connects to Lake Burunge in the west; it is the key to life in the dry season when most of the migration congregates here. 
    • We will stop at one of the many view points in the park for a picnic lunch, and then enjoy an afternoon game drive.

    Overnight and dinner at Simba campsite - camping

11. Day 11: Tarangire National Park – Serengeti National Park

    • After breakfast at the lodge we will drive through Ngorongoro Conservation area towards the Serengeti plains, taking approximately 4/5 hours, as we transit through the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, the opportunity for game viewing is endless. 
    • The Serengeti is one of Tanzania’s oldest and largest national parks, covering an area of 14,763-square-kilometeres. The park is a world heritage site, with the earth’s largest concentration of plains game - mainly wildebeest and zebra. Which are in abundance, especially during the annual migration? The population of plains game also includes buffalo, giraffe and warthog, as well as a wide range of antelopes including, Thomson’s and Grant’s gazelle, dikdik, bushbuck, eland and impala. 
    • Apart from Ngorongoro, the Serengeti is one of the best places to see predators in action. Predators include large clans of hyenas, lion prides, cheetahs and the hardest to spot, leopards. 
    • We will have a picnic lunch in the park before an afternoon game drive and heading to the lodge.

    Overnight and dinner at Nyani campsite - camping

12. Day 12: Serengeti – Full Day Game Drive

    • After an early breakfast, we will begin a full day’s game viewing in the north of Serengeti. This is the best time to get a great viewing of the animals, as they wake and head out into the day. 
    • Apart from the wildlife mentioned above, you may be lucky to see other scavengers, including jackals and vultures. There’s also some 520 bird species to be spotted, including storks and ostriches and many more. 
    • We will enjoy a picnic lunch and enjoy a full afternoon and early evening game drive.

    Overnight and dinner at Nyani campsite - camping

13. Day 13: Serengeti – Ngorongoro Crater

    • After an early breakfast, we will have an early morning game. This is the best time to get a great viewing of the animals, as they wake and head out into the day. 
    • Apart from the wildlife mentioned above, you may be lucky to see other scavengers, including jackals and vultures. There’s also some 520 bird species to be spotted, including storks and ostriches and many more. 
    • After our morning game drive, we will leave Serengeti heading back through Ngorongoro Conservation towards the crater. 
    • You will have plenty of opportunity for further game viewing en-route. 

    Overnight and dinner at Simba campsite - camping

14. Day 14: Ngorongoro Crater - Moshi

    • We will have breakfast at the lodge before descending into the 600-meter deep Crater. 
    • The Crater has a 19-kilometre diameter, making it one of the world’s largest unbroken and unflooded caldera. The park covers approximately of 300-square-kilometres, where the landscape ranges from lush rain forest on the rim, to the bush savannas’ and the acacia woodland. 
    • Ngorongoro is home to the highly endangered black rhino and the largest herds of wildebeest, zebra and buffalo. Predators also live in the Crater; here there is plenty of opportunity to spot a hunt. 
    • Most of the predators found in the Crater include lions, hyenas, cheetahs, jackals and serval cats. 
    • We will enjoy a picnic lunch before leaving the Crater – where plenty of wildlife can still be spotted. 
    • We will begin our drive back to Moshi in the late afternoon. 

    Overnight accommodation in Moshi including breakfast