ITINERARY

• ARRIVAL DAY

  Arrive in Arusha

  Arrive at Kilimanjaro International Airport where you are met after passing through customs. Transfer to Mount Meru Hotel and have a comprehensive briefing and equipment check with your climbing manager and your guide. Overnight at Mount Meru Hotel.

  Accommodations: Mount Meru Hotel

  Meals Included: Breakfast

• 1
  
  TREK DAY 1

  Arusha to Machame Camp

  Altitude gain: 5,380 to 9,350 ft; 7 miles, approx. 5-7 hours

  Drive from Arusha to Mt Kilimanjaro National Park, passing the village of Machame to meet your climb crew at the Machame Gate. As you begin the gentle ascent, the trail winds through the verdant afromontane rainforest that beards Kilimanjaro’s lower slopes. Moss and lichen dangle from tall branches, and many species of birds – as well as colobus and blue monkeys – can be seen and heard. The first camp is set amongst giant heather at Machame Camp.

  Accommodations: Kilimanjaro Camping

  Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

• 2
  
  TREK DAY 2

  Machame Camp to Shira Camp

  9,350 ft to 12,500 ft, 3 miles, approx. 4-6 hours

  Leaving the rainforest behind, you continue on an ascending path along a steep ridge onto heather-clad moorland. As the vegetation becomes sparser, attractive helichrysum and lobelia dominate the landscape. Continue up a rocky ridge onto the Shira Plateau, where you can see the Western Breach with its stunning glaciers. Your tent tonight is truly “a room with a view” looking out towards the snow-dusted Kibo peaks. Overnight Shira Camp.

  Accommodations: Kilimanjaro Camping

  Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

• 3
  
  TREK DAY 3

  Shira to Barranco Camp

  12,500 ft to 15,223 ft (Lava Tower), down to 13,044 ft, 7km, 6-8 hours

  Today is a walk-high sleep-low day. You ascend into alpine desert towards the main peak of Kibo, where the western glaciers become clearly visible. Lunch is a picnic en route. If you feel strong there is an optional ascent of the Lava Tower before descending to Barranco Camp through the strange yet beautiful ‘Garden of the Senecios’. This long day is a great acclimatisation day. Overnight at Barranco Camp.

  Accommodations: Kilimanjaro Camping

  Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

• 4
  
  TREK DAY 4

  Barranco to Karanga Camp

  13,044 ft to 13,123 ft, 3 miles, 4-5 hours

  You now have a relatively short day to reach Karanga Camp, after conquering the intimidating Barranco Wall. Be prepared to use all four limbs as you traverse the wall to the top of the Karanga Valley. Our selection of Karanga Camp is strategic – significant time at altitude is essential for safe acclimatisation. Sunsets here are spectacular. Overnight at Karanga Camp.

  Accommodations: Kilimanjaro Camping

  Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

• 5
  
  TREK DAY 5

  Karanga to Barafu Camp

  13,123 ft to 15,288 ft, 2 miles, 4-5 hours

  Today is another half day ascending to Barafu Camp. Once again lunch is taken in this high camp, allowing plenty of time to relax before the summit bid. Desolate alpine desert and, at times, strong winds rip over this camp, yet in the evenings splendid views of Mawenzi Peak are the norm. A relatively early dinner is taken before resting for the evening. Overnight at Barafu Camp.

  Accommodations: Kilimanjaro Camping

  Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

• 6
  
  TREK DAY 6

  Summit Ascent to Mweka Camp

  15,288 ft to 19,341 ft to 12,467 ft, 3 miles ascent, 7 miles descent, 7-8 hours ascent, 4-6 hours descent

  Depart just before midnight for the final summit bid. Patience and persistence is the name of the game, and this is the coldest, windiest section of your adventure. Most likely by dawn you arrive near the rim at Stella Point (18,652 ft), rewarded with a glorious sunrise over Mawenzi Peak. Ascending via Stella Point affords a relatively short final section to Uhuru Peak, the Roof of Africa! After a short celebration, begin the ebullient trek down towards Mweka Camp. Overnight Mweka Camp.

  Accommodations: Kilimanjaro Camping

  Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

• 7
  
  TREK DAY 7

  Mweka Camp to Arusha

  12,467 ft to 5,380 ft, 6 miles, 3-4 hours

  After breakfast you descend once again through montane forest and at around midday, after saying farewell to your mountain crew, you are picked up and transferred back to your hotel for a well-deserved hot shower and a celebratory dinner. Rest up tonight – tomorrow the wildlife adventure begins!

  Accommodations: Mount Meru Hotel

  Meals Included: Breakfast, Dinner

• 8
  
  SAFARI DAY 1

  Arusha to Tarangire National Park

  Approx. 140 km drive, 2-3 hours game viewing

  After breakfast your private safari guide collects you in your own 4×4 Land Cruiser and you head off towards Tarangire National Park for your first game drive, with a picnic lunch in the park. Tarangire is famous for its huge herds of elephants and its ancient, iconic baobab trees, and forms the centre of an annual migratory cycle that includes thousands of elephants, wildebeest and zebra. Dinner and overnight at a tented camp.

  Accommodations: Maramboi Tented Camp or similar

  Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

• 9
  
  SAFARI DAY 2

  Lake Manyara National Park

  Approx. 50 km drive, full day game viewing

  After breakfast you head to Lake Manyara National Park, which offers breathtaking views and a remarkable variety of habitats – acacia woodlands, groundwater forest, baobab-strewn cliffs, algae-streaked hot springs and the alkaline lake itself, alive with flamingos and hundreds of bird species. Manyara is home to the largest concentration of baboons anywhere in the world and its famous tree-climbing lions. Dinner and overnight near the crater.

  Accommodations: Ngorongoro Farm House or similar

  Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

• 10
  
  SAFARI DAY 3

  Ngorongoro Crater to Arusha / Airport

  Approx. 210 km drive, 3-4 hours game viewing

  After an early breakfast you descend more than 600 metres into the Ngorongoro Crater – often called Africa’s Eden and the 8th Natural Wonder of the World. The crater floor teems with wildlife: herds of wildebeest, zebra, buffalo, eland, hippo and elephant, alongside one of the densest predator populations in Africa – lions, hyenas, cheetahs and the elusive black rhino, completing your Big Five. In the late afternoon you are transferred back to Arusha or dropped at Kilimanjaro International Airport for your onward flight.

  Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch

• 11
  
  DEPARTURE

  Departure

  If you are not flying out on the final safari day, enjoy a relaxed morning before your transfer to the airport – or let us extend your trip with more days in the Serengeti, a hot-air balloon safari or a beach finale in Zanzibar.