12 Days Mount Kilimanjaro Trek Lake Manyara & Ngorongoro Safari

from Nairobi to Arusha on board a Shuttle bus or pickup from Kilimanjaro Airport and transfer to a hotel for an overnight stay

Hiking time: 7 hours | Distance: About 18 km’s | Habitat: Montane forest Your day starts early with a briefing, followed breakfast and a 45-minute drive from Moshi (910m) to the Machame village (1490m). The guides and porters prepare and pa ck the supplies and your equipment in the village. You will receive a lunch pack and you can also buy mineral water in the village. Depending on the condition of the road, it is possible to drive from the village to the Machame gate, but if not, the muddy 3 km walk will take about 1 hour to complete. After registering at the g ate office, you start y our ascent and enter the rain forest almost immediately. T here is a strong possibility of rain in the forest, which will transfor m the trai l into a very soggy, muddy and slippery experience. You will have a welcome lunch stop about half way and will reach the Machame camping area in the late afternoon. Your porters (arriving at the camp site long before you) will have erected your tent on your arrival. In the evening the porters will boil drinking and washing water and the cook will prepare dinner before you retire to your tent for the night. Night temper atures can already drop to freezing point at this campsite

Hiking time: 6 hours | Distance: About 9 km’s | Habitat: Moorland You rise early at Machame camp, and after breakfast, you climb an hour or so to the top of the forest and then for 2 hours at a gentler gradient through the moorland zone. After a short lunch and rest, you continue up a rocky ridge onto the Shira plate au. By now you w ill be able to see in an easterly direction, the Western Breach with its stunning g laciers. You are now due west of Kibo and after a short hike, you will reach the Shira campsite at 3 840m. The porters will boil drinking and washing water, before serving dinner. The night at this exposed camp will even be colder than the previous n ight, with temperatures dropping to well below freezing,

Hiking time: 7 hours | Distance: About 15 km’s | Habitat: Semi-desert The route now turns east into a semi desert and rocky landscape surrounding Lava Tower, where you reach an altitude of 4630 m after about a 5 hours walk. Lunch is served in a d esignated area before ascending the rocky scree path to Lava Tower (463 0m). Defin itely, the toughest day so far. It is normally around this point, where for the first time, some climbers will start to feel symptoms of breathlessness, irritability, and headaches. After lunch you descent again almost 680m to the B Barranco camping area and after reaching the high altitude of 4600m at Lava Tower, the true acclimatization benefit of this day becomes clear. This descent to Barranco camp ta kes about 2 hours and offers great opportunities to take some beautifu l photograp hs of the Western Breach and Breach Wall. The camp is situated in a valley below the Breach and Great Barranco Wall, which should provide you with a memorable sunset while you wait for the preparation of your dinner,Hiking time: 7 hours | Distance: About 15 km’s | Habitat: Semi-desert The route now turns east into a semi desert and rocky landscape surrounding Lava Tower, where you reach an altitude of 4630 m after about a 5 hours walk. Lunch is served in a d esignated area before ascending the rocky scree path to Lava Tower (463 0m). Defin itely, the toughest day so far. It is normally around this point, where for the first time, some climbers will start to feel symptoms of breathlessness, irritability, and headaches. After lunch you descent again almost 680m to the B Barranco camping area and after reaching the high altitude of 4600m at Lava Tower, the true acclimatization benefit of this day becomes clear. This descent to Barranco camp ta kes about 2 hours and offers great opportunities to take some beautifu l photograp hs of the Western Breach and Breach Wall. The camp is situated in a valley below the Breach and Great Barranco Wall, which should provide you with a memorable sunset while you wait for the preparation of your dinner

Hiking time: 7 hours | Distance: About 13 km’s | Habitat: Alpine desert After s pending a night at the Great Barranco Wall (a very imposing sight at first), you ma ke your way up this awesome look ing obstacle, which in the end normally turns out easier than what you anticipated. Topping out just below the Heim Glacie r, you now appreciate just how beautiful Kilimanjaro really is. The route then heads down thr ough the Karanga Valley over intervening ridges and valleys, and then joins up wit h the Mweka route. This is the preferred route down from the summit, so remember it. Turn left up the ridge and after another hour or so, you reach Barafu Hut. The last water stop on the route is the Karanga Valley, as there is no water at Barafu camp. Barafu is the Swahili word f or “ice” and it is a bleak and inhospitable camping area to spend the night. Totally exposed to the ever-present gales th e ten ts are pitched on a narrow, stony, and dangerous ridge. Make sure that you familiar ize yourself with the terrain bef ore dark to avoid any accidents. The summit is no w a further 1345m up and you will make the final ascent the same night. Prepare your equipment, ski stick and thermal clothing for your summit attempt. This should in clude the replacement of y our headlamp and camera batteries and make sure you have a spare set available as well. To prevent freezing it will be wise to carry your water in a thermal flask. Go to bed at round about 19h00 and try to get some precious rest and sleep

Hiking time: 8 hours to reach Uhuru Peak | 7/8 hours to descend to Mweka | Dis tance: About 7 km’s ascent – 23 km’s d escent | Habitat: Stone scree and ice-cappe d summit You will rise around 23h30, and after some tea and biscuits you shuffle o ff into the night. You will head in a northwes terly direction and ascend through heavy scree towards Stella Point on the crater rim. This 6-hour walk to Stella point is for many climbers, mentally and physically the most challenging on the route. At Stella Point (5685m) you will stop for a short rest and will be rewarded with the most magnificent sunrise you are ever likely to see (weather permitting ). Fr om Stella Point you will normally encounter snow all the way on your 2-hour ascen t to Uhuru Peak. The time you wi ll spend on the summit will depend on the weathe r conditions. Do not stop here for too long, as it will be extremely d ifficult t o start again due to cold and fatigue. Enjoy your accomplishment and a day to rem ember for the rest of your life. The walk back to Barafu from the summit takes about 3 hours. Here you will have a well earned but short rest and collect the rest of your gear, before heading down to Mweka hut (3100m). The route is not difficult and will take yo u down the rock and scree path into the moorland and eventually into the forest. The camp is situated in the upper for est and mist or rain ca n be expected in the late afternoon. Dinner and washing water will be prepared

Hiking time: 3 hours | Distance: About 15 km’s | Habitat: Forest After an ea rly and well-deserved breakfast, it is a short 3-hour and scenic hike back to th e Park gate. At Mweka gate y ou sign your name and details in a register. This is also where successful climbers receive their summit certificates. Those climbers who reached Stella Point (5685m) are issued with green certificates and those who reached Uhuru Peak (58 95m) receive gold certificates. From the Mweka Gate you will continue down into the Mweka village, normally a muddy 3 k m (1 hour) hike. In the Mweka village, you will be served a delicious hot lunch!! You now drive back to Arusha for a long overdue hot shower, dinner, and celebrations!! Overnight at a hotel

Depart Arusha in the morning for Lake Manyara, arriving there lunchtime. Afternoon game drive. Dinner and overnight at Lake Manyara Serena. Located beneath the cliffs of the Manyara Escarpment, on the edge of the Rift Valley, Lake Manyara National Park offer s varied ecosystems, incredible bird life, and breathtaking views. Lake Manyara’s famous tree-climbing lions are another reason to pay this park a visit. The only kind of their species in the world, they make the ancient mahogany and elegant acacias their home during the rainy season, and are a well-known but a rather rare feature of the northern park. In addition to the lions, the national park is also home to the largest concentration of baboons anywhere in the world – a fact that makes for interesting game viewing of large families of the primates

After early breakfast, depart for Ngorongoro crater, en route game viewing, half a day game drive on the crater rim. Late afternoon drive to Ngorongoro Sopa Lodge on the crater rim for dinner and overnight. The Ngorongoro Crater is often called Africa’s Eden and the 8th Natural Wonder of the World, a visit to the crater is the main drawcard for tourists coming to Tanzania and a definite world-class attraction. The Ngorongoro Conservation Area (NCA) is home of Ngorongoro Crater. It was formed some 2.5 million years ago from a volcanic mountain sinking due to inactivity and was initially thought to be higher than Tanzania’s famous Kilimanjaro. The crater has evolved into a unique and integral part of Tanzania’s eco-system. The crater is actually a caldera, measures 22.5 Kms across and the rim walls stand 600m high. Views from within and from the rim are breathtaking (as can be seen from th e picture). The crater h ouses 30,000 animals and a large variety of birds, which rarely move from the area due to the availability of water through wet and dry seasons

After breakfast drive to Tarangire. Afternoon game drive, meals and overnight at Tarangire Safari Lodge. Tarangire National Park, one of the hidden jewels o f Tanzania. This park measures 2,600 sq kms and boasts a concentration of wildlife second only to Ngorongoro Crater. It features an impressive amount and arra y of bird life and plant life. Situated only 160kms from Arusha, the park is nestled to the south of the large open grass plains of southern Maasai land. It is named after the Tarangire River, which runs directly through the center of the park and is the only permanent water source for the animals. Along the banks of this river, you will find herds of wildebeest (or gnu) and zebra, followed Grantas gazelle, Thomson’s gazelle, and many others. Lurking in the background lion and leopard keep a watchful eye on a possible meal. The park offers views of grass and floodplains with impressive baobab and flat-topped acacia trees scattered throughout. During the dry season, the park may look quite ordinary, but activities continue even more earnestly due to the now increased competition.

After breakfast enjoy a morning game viewing drive in the Tarangire National Park. Return to the lodge for lunch and in the afternoon depart for Arusha

Transfer to Kilimanjaro Airport for your flight back home or continue with your safari schedule/travel back to Nairobi,