BootsnAll Travel Network
Presents
You will be picked up at Kilimanjaro International Airport and taken to Moshi where you will spend a night before the safari begins on the next day. You will have the opportunity to go over any last minute questions with the guide and office manager. The office manager is your contact person for the trip and responsible for all aspects of your trip.
At this point you will also have the chance to leave a bag behind with anything you don't need on the safari. Your left-behind gear will be secured at the storage room and will meet you as soon as you back from safari.
Moshi – Tarangire National Park
After morning breakfast at the hostel, we will head to Tarangire National Park, a few hours out into the bush in Masai country.
Located 120km from Arusha, Tarangire is the sixth largest park in Tanzania. With baobab and acacia trees, much like the Serengeti, Tarangire is home to legions of elephants, which inhabit this park in large herds. In the park you also find other game such as rhino, buffalo, eland, warthog, the fringe-eared oryx, lesser and greater kudu, gerenuk and a large number of impala.
The rains scatter the seasonal visitors over a 20,000 square kilometre (about 12,500 sq miles) range until they exhaust the green plains and the river calls once more. But Tarangire mobs of elephant are easily encountered, wet or dry. The swamps, tinged green year round, are the focus for 50 bird varieties, the most breeding species in one habitat anywhere in the world. On drier ground you find Koori bustard, the heaviest flying bird; the stocking sighed ostrich, the world largest bird; and ground hornbills that bluster like turkeys. Tarangire pythons climb trees, as do this lions and leopards, lounging in the branches where the fruit of the sausage tree disguises the twitch of a tail.
Tarangire National Park is one of the most underrated parks and you could spend a great deal of time exploring this park. Tonight we will camp under the stars just outside of Tarangire Park, listening to the sounds of wild animals around the campsite.
Day 3: Dec 25
Tarangire National Park
Today we have a full day of from sunrise to almost sunset to explore hippo pools, look for lions, and discover animals around every corner. Toward the end of the day, we will begin our journey back to our hotel in Moshi. Tonight we will begin preparations for the climb. You will touch base with the guides and go over any last minute details before the climb.
Day 4: Dec 26
Mt. Kilimanjaro Summit Trek – Lemosho Route
Londorossi Gate (2100 m/6890 ft.) to Mti Mkubwa (2640 m/8,692 ft.)
Hike time: 3hrs
Elevation Change + 650 M/+2132
Estimation distance: 10 km/6.2 miles
Final Elevation 2650 m/8,692 ft
Lemosho is a day longer than Machame, and takes us through wildlife habitat. This is a much better route than Machame or Marangu because it’s very quiet and there aren’t hoards of people. Only on this route, you might see elephant and buffalo, among other types of game. We are required to take a game ranger. On Lemosho, you traverse some of Kilimanjaro most striking and least traveled landscapes, including the base of Kibo Peak’s dramatic south-facing glaciers.
The overall height difference between Lemosho Gate, National Park entrance and the summit of Uhuru peak is 4200 meters (13,776 ft). It’s a good 68 km (42.50 miles) trek with the bonus of an ascent of one of the worlds finest 5000 meter peaks.
The Londorossi Park Gate is located on the western side of Kilimanjaro. At the gate, you pick up our game ranger who will accompany the group, as we might encounter elephants and buffaloes during the trek. You drive to the trailhead at Lemosho Glades and start our trek through the rain forest. The vegetation is so untouched that it grows right across the narrow track. The flora and fauna are richer here than on the other more popular routes through the rain forest. Our trek today will be along a little used track known as Chamber's Route. In about 3-4 hours, you reach our camp in the rain forest at Mti Mkubwa (Big Tree).
Day 5: Dec 27
Mti Mkubwa (2649 m/8,692 ft.) to Shira One Camp (3610 m/11,843 ft)
Hike time: 5 – 6 hrs
Elevation change + 950 M/+3116 ft
Estimation distance: 12 km/7.4 miles
Final Elevation 3,610 m/11,843 ft
After breakfast, we start the climb cross the remaining rain forest toward the giant moorland zone. Day 2 is a full day trek with an altitude gain of 2,000 ft. We stop for a great lunch stop at One, a beautiful valley just outside the Shira Crater at around 10,000 ft. After lunch, we cross into the Shira Caldera, a high altitude desert plateau that is rarely visited. Shira is the third of Kilimanjaro volcanic cones, and is filled with lava flow from Kibo Peak. The crater rim has been decimated by weather and volcanic action. You will get your first close views of Kibo - the dramatic summit of Kilimanjaro.
Day 6: Dec 28
Shira One Camp (3610 m/11,843ft) to Shira Two Camp (3849 m/12,628 ft)
Hike time: 5 to 6 hrs
Elevation change: + 240 m/+787 ft
Elevation distance: 5 km/3.1 miles
Final elevation: 3849 m/12,628 ft
After breakfast, you continue hike east across the Shira Plateau past the Shira Cathedral toward Shira Two camp. You only gain 700 feet in elevation – this allows us to acclimatize slowly to the altitude. The views of the plateau are nothing less than spectacular.
Day 7: Dec 29
Shira Two Camp (3849 m/12,628 ft) to Barranco Hut (3948m/12,956 ft.)
Hike time: 5 hrs
Elevation change: +100 m/+328 ft
Estimated distance: 6 km/3.7 miles
Final elevation: 3950 m/12,956 ft
This is the last of the easy days. It is about a 7-hour superb hike. You pass the Lava Tower, around the southern flank of Kibo, and slowly descend into the spectacular Barranco Valley, interspersed with giant lobelia and senecia plants. After arriving, everyone stands in awe at the foot of Kibo Peak, looming high above, on our left. The camp is only 465 feet higher than where we were last night, but during the day, you will have climbed to just over 14,000 feet. This is one of our most valuable days for acclimatization.
Day 8: Dec 30
Barranco Hut (3901 m/12,800 ft) to Karanga Valley (3963 m/13,000 ft)
Elevation change: +100 m/+328 ft
Estimated distance: 4km/2.5 miles
Final elevation: 3963 m/13,000 ft
On the eastern side of the valley, across the stream is the Barranco Wall - a 950 ft. barrier of volcanic rock. Although it is tall and looks steep, it is very easy to climb. This is our first challenge of the day. The views from the wall are magnificent. The rest of the day is spent skirting the base of Kibo peak over our left shoulder. You descend down into the Karanga Valley, where you rest up for the night before the tough climb up to Barafu hut.
Day 9: Dec 31
Karanga Valley (3963 m/13,000 ft) to Barafu Hut (4,600 m/15,091 ft)
Hike time: 3.5 hrs
Elevation change: +600 m/+1968 ft
Estimated distance: 4km/2.5 miles
Final elevation: 4,600 m/15,091 ft
You will be making a steep hike out of the valley. The air starts getting quite thin, and you will be running short of breath. It is a tough, but rewarding uphill to the rocky, craggy slopes at the camp. Barafu means, ice in Swahili, and it is extremely cold at this altitude. Go to bed early because we will be waking you at midnight for the final leg to Uhuru Peak.
Day 10: Jan 1 – New Years - SUMMIT DAY!
Barafu Camp (4,600m/15,091 ft) to the Summit/Uhuru (5896 m/19,343 ft) and then to Mweka Camp (3100 m/10,170 ft)
Summit time: 7 hrs
Elevation change: +1300 m/+4265 ft
Estimated distance: 5km/3.2 miles
Final elevation: 5896 m/19343 ft
Descent time: 5 hrs
Elevation change: -2800 m/-9186 ft
Estimated distance: 12km/7.5 miles
Final elevation: 3100 m, 10,170 ft
You start climbing around midnight, on the steepest and most demanding part of the mountain. The moon, if out, will provide enough light, and we will reach the crater rim by sunrise, after a 7 hour hike, and welcome a new dawn. From the crater rim, rugged Mawenzi Peak is a thrilling sight, with the Kibo saddle still in darkness beneath you, and the crater's ice-walls looming ahead. You now continue to Uhuru Peak (1-2 hrs.) This is the highest point in Africa, and the world's highest solitary peak (19,340 ft). It is the best view in Africa!
The descent is invigorating. It is a good idea to have a little rest once in awhile as you continue down back to Barafu camp (4 hours), and then down the Mweka route to Mweka camp (5 hours). This is where we spend our last night on the mountain. If you have the energy you can continue past Mweka Camp and hike out this day.
Day 11: Jan 2
Mweka Camp (3100 m/10,170 ft) to Mweka Gate (1828 m/6,000 ft)
Descent time: 4 hrs
Elevation change: -1250 m/-4101 ft
Estimated distance: 10km/6.21m
Final elevation: 1828 m/6000 ft
Today we descend about through the forest on a jungle path for about 10 km (6.2 miles) in 3-4 hours to reach Mweka Gate by mid-afternoon. You will then be picked up in the LandRovers and transferred back to a hotel of your choice. The hotel this night IS NOT included in the tour. We can transfer you back into Moshi into any hotel or hostel. There is everything from $10 per night to $150 per night.
Group leaves on shuttle to Nairobi.
We can help you arrange the shuttle, show you were to buy tickets, and transfer you to the bus stop if needed. We recommend taking an 8:00 a.m shuttle and arriving in Nairobi around 2:00 p.m. at the airport, giving you plenty of time in case the bus was delayed.
PLEASE NOTE:
While we strive to make your trip the best possible, and pride ourselves on trying to cover every detail of your trips, it’s important to understand that Tanzanian business, time and culture operate in a different manner throughout East Africa. With an adventure trip this long and of this magnitude, you are bound to encounter a multitude of problems, which could effect your itinerary: bad weather happens, vehicles break down, people get sick, etc. While we have back up plans for all of these instances, it’s important to understand that is part of the adventure in Tanzania.