Day 1 Arrive in Tanzania

Daytime flight to Kilimanjaro International Airport. Personalized welcome on arrival and private transfer to Arusha. Dinner and overnight at your hotel.

Day 2 to 4 Safari:

Ngorongoro Crater, Lake Manyara Park and Tarangire National Park.

MONT MERU: “Man of the plain, why do you climb the mountain? To get a better look at the plain…”

Mount Meru is a volcano in northern Tanzania, overlooking the town of Arusha. With an altitude of 4,565 meters.

Day 1: ARUSHA / MIRIAKAMBA HUT

Depart Arusha and transfer to Momella Gate, 1,500 m above sea level. Ascent on foot through plains and forests, 5-hour climb to Miriakamba Hut at 2500 m.
Picnic lunch en route. Dinner and overnight in Miriakamba Hut.

Day 2: MIRIAKAMBA HUT / SADDLE HUT

Breakfast at the hut. Departure at 8:30 am, climb through rainforest to Saddle Hut (3500 m), a 4-hour walk along a steep staircase trail. Lunch at the hut.

Possibility of a return trip to Little Meru at 3800 m (45 min ascent and 30 min descent), or afternoon free to relax. Supper and (short) overnight stay at Saddle Hut.

Day 3: SADDLE HUT / MT MERU / ARUSHA (1h00)

After a snack, departure at around 1am for the final ascent to the summit of Mt Meru (4562 m). Over steep steps, boulders, sand and pebble paths, you’ll follow the curve of the crater. View over the entire Maasai steppe: Mount Longido, Empakaai crater, Lengai and, of course, Africa’s highest peak, Kilimanjaro, puts on a show for you: a firework display of red, orange and yellow.

Arrival at the summit around 7:00 am. Free time to enjoy the view and take your photos. Descend to Saddle Hut (3-hour walk) for a well-deserved brunch. Around 1:00 pm, descent to Momella Gate (5-hour walk) where your vehicles will be waiting to transfer you to Arusha. Dinner and overnight at your hotel.

Day 4: ARUSHA (optional)

Day of rest and preparation for Kilimanjaro

KILIMANDJARO: “Old age is like climbing a mountain. The higher you climb, the more tired and out of breath you become, but oh how your vision has broadened!”

Mount Kilimanjaro rises in north-east Tanzania to an altitude of 5,891.8 metres, according to measurements taken in 2008.

Day 1: ARUSHA / MTI MKUBWA

Breakfast and departure for Kilimanjaro National Park. Arriving at the small village of Boma N’Gombe, we turn off towards Sanya Juu. Arrival in Londorossi for formalities. Meeting with your team of guides and porters, departure for the trek via Lemosho.

Trek through relatively dry forest (especially compared to the wet southern slopes of the Machame route). Set up camp at Mti Mkubwa (2900 m).
Five-hour walk. Supper and overnight in tents.

Day 2: MTI MKUBWA / SHIRA CAMP

Breakfast at camp. We slowly emerge from the forest, entering a savannah of tall grasses, volcanic rocks, heather and drooping lichens. We encounter the first signs of Afro-alpine flora, above 3400m, with a few ragworts. We arrive on the Shira plateau, with a superb view at the end of the day of the breccia and the western slopes of Kibo. We set up camp at Shira Camp (3610m).

3h30 walk. Supper and overnight in tents.

Day 3: SHIRA CAMP / FISHER’S CAMP

Breakfast at camp. A day of exploring the Shira plateau: we cross the plateau and, depending on the shape of the group, go as far as the needles and the cathedral. We gain very little altitude on this day, which will contribute greatly to our acclimatization. We set up camp at Fisher’s Camp (3800 m).

6h30 walk. Supper and overnight in tents.

Day 4: FISHER’S CAMP / BARRANCO

Breakfast at camp. We leave Shira’s bivouac, heading for Kibo. The climb is steady until we reach the Lawa Tower pass, at 4570 m. The descent to Barranco Camp takes us to the edge of a gigantic canyon, the Grand Barranco, in which ragwort, much watered by countless small waterfalls that converge there, grows in abundance. We set up camp at 3940 m.

7-hour walk. Supper and overnight in tents.

Day 5: BARRANCO / BARAFU

Breakfast at camp. Today you’ll be tackling the Breach Wall (Baranco Wall), which looks like an impassable cliff from below. In fact, the path is very steep but not difficult, even if you sometimes have to use your hands. At the top, at 4200 metres, you have a fine view of the Kibo glaciers and Mount Meru.

The trail continues along the southern flank of the volcano, with many ascents and descents, until it reaches 3900 metres, where you’ll find the last waterhole, at Karanga. Picnic lunch.

Finally, the trail climbs back up to 4600 metres to Barafu Hut. This last camp is on a fairly steep spur and you spend the late afternoon resting in preparation for the ascent to the crater.

Supper and nap in tent. 7-hour walk.

Day 6: BARAFU / CRATER CAMP

The climb is steep above the camp, then more gentle, winding through the snow. The slope steepens for 3km as you approach the ridge. At around 05:00 you reach the crater rim at Stella Point. The wind is very strong and the temperature around -20°C. After an hour, you reach the Crater camp at 5,600m.

We’ll be sleeping here, with Kilimanjaro’s eternal ice as our companion. We’ll also have some time, for those who still have the energy, to visit the Kili crater and its sulfur-smoke chimneys. Lunch will be served, but you probably won’t be too hungry. Excitement is at its peak as you lie in bed waiting for the departure time for the summit.

Day 7: CAMP CRATÈRE / UHURU PEAK / MWEKA

Snack and departure around 3 a.m. for the summit. The slope is very steep, so we have to be careful not to slip. It’s cold but the winds are calm, so you’ll need to dress warmly – winter clothes are the order of the day. After a few hours’ walking, you reach the top of the slope and see the sign at the summit of Uhuru. Your emotions are running high, you’ve almost made it, just fifty more metres of ascent and you’ll be on the roof of Africa.

At around 6.00 am, you reach the summit of Uhuru Peak, the highest point in Africa. Sunrise comes very quickly, and the view is breathtaking. After a few photos, you begin the descent. Further down, the wind dies down and the sun rising behind Mawenzi quickly warms the atmosphere. By 9.00 am, you’re back at camp. After an hour’s break, you embark on the Mweka route to the camp of the same name, at 3000 meters. 12 to 14 hours’ walking.

Dinner and overnight in tents.

Congratulations to the team from the team:

Day 8: MWEKA / ARUSHA

Breakfast at camp. Today, you’ll descend to the village of Mweka at 1700 meters on a steep trail through the forest, where your driver will be waiting to take you to Arusha. 3-hour walk. Graduation and drive to Moshi for lunch in a local restaurant. Continuation to Arusha. Dinner and overnight at your hotel.

Day 9: ARUSHA

Day of leisure in ARUSHA, private transfer to Kilimanjaro airport.