9 Day Tanzania Safaris & Mount Kilimanjaro Combination

Climbing Mount Kilimanjaro via Lemosho Route

9 DAY TOUR DESCRIPTION.

Kilimanjaro Lemosho Route climbing: Lemosho is known as the best route introduced as relatively new route, is preferred by reputable operators due to its beauty, remoteness and success rate. In short, it maximizes the chances that a climber will reach the summit, and enjoy the experience overall.You will get chance to visit two National Parks as Tarangire National Park and Ngorongoro Crater where you will be able to see many animals as you expect.

Day 0: Arrival at Kilimanjaro Airport to Arusha

Distance: 43 km

On arrival at Kilimanjaro Airport our teams will great and pick you and transfer to Arusha city to Green Mountain Hotel for dinner and overnight. You will get chance for briefing and introduction about your safari.

* Hours:43 Minutes
* Meals: Dinner and Overnight.
* Accommodation: Green Mountain Hotel-Semi Luxury Accommodation
* Guide: Professional English guide or other requested by the client.
* Difficulties: Low

DAY 1: Arusha (1400m) – Londorossi Gate (2100m) – Mti Mkubwa camp (2750m)

Distance: 6 km
Hiking time: 3 hours
Habitat: Montane forest

After breakfast in your hotel you will be picked up from Arusha town to Londorossi Gate, where you will complete entry formalities. Then drive to the Lemosho trailhead (another hour to reach the trailhead). Upon arrival at trailhead, we eat lunch, and then commence through undisturbed forest which winds to the first camp site. Elevation (ft) 7,800ft to 95,00ft (3-4 hours walking on 6km).

* Meals:Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
* Overnight: Mti Mkubwa camp (95,00ft)-Camping Accommodation

DAY 2: Forest Camp (2750m) – Shira 2 Camp (3840m)

Hiking time: 6.5 hours
Habitat: Moorland

You will depart from forest camp to shira 1 camp. Keep moving out of the forest and into a savannah of tall grasses, heather, and volcanic rock draped with lichen beards. As we ascend through the lush rolling hills and cross several streams, we reach the Shira Ridge before dropping gently down to Shira 1 camp. The view of Kibo from across the plateau is amazing. Elevation 9,500ft to 11,500ft while we have (5-6 walking hours in 8km)

* Meals:Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
* Overnight: Shira 1 Camp (11,500ft)-Camping Accommodation

DAY 3: Shira (3840m) – Lava Tower (4630m) – Barranco Camp (3950m)

Hiking time: 7 hours
Distance: Approximately 15 kilometers
Habitat: Semi desert

Following an early morning breakfast, you will leave the moorland environment and enter the semi desert and rocky landscape. After 5 hours of walking east, you will be come face to face with the Lava Tower (4630m). Packed lunches are served at the Tower and hikers have the option of climbing the massive Lava Tower weather permitting. At this point of the hike, it is normal for hikers to start feeling the effects from the altitude including headaches and shortness of breath.
After lunch, you will descend from Lava Tower (4630m) to the Barranco Campsite (3950m). The 6800m descent gives hikers a huge advantage to allow their bodies to adjust to the conditions of high altitude. The descent to camp takes around 2 hours to reach. It is located in a valley below the Breach and Great Barranco Wall (“Breakfast Wall”). Drinking and washing water and dinner will be served as hikers view the sun setting.
* Meals:Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
* Overnight: Barranco Camp (3950m)-Camping Accommodation

DAY 4: Barranco Camp (3950m) – Karanga Camp (3950m)

Hiking time: 4-5 hours
Distance: Approximately 5 kilometers
Habitat: Alpine desert

This is a short hiking day meant for acclimatization. After an early morning breakfast, it is now time to conquer the Great Barranco Wall! Although it may look intimating at first glance, hikers state that this Class 2 hike is usually much easier than they anticipated. At the top of the Wall, you will have a view of Heim Glacier and will be above the clouds. The trail then winds up and down in the Karanga Valley. You will spend the night at Karanga Camp (3950m) and enjoy dinner and washing at the site.

* Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
* Overnight: Karanga Camp (3959m)-Camping Accommodation

DAY 5: Karanga Camp (3959m) – Barafu Hut (4600)

Hiking time: 2-3 hours
Distance: Approximately 4 kilometers
Habitat: Alpine desert

After breakfast, you will begin your ascent. The trail intersects with the Mweka Route, which is the trail used to descend on the final two days. As you continue hiking for an hour, you will reach Barafu Hut. This is the last water stop for the porters because there is no accessible water at Barafu Camp (4550m). The word “barafu” in Swahili means “ice” and this camp is located on a rocky, exposed ridge. Tents will be exposed to wind and rocks so it is important for hikers to familiarize themselves with the campsite before dark. An early dinner will be served so hikers can rest before attempting the summit the same night. Your guide will brief you in detail on how to prepare for summit night. Get to sleep by 19:00.

* Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
* Overnight: Barafu Camp (4600m)-Camping Accommodation

DAY 6: Summit attempt Barafu Camp (4600m) – Uhuru Peak (5895m) – Mweka (3100m)

Hiking time: 8 hours to reach Uhuru Peak, 7-8 hours to descend to Mweka
Distance: Approximately 7 kilometers ascent and 23 kilometers descent
Habitat: Stone scree and ice-capped summit

Your guide will wake you around 23:30 for tea and biscuits. You will then begin your summit attempt. The route heads northwest and you will ascend over stone scree. During the ascent, many hikers feel that this is the most mentally and physically challenging part of the climb. In about 6 hours, you will reach Stella Point (5685m), located on the crater rim. After enjoying the magnificent sunrise, you will continue ascending for about 2 hours on a snow-covered trail to Uhuru Peak (5895m). Reaching the summit of Mt. Kilimanjaro is a lifetime accomplishment! You will be able to spend a short time on the summit taking photographs and drinking tea before the descent to Barafu begins. The hike down to Barafu Camp takes about 3 hours.
At camp, you will rest and enjoy a hot lunch in the sun. After eating, you will continue descending down to Mweka Hut (3100m). The Mweka Trail will lead you through the scree and rocks to the moorland and eventually into the rain forest. Mweka Camp (3100m) is located in the upper rain forest, so fog and rain should be expected. You will have a dinner, wash, and rest soundly at camp.

* Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
* Overnight: Mweka Camp (3100m)-Camping Accommodation

DAY 7: Mweka Camp (3100m) – Mweka Gate (1980m)

Hiking time: 3 hours
Distance: Approximately 15 kilometers
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.

* Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
* Overnight: Green Mountain Hotel-Semi- Luxury Accommodation

Day 8: Arusha to Tarangire National Park

Distance: 139 km
Non – game viewing time: 3 hrs

After breakfast from your requested accommodation, you will start your safari to southwest through Maasai steppe land to Tarangire National Park with picnic Lunch boxes.
You will spend hours for the day game viewing in Tarangire, viewing some of Tanzania’s largest populations of elephant and enjoying the diverse scenery, including the dramatic baobab trees that are so typical of the park. This park boasts a high concentration of animals, including elephant, zebra, eland, and wildebeest and plenty of predators.
Picnic Lunch will be served at the picnic site where you will have a nice view of Tarangire River overlooking down the valley where most of the animals will be gathering drinking from the river. After Lunch you will proceed with game drives until evening when you will start drive to Karatu for overnight at Flamingo Safari Lodge.
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* Meals: Breakfast. Lunch and Dinner.
* Accommodation:Flamingo Safari Lodge-Semi Luxury Accommodation:
* Guide: Professional English guide or other requested by the client.
* Difficulties: Low

Day 9: Tarangire to Ngorongoro Crater to Arusha

Distance: 210 km
Non – game viewing time: 3 – 4 hrs

After an early breakfast to your lodge you will head to Ngorongoro crater. You will descend over 600 meters into the crater to view wildlife. Supported by a year round water supply and fodder, the Ngorongoro conservation Area supports avast variety of animals, which include herds of wildebeest, zebra, buffalo, eland, warthog, hippo, and giant African elephants. Another big draw card to this picturesque national park, is it’s dense population of predators, which include lions, hyenas, jackals, cheetahs and the ever-elusive leopard, which sometimes requires a trained eye to spot. You will visit Lake Magadi, a large but shallow alkaline lake in the southwestern corner, which is one of the main features of the crater. A large number of flamingos, hippos and other water birds can usually been seen here. Late afternoon transfer to Arusha For dinner and Overnight or airport drop off.

* Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
* Overnight: Green Mountain Hotel-Semi- Luxury Accommodation

Climbing package includes:
* Tanzania VAT on tourism activities and park fees.
* 2 Nights’ shared, Hotel accommodation.
* Airport Transfer
* Hotel storage facilities for excess luggage during hikes.
* Return transfers between the hotel to the start / finish point of a climb.
* All Kilimanjaro National Park gate fees, camping / hut fees and climbing permits.
* Kilimanjaro National Park rescue fees (Kilimanjaro Rescue Team)
* Qualified mountain guide, assistant guides, porters and cook
* Salaries for mountain support crew, as per required KINAPA minimum payments.
* Breakfast, lunch and dinner, as well as hot drinks on the mountain
* Camping equipment (tents, sleeping mat, camp chairs), camp tables, mess tent & cutlery for meals) – not applicable on the Marangu route as all meals are served at the camps in designated dining halls.
* Water for washing up daily
* Kilimanjaro National Park certificate for your successful summit attempt.
* A comprehensive Climbing Kilimanjaro Travel Information pack
* Private hikes only guaranteed for 2 persons or more on Standard Package bookings – for individual climbers additional fees would apply to arrange a private climb.

Climbing package excludes:
* Flights
* Items of a personal nature
* Compulsory tips for guides, porters and cook (average tip is anything from US$20 per hiker – depending on the number of days and number of hikers in the group, as well as the route chosen)
* Entry visa for Tanzania (US$50 per passport holder for most nationalities / US $ 100 per visa for USA passport holders)
* Health requirements (Yellow Fever – only compulsory if you travel to Tanzania via a Yellow Fever infected country, Meningitis & Hepatitis A remains optional, but comes recommended)
* Optional but highly recommended travel and medical insurance.
* Budget Packages do not include Flying doctors memberships (Helicopter evacuation to Nairobi), but could be done at own arrangement.
* Personal hiking/trekking gear – you could rent some of the gear in Tanzania.
* Optional, but highly recommended Portable toilet on budget package.
* Snacks, personal medicine and water purifying tablets.
* Meals and drinks not specified.