11 Day Kilimanjaro & Serengeti Safari
A combination of Tanzania's most famous and prolific game parks with the opportunity to conquer Africa's highest mountain, Kilimanjaro.
Brief Itinerary
Day 1: Transfer from Nairobi to Moshi Day 2: Trek to Mandara Huts - 2740m Day 3: Trek to Horombo Huts - 3690m Day 4: Trek to Kibo Huts - 4695m Day 5: Trek to Uhuru Peak - 5895m / Trek back to Horombo Huts - 3690m Day 6: Trek to Marangu Gate - 1830m Day 7: Lake Manyara National Park Days 8 & 9: Olduvai Gorge, Serengeti National Park Day 10: Ngorongoro Crater Day 11: Return to NairobiTour Highlights
- Kilimanjaro Marangu Trek
- Lake Manyara National Park
- Olduvai Gorge
- Serengeti National Park
- Ngorongoro Crater
Detailed Itinerary
Day 1: Transfer from Nairobi to Moshi
From Nairobi we travel by scheduled bus to Moshi. You will be collected between 07:15 - 07:30 (selected departure points only) and you should arrive in Moshi in the late afternoon. The shuttle crosses the Athi Plain and continues to the border point at Namanga. Once formalities are complete we continue to Arusha where you may be asked to change buses for the final drive 80km to Moshi. The remainder of the day is at leisure - to relax and prepare for the following days' trekking.
Day 2: Trek to Mandara Huts - 2740m (7km, 4-6 hours) (B / L / D)
After breakfast and a briefing from your guide, we leave Moshi and drive for 45 minutes to Marangu Gate on the eastern side of the mountain. We begin our trek here, walking through forests tall eucalyptuses, home to a range of birdlife and colobus monkeys which we may see jumping through the canopy. It can be muddy here, so trekking poles and gaiters may help. After a stop for lunch we may have the time to detour to Maundi Crater, from where there are beautiful views across the surrounding region, including Southern Kenya across the border. We aim to reach Mandara Hut, our first camp in the late afternoon. Our porters and cook arrive at camp before us to start setting up and preparing dinner.
Day 3: Trek to Horombu Huts - 3690m (11km, 6-8 hours) (B / L / D)
We rise early and continue our trek after breakfast, hiking through rainforest glades and follow an ascending path up through unique mountain heathland on the slope s of the Mawenzi massif consisting of giant lobelias and groundsel vegetation, some which reach over 3 meters high. Continuing on we enter an area of low shrubs and moorland where we take lunch. Although a long and quite strenuous walk, there are amazing views of Mawenzi from the moorland and by the time we reach our huts we have views of Kibo itself. We arrive at Horombo Huts at approximately 3pm where there is time to rest before dinner.
PLEASE NOTE: You may start to feel the effects of altitude sickness here. To aid your acclimatisation we can provide an extra day here at Horombo. On this day you could choose to either rest or take a day walk to a basecamp below the lesser peak Mawenzi.
Day 4: Trek to Kibo Huts - 4695m (10km, 6-8 hours) (B / L / D)
If feeling energetic you could rise early this morning and catch great photos of the sunrise over Kilimanjaro. After breakfast we set off and climb through the dwindling moorland which blends into a rocky moonscape as you enter the sweeping saddle connecting Mawenzi and Kibo. Stopping for lunch we have great views of the peak and will be able to view the summit route we'll be taking early tomorrow morning. This afternoon we cross the surprisingly wide saddle of alpine desert, to the foot of Kibo at Kibo Huts. This evening's camp does not have running water so our porters will prepare washing water for us. We will also eat early so as to have as much sleep as possible before our very early start for the summit. At this altitude we will be looking out for signs of altitude sickness. While many people are affected by mild altitude sickness, the guide will advise if symptoms are acute and summit should not be attempted.
Day 5: Trek to Uhuru Peak - 5895m (7-8 hours) followed by trek back to Horombo Huts - 3690m (7-8 hours) (B / L /D)
We wake at midnight to a light breakfast and leave camp at 1am for the ascent. Our goal is to climb before dawn so that we reach Uhuru Peak shortly after sunrise. Setting off, we take switchbacks across a large scree slope and reach Gillman's Point on the crater rim at 5,861m between 5-7am.
Here, views of the fabled crater and possible ice caps great you. After another 2 hours of hiking along the crater rim you have a final push to reach Kilimanjaro's true summit at Uhuru Peak. This is Africa's highest point and the highest for approximately 5000 kilometres!
On the summit we enjoy our accomplishment and enjoy the views of the surrounding plains as they wake up to the day before our descent back down. It is another 7-8 hours descent back down to Horombo but a new view looking down! We arrive back, eat dinner prepared by the cook and get some well earned sleep.
Day 6: Trek to Marangu Gate - 1830m (18km, 5-7 hours) (B / L)
Today after a hearty breakfast we descend back through moorland to the Mandara Huts. We have lunch there before our triumphant return back through lush forest to the park gate. We should reach the gate by approximately 2-3pm. Saying our goodbyes and tipping our cooks, porters and guides we transfer back to our hotel in Moshi, where its definitely time for a celebration and relax! Tonight you will be contacted by the guide who will be taking you on safari, and arrangements made for your departure the following morning.
Day 7: Lake Manyara National Park (B / L / D)
We depart Moshi and pass through Arusha and across the Rift Valley to the first of three magnificent national parks. We set up camp in the village of Mto Wa Mbu (sometimes known as 'Mosquito Creek'), located just outside the national park at the foot of the Rift's western escarpment. 'Mto' has a host of souvenir and craft stalls within walking distance of the campsite, but our main focus is the nearby Lake Manyara National Park and we spend the afternoon in the area game driving. The park is dominated by a giant soda lake and is known for its birdlife, lion and hippo. It's an interesting and exciting introduction to Tanzania's wealth of wildlife. We return to the campsite this evening for dinner.
Days 8 & 9: Serengeti National Park (B / L / D)
We leave 'Mto' and ascend the escarpment - ask your driver to stop for the spectacular view over Lake Manyara and the Rift Valley. Noticeably cooler at the top we pass through the fertile Tanzanian highlands and enter the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. Once inside the National Park we make our way around the rim of the crater and descend to the Serengeti and briefly visit the famous Olduvai Gorge - the site of archaeological digs of pre historic man. We finally enter the Serengeti itself where we shall spend the next two nights. The park's wide horizons and open plains provide perhaps the most evocative images of Africa. The name 'Serengeti' derives from the Masai 'Siringitu' - 'the place where land moves on forever'. By day we game drive around the flat rift valley floor, following our experienced guide's intuition and knowledge of recent sightings. Between June and October there may be the chance to see wildebeest and other grazers moving in their thousands across the valley floor to the greener pastures in the north. 'The migration' as it is called, is a phenomenal spectacle and attracts many predators including lion, leopard and hyena who prey on their young when they calve later in the year. While in the Serengeti, we camp in official campsites but wildlife - including lion, elephant, hyena - may roam through our camp at night - an unforgettable experience!
Day 10: Ngorongoro Crater (B / L)
From the wide expanses of the Serengeti, we return to the Ngorongoro Conservation Area and ascend the outer wall of the crater. The Ngorongoro is a World Heritage Site with a biosphere of concentrated fauna and flora second to none. The view from the rim is definitely 'photo material' and after stopping to admire the fantastic scenery below, we descend the steep access road onto the crater floor for an afternoon game viewing. Most of the major mammals can be found here and we hope to view lion, elephant, rhino, buffalo, gazelle, wildebeest and zebra, as well as a variety of birdlife, attracted by the crater's soda lake. As the afternoon draws to a close, we drive back up the wall for our last night at camp.
Day 11: Return to Nairobi (B)
We journey back across the Rift Valley to Arusha, in time to catch the afternoon shuttle to Nairobi. We aim to arrive in Kenya's capital towards the end of the afternoon, (traffic permitting) where our tour ends.
