12 Days Plain 2 Peak
Tarangire National Park – Game drive
Lake Manyara National Park – Game drive
Serengeti National Park – Game drive
Ngorongoro Crater – Game drive
Mt. Kilimanjaro – Climbing
Day 1: Arusha – Tarangire National Park
After breakfast meet your safari driver guide at the lobby and leave for Tarangire National Park with picnic lunch boxes for game drive. Tarangire is the fifth largest National park in Tanzania well known for its beautiful landscape and larger elephant population found nowhere on earth. Tarangire River and the majestic baobab trees dwarfing some animal species which comes underneath are among the highlights of this park. Tarangire – Lake Manyara ecosystem forms a cycle of annual migration of over 3000 elephant, wildebeest and zebras. Apart from elephant population you may expect to spot giraffe, buffalo, zebra, hippos, warthog & the three rare species of Lesser & Greater Kudu, Oryx and the Ash staling. Later drive to the campsite for overnight.
Accommodation at Nsya Camp
Day 2: Lake Manyara National Park
After breakfast at the campsite, you will be picked up and drive few minutes to the Lake Manyara main gate. After completing all the payment formalities check in and begin your game drive to this wonderful park well known for its tree climbing lions and over 400 of bird species, primate-filled forests and grassy plains. A large area of the park is covered by the alkaline Lake Manyara, the seasonal breeding grounds for large colonies of flamingos and many more waterfowls. The park is also home to giraffes, hippos, wildebeests, impalas and groups of noisy monkeys and baboons. After an extensive game drive leave the park in late afternoon return to the campsite for dinner and overnight.
Accommodation at Nsya Campsite
Day 3: Lake Manyara – Serengeti National Park
After breakfast, you will travel via the cooler highlands towards the southern Serengeti and at midday you will reach the plains of the Serengeti to Naabi hills gate for check in, (you can have your packed lunch here while checking in), and you are now in Serengeti. After lunch, game drive on your way to the central Serengeti possibly your driver guide will have already known where the big herds are located. Sunset game drives on your way to the campsite. This park is the largest in Tanzania and has a diversity of habitats and landscapes – short grass plains, savannah, thick bush, swamps and lakes. Bizarre rock formations called kopjes dot the grassy landscape where predators are often seen. The Serengeti is famous for the yearly migration when hundreds of thousands of wildebeests and zebras trek to find fresh grass and water.
Accommodation at Seronera Campsite
Day 4: Full Day Serengeti
Leave the camp early morning with breakfast box for an early morning game drive in the Serengeti to where the big herds are located; you might spot lots of nocturnal animal coming back after a long night of hunting or a group of lionesses planning a hunt or a hard of buffalo lazily grazing before getting hot. Break for breakfast in the bush and proceed with game drives until afternoon. Take your lunch break at Seronera visitor’s center and afterward a little rest before embarking on your afternoon game drive. Later evening drive back to your campsite before or after the sunset.
Accommodation at Seronera Campsite
Day 5: Serengeti – Ngorongoro Conservation Area
Wake up early morning before breakfast; go for sunrise game drive in Serengeti National park. Later return to the camp around 9am for late breakfast, on your outward journey to the park gate, you will enjoy some more game viewing on the way before you leave the Serengeti Park. While check out at the same time embark on the plains bordering the Ngorongoro Conservation area and head to your campsite located on the edge of the crater for breathtaking views over the caldera.
Accommodation at Simba Campsite
Day 6: Ngorongoro Crater – Arusha
After early breakfast, leave the camp and descend into the crater floor for about 6 hours of game drive. This massive collapsed volcano is home to over 25,000 mammals ranging from the “Big Five” – lion, elephant, buffalo, rhino and leopard. The area also supports a vast variety of animals, which include herds of wildebeest, zebra, eland, warthog and giant hippos to some of the more than 500 bird species can be spotted in this area. Another big draw card to this picturesque place is its dense population of predators, which include lions, hyenas, jackals, cheetahs and the ever-elusive leopard, which sometimes requires a trained eye to spot. After an extensive game drive, you will leave the crater and drive back to Arusha town.
Accommodation at hotel in Arusha (included on price)
Day 7: Machame Gate (1490m) – Machame Camp (2980m)
Hiking time: 7 hours
Distance: Approximately 18 kilometers
Habitat: Montane forest
After an early breakfast at your hotel, you will be picked up from Arusha (1400m) and driven to the Machame Village. In the village, you can buy mineral water and will receive a packed lunch. From the village, depending on the road conditions, you will either continue 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 gate office, you start your ascent and enter the rain forest almost immediately. There is a strong possibility of rain in the forest, which will transform the trail 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 temperatures can already drop to freezing point at this campsite.
Accommodation at Machame Camp
Day 8: Machame camp (2980m) – Shira camp (3840m)
Hiking time: 6h
Distance: Approximately 9 kms
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 plateau. By now you will be able to see in an easterly direction, the Western Breach with its stunning glaciers. 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 night, with temperatures dropping to well below freezing.
Accommodation at Shira Camp
Day 9: Shira Camp (at 3840m) to Lava Tower (at 4630m) – Barranco camp (at 3950m)
Hiking time: 7h
Distance: Approximately 15 kms
Habitat: Semi-desert
The route now turns east into a semi desert and rocky landscape surrounding Lava Tower, where you reach an altitude of 4630m after about a 5 hours walk. Lunch is served in a designated area before ascending the rocky scree path to Lava Tower (4630m). This is definitely 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 by almost 680m to the Barranco camping area and after reaching the high altitude of 4600m at Lava Tower, the true acclimatisation benefit of this day becomes clear. This descent to Barranco camp takes about 2 hours and offers great opportunities to take some beautiful photographs 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.
Accommodation at Barranco Camp
Day 10: Barranco camp (3950m) – Barafu camp (4550m)
Hiking time: 7h
Distance: Approximately 13 kms
Habitat: Alpine desert
After spending a night at the Great Barranco Wall (a very imposing sight at first), you make your way up this awesome looking obstacle, which in the end normally turns out easier than what you anticipated. Topping out just below the Heim Glacier, you now appreciate just how beautiful Kilimanjaro really is. The route then heads down through the Karanga Valley over intervening ridges and valleys, and then joins up with 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 Karranga Valley, as there is no water at Barafu camp. Barafu is the Swahili word for “ice” and it is a bleak and inhospitable camping area to spend the night. Totally exposed to the ever-present gales the tents are pitched on a narrow, stony, and dangerous ridge. Make sure that you familiarise yourself with the terrain before dark to avoid any accidents. The summit is now 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 include the replacement of your 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.
Accommodation at Barafu Camp
Day 11: (Summit attempt) Barafu camp (4550m) – Uhuru Peak (5895m) – Mweka (3100m)
Hiking time: 8h to reach Uhuru Peak, 7 – 8h to descend to Mweka
Distance: Approximately 7 kms ascent – 23 kms descent
Habitat: Stone scree and ice-capped summit
You will rise around 23h30, and after some tea and biscuits you shuffle off into the night. You will head in a north-westerly direction and ascend through heavy scree towards Stella Point on the crater rim. For many climbers, this 6-hour walk to Stella point is 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). From Stella Point you will normally encounter snow all the way on your 2-hour ascent to Uhuru Peak. The time you will spend on the summit will depend on the weather conditions. Do not stop here for too long, as it will be extremely difficult to start again due to cold and fatigue. Enjoy your accomplishment and a day to remember for the rest of your live. 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. The route is not difficult and will take you down the rock and scree path into the moorland and eventually into the forest. The camp is situated in the upper forest and mist or rain can be expected in the late afternoon. Dinner and washing water will be prepared.
Accommodation at Mweka Camp
Day 12: Mweka camp (3100m) – Mweka Gate (1980m) to Arusha
Hiking time: 3h
Distance: Approximately 15 kms
Habitat: Forest
Following a well-deserved breakfast, your staff will have a big celebration full of dancing and singing. It is here on the mountain that you will present your tips to the guide, assistant guides, chef(s), and porters. After celebrating, you will descend for three hours back to Mweka Gate. The National Park requires all hikers to sign their names to receive certificates of completion. Hikers who reached Stella Point (5685m) receive green certificates and hikers who reached Uhuru Peak (5895m) receive gold certificates. After receiving certificates, hikers will descend into the Mweka village for 1 hour (3 kilometers). You will be served a hot lunch then you will drive back to Arusha for long overdue showers and more celebrations at your hotel.
