Day 1: Arrive at KIA and transfer to Arusha City
After you arrive at Kilimanjaro International Airport (JRO), you will be met by Maasai Wanderlust representative and be transferred to Arusha City. In the evening there will be a briefing with our chief guide, who will also make sure you are ready to begin the climb.
Day 2: Londorosi Gate – Mti Mkubwa Camp (2100m- 2800m)
Transfer from your hotel to Londorosi Gate on the western side of Mount Kilimanjaro. After the quick formality of acquiring climbing permits and registering with the search and rescue service, start trekking towards the first camp of the route: Mti Mkubwa Camp. By the time you reach the camp, our professional mountain crew will prepare everything necessary, put tents and cook lunch for you. After lunch the group will depart on an acclimatization hike towards Shira 1 Camp that features a 300 meter gain in altitude, after which you will hike back down to Mti Mkubwa Camp, where a hot dinner will be waiting.
Acclimatization hike:
At night you may experience discomfort associated with acclimatization to the high altitude; because of a reduction in your waking breathing pattern, your body gets less oxygen than during the day. Taking altitude into account, you may therefore start feeling sick and have a headache. Pay attention to your own body and tell your guide if you start feeling any symptoms of altitude sickness.This will be your first day at this altitude, so it is strongly recommended you heed the following instructions from this point on:-
Day 3: Mti Mkubwa Camp – Shira 1 Camp (2800m- 3505m)
An early wakeup, breakfast, and a gradual trek upwards until 3,500 meters; at that point for the first time you will be able to see stunning views of Shira Plateau and Kibo Volcano. On the whole, the passage from Mti Mkubwa Camp to the second high-altitude Shira 1 Camp (3,505 m) is rather easy and takes about 5-6 hours. This will allow you to start the acclimatization process gradually, which is a mainstay of good trekking. When you reach the camp, your team of specialists will cook you lunch and you will have the chance to rest in your tent or walk around the nearby area.
Day 4: Shira 1 Camp – Shira 2 Camp (3,505m - 3810m)
Departing from Shira 1 Camp (3,505 m) and a light trekking towards the second high altitude camp: Shira 2 Camp (3,900 m). This trek is not difficult and you will be able to enjoy spectacular views of Africa and the unique flora of Kilimanjaro and the surrounding area. Shira 2 Camp is the best place on the trip to see Mount Meru (the fifth summit of Africa), weather permitting. When you arrive to camp you will have lunch, and after a two-hour rest everyone will complete an acclimatization hike towards Lava Tower Camp that features a 200-meter gain in altitude.
Acclimatization hike:
Day 5: Shira 2 Camp – Lava Tower - Barranco Camp (3,810m - 4,630m - 3976m)
After breakfast you will leave Shira 2 Camp (3,810 m) and start your way to the key point of the route: Lava Tower (4,630 m). This section of the route has a lot of ascents and descents that end in a camp at over 4,600 meters. It might be difficult, and you may feel some discomfort, but in order to successfully acclimate to the altitude you have to spend at least 1–2 hours here, so this is where lunch will be. Then you will descend to Barranco Camp (3,976 m). Here you can see the famous Barranco Wall, impressive in both its massive size and steepness! Next day you will be climbing it, but don't worry: it features a very simple hiking trail.
Day 6: Barranco Camp – Karanga Valley Camp (3,976m- 3,995m)
Early in the morning, start your first challenge of the day evading the base of Kibo peak by hiking toward the eastern side of the valley and cross the stream up a steep ridge to the Great Barranco wall. Even though huge and steep as it looks, turn out to be easier than an obstacle. Then you start a more difficult hike to Karanga Camp, which features numerous ascents and descents during the route, but don't worry: our guides are experts at choosing an optimal pace for the group. After reaching the camp you will be offered warm lunch. After a couple of hours you will have to complete an acclimatization hike in the direction of Barafu Camp with a 250-meter gain in altitude, and then descent back down to the camp.
Acclimatization hike:
Day 7: Karanga Valley Camp- Barafu Camp (3,995m- 4673m)
After breakfast, head to Barafu Summit Camp (4,640 m) and make a rewarding steep hike out east over the ridge and valley through the sparse, rocky and steep slopes landscape to Barafu Camp (14,910ft). Barafu (ice) Camp is proximate to the summit of Kibo where there is exceedingly cold weather, quite thin air and you may run short of breath as the amount oxygen is almost half compared to that on above sea level. Have your hot lunch and after regaining your strength complete an acclimatization hike towards the intermediate Kosovo Summit Camp (4,800 m) and then back to Barafu Camp, where you will be served a hot dinner.
Acclimatization hike:
Day 8: Barafu Camp- Uhuru Peak – Mweka Camp (4673m- 5895m- 3,068m)
Wake up around midnight and have breakfast before you start hiking up into the night on the steepest and demanding part of the Kilimanjaro. If you are lucky enough, the moonlight will light your steps up on the northwest through the most challenging heavy loose scree and boulders trails all the way to Stella point. Each pair of climbers will get a personal guide for the entire ascent to monitor your physical and mental conditions. At Stella point, you will have a short rest and welcome a new dawn with amazing and stunning sunrise. Then continue to Uhuru Summit, the highest point in Africa and the world’s highest freestanding peak where you create memories of lifetime. Take time to celebrate with your fellow trekkers, and snap once-in-a-lifetime photos before descending to Barafu camp. At the camp, pack your belongings then descend to Mweka Camp through empty rocky landscapes, moorland and lush forest. At the camp, you will celebrate the successful summit by grabbing some soft drinks or couple of beers and spend your last precious sleep on the cool mountain weather.
Day 9: Mweka Camp – Mweka Gate (3,068m- 1,640m) -Arusha City
Wake up, you will feel relief from the reduction of the height and the satisfaction of reaching the summit. After a warm breakfast, you will head for the park's exit: Mweka Gate (1,640 m). After your descent the whole group will gather to congratulate you, followed by offering you a chance to share your opinions on the climb in the guestbook. Lastly, we will present you with your commemorative certificates. After tipping and saying welfare to your mountain crew, you will be transferred back to Arusha City.
Day 10: Arusha City- Tarangire National Park
After a buffet breakfast, drive to Tarangire for full day game drive. En-route capture incredible photos of Maasai people grazing their herds on the savannah plains. On your game drive, you may spot vast herds of elephants, migratory wildebeest, zebra, impala and many more. Baobab trees are the landmark of Tarangire national park and it is said that God deliberately planted upside down so that you could see the root not the branches. Sight sausage trees found along the water courses and acacia trees that frame a picture for you at sunset.
Day 11: Lake Manyara -Serengeti National Park
Depart Lake Mnayara for the Serengeti National park with a picnic lunch. Serengeti offers the most scintillating game-viewing in Africa such as great herds of buffalo, smaller groups of elephant and giraffe, big cats (lion, leopard and cheetah), thousands upon thousands eland, topi, kongoni, impala and grant gazelle binds the Serengeti’s ecosystem much as it has done for the past two million years. Over 500 bird species ranging from the out-sized ostrich and bizarre secretary bird of the open grassland to the black eagles that soar effortlessly above the sky. Later in the afternoon, you may experience one of the blazing Serengeti sunsets, with silhouetted acacia trees and the call of the wild close at hand.
Day 12: Full Day Exploration at Serengeti National Park
After breakfast,depart for the morning game drive at the Serengeti National. Before mid day, transfer to the lodge for hot lunch at leisure. Embark for an afternoon game drive in the search for the “Big 5” – lion, leopard, buffalo, elephant and rhino. Famed for its annual migration, Serengeti offers the most scintillating game-viewing in Africa such as great herds of buffalo, smaller groups of elephant and giraffe, big cats (lion, leopard and cheetah), thousands upon thousands eland, topi, kongoni, impala and grant gazelle binds the Serengeti’s ecosystem much as it has done for the past two million years. Later in the afternoon, you may experience one of the blazing Serengeti sunsets, with silhouetted acacia trees and the call of the wild close at hand.
Day 13: Serengeti National Park -Ngorongoro Crater -Arusha City
After having a hearty breakfast, you descend down into the Ngorongoro Crater. At nearly 2300m, the mornings are brisk and low cloud sometimes covers the area. As you drive down the descend road, the black dots below becomes discernable shapes, with the crater becoming ever more beautiful and irresistible. With over 30,000 animals across all species, the Ngorongoro Crater can be regarded as a “Garden of Eden”. The 100 sq km caldera also has the highest density of lions anywhere in Africa. Also, Zebra and wildebeest mix on the crater floor along with lions, buffalos, elephants, rare rhino, hyenas, gazelles, cheetah, antelopes, hippos, various types of jackal, greater and lesser flamingo and many other species. By lunch time you will arrive at the lake side, where you will be offered lunchboxes, after which the safari will continue, ending in a few hours with a transfer to Arusha City.
Day 14: Departure
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