Challenge yourself to trek to the summit of Mt. Meru, Tanzania’s second highest mountain and Africa’s fifth highest as a warm up and acclimatization trek for the Mount Kilimanjaro up the Lemosho route.
Mount Meru: Mt Meru is a real gem of a mountain and is often ignored by trekkers who only seem intent on climbing Kili. Meru is the second highest mountain in Tanzania at 4,565 m. There are great views down to the subsidiary cinder cone on the crater floor and of course across to Kilimanjaro for the next climb. Combining trekking to the summits of the Africa's continent's highest and fifth highest peaks. Starting with the beautiful ascent of Mt. Meru - an exceptional crater rim roller - coaster warm up and acclimatization trek for the big one - Mount Kilimanjaro on Lemosho route
Kilimanjaro Lemosho Route The Lemosho Route is an unspoiled, remote, little-used, and beautiful way up to the Shira Plateau. Above the plateau, you approach Kilimanjaro’s great western Breach, then follow the south circuit to reach the easier Barafu Route. This is one of the few routes where an armed ranger accompanies our groups, since there are still animals in the forest around the Lemosho Glades.
Mount Meru Itinerary: Duration: 3, 4, or 5 days trekking from Arusha Length: 46 km/29 mi round trip Elevation: 3,065 m/10,056 ft Momella Gate (1,500 m/4,921 ft) to Mount Meru (4,565 m/14,977 ft) and return
Day 1: Arrival Day: Arrive at the Kilimanjaro International Airport. You will be met at the Airport and transferred to the hotel in Arusha for your overnight and briefing by our mountain guide
Day 2: Arusha to Momalla Gate Elevation(m): (1,387 m to (1,500 m) Elevation(ft): 4,921 ft) to 3,000 ft ) Distance: 10 km Hiking Time: 4-6 hours Habitat: Montane Forest.
Transfer from Arusha town to Arusha National Park, check in with park personnel and in the late morning, walk under the Momella Gate to begin your trek. You soon pass some open grassland where you can view buffalo, warthogs, and elephants. Then, you continue a steady climb through montane forest. You can pause for your lunch at the famous Fig Tree. After lunch you, continue through less dense forest, where you can see birds and monkeys, including the black and white Colobus. By mid afternoon, you have closer views of Meru’s towering cliffs and Ash Cone. The Miriakamba Huts are situated in anidyllic grassy glade, and you will reach it in time to enjoy the afternoon sun and beautiful views over the surrounding plains between Meru and Kilimanjaro. If you are lucky, a giraffe may walk through camp.
Day 3: Miriakamba Huts to Saddle Huts Elevation (m): 2,514 m to 3,570 m Elevation(ft): 8,250 ft to 11,712 ft Distance: 8 km Hiking Time: 3-5 hours Habitat: Forest and Moorland.
It is often clear in the morning, so if you want a view of Kilimanjaro, get up early. From the Miriakamba Huts, you climb steeply to the crater rim, which is called Elephant Ridge at this point. Then, you follow a steep path through attractive open lush Montane Forest to reach the giant heather in the Moorland near the saddle between Little Meru and Meru. A hot lunch will be ready for you when you arrive at the Saddle Huts. Your afternoon is free to rest and enjoy the views, but energetic trekkers can make the short climb to the nearby summit of Little Meru (3,820 m/12,533 ft) or superb views just before sunset.
Day 4: Summit Day! Saddle Huts to Mount Meru Summit to Miriakamba Huts Elevation(m): 3,570 m to 4,565m to 2,514m Elevation(ft): 14,977ft to 11,712 ft to 8,250ft Distance: 5 km up 13 km down Hiking Time: 10 - 12 hours Habitat: Alpine Desert Moorland and Montane forest.
Start early at 2 AM and climb steeply for an hour to Phino Point (3,800m/ 12,467ft). In icy conditions or in strong winds it may be unreasonable to progress beyond Rhino Point but sunrise from hereis equally as spectacular as from Cobra Point. If the weather is fine, descend slightly and continue along or near a rough undulating ridge of ash and rock to reach Cobra Point (4,350 m/14,271 ft) near sunrise. The stunning views include the cliffs of the crater rim, the Ash Cone rising from the crater floor, Kilimanjaro floating on the morning clouds, and the Rift Valley. Hike for another hour on a superb but often steep path into the unfolding day to reach the summit of Meru. The view rom the top of this steep-sided peak can make you feel quite unique and suspended. Your hike back to Rhino Point in the still sharp morning light between the crater’s sloping outer wall and sheer cliffs of the inner wall is one of the most dramatic and exhilarating walks in Africa. Enjoy brunch and a well-earned rest at the Saddle Huts before continuing your descent to the Miriakamba Huts where you will spend the night if you are on the 4-day itinerary. If you are on a 3-day itinerary, you will descend all the way to Momella Gate on Day 3.
Day 5: Miriakamba Huts to Momella Gate to Arusha Elevation (m): 2,514 m to 1,500 m to 1,387 m Elevation (ft): 4,921 ft to 8,250 ft to 4,921ft Distance: 10 km Hiking time: 2-4 hours Habitat: Montane Forest
Taking a slightly different route, make a fast descent through open grassland and mixed forest, with good chances of seeing wildlife. This trail has excellent views back toward the crater and over the plains of the national park. You will reach Momella Gate by late morning. Remember to tip your guides and porters, since you will be leaving them here. A vehicle will take you back to the Hotel in arusha where it is definitely time for celebration
Day 6: Rest Day spend a relaxing day by the pool or have a stroll around. A walk to this small town with view of the mountain is as good as it reveals. Dinner and overnight at hotel.
Duration: 8 days trekking; 6 and a half days ascending, 1 and a half days descending Lenght: 98 km/61 mi total; 60 km/37 mi ascent; 38 km/24 mi descent Elevation(m): 4,065 m to 3,915 m descent Londorossi Gate 2,250 m to Uhuru Peak 5,895 m and descent to Mweka Gate 1,980m Elevation(ft): 13,340 ft /12,840 ft descent Londorossi Gate 7,380 ft to Uhuru Peak 19,340 ft and descent to Mweka Gate 6,500ft
Lemosho Itinerary:
Arrival Day: Arrive at the Kilimanjaro International Airport. You will be met at the Airport and transferred to the hotel in Arusha/Moshi for your overnight and briefing by our mountain guide
Day 1: Moshi/Arusha to Londorossi Gate to Lemosho Glades to Mkubwa Camp Elevation(m):915 m/1387 to 2,250 m to 2,000 m to 2,750 m Elevation(ft): 3,000 ft/4921ft to 7,380 ft to 6,560 ft to 9,020 ft Distance: 18 km, Hiking Time: 4-5 hours Habitat: Montane Forest
Drive from Moshi or Arusha to the Londorossi Park Gate. From here follow a forest track in a 4WD vehicle for about 11 km/7 mi (45 minutes) to Lemosho Glades and a possible campsite. From the Glades, walk for 3 hours along beautiful forest trails to the Mti Mkubwa (big tree) campsite.
Day 2: Mkubwa Camp to Shira Camp 1 Elevatoin(m): 2,750 m to 3,500 m Elevation(ft): 9,020 ft to 11,485 ft Distance: 12 km Hiking Time: 5 hours Habitat: Semi-Desert
The trail gradually steepens, enters the giant heather moorland zone, then crosses the Shira Ridge at 3,600 m/11,810 ft and drops gently to Shira Camp 1 located by a stream on the Shira Plateau.
Day 3: Shira Camp 1 to Shira Camp 2 Elevation(m): 3,500 m to 3,840 m Elevation(ft): 11,485 ft to 12,600 ft Distance: 6 km, Hiking Time: 2 hours Habitat: Alpine Desert
A gentle walk across the plateau leads to shira camp 2 on moorland meadows by a stream. A variety of walks are available on the plateau making this an excellent acclimatization day.
Day 4: Shira Camp 2 to Lava Tower to Barranco Camp Elevation(m): 3,840 m to 4,630 m to 3,950 m Elevation(ft): 12,600 ft to 15,190 ft to 12,960 ft Distance: 15 km Hiking Time: 7 hours Habitat: Semi-Desert
After breakfast, you will hike east up a steepening path above the highest vegetation toward Kilimanjaro’s looming mass. After several hours, you walk through a rocky landscape to reach the prominent landmark called Lava Tower at 4,630 m/15,190 ft. This chunky remnant of Kilimanjaro’s earlier volcanic activity is several hundred feet high, and the trail passes right below it. For extra credit, the sure-footed can scramble to the top of the tower. After a lunch stop near Lava Tower, descend for 2 hours below the lower cliffs of the Western Breach and Breach Wall to Barranco Camp at 3,950 m/12,960 ft. There are numerous photo opportunities on this hike, especially if the walls are festooned with ice. Barranco Camp is in a valley below the Breach and Great Barranco Walls, which should provide you with a memorable sunset while you wait for your dinner. On this day, be careful to notice any signs of altitude sickness.
Day 5: Barranco Camp to Karanga Camp Elevation(m): 3,900 m to 4,200 m Elevation(ft) : 12,800 ft to 13,780 ft Distance: 7 km Hiking Time: 4 hours Habitat: Alpine Desert
After breakfast, we continue up a steep ridge to the great Barranco Wall, then you climb this imposing obstacle, which turns out to be easier than it looks. Topping out just below the Heim Glacier, you can now appreciate just how beautiful Kilimanjaro really is. With Kibo’s glaciers soaring overhead, you descend into the lush Karanga Valley to the Karanga Valley campsite. From the camp, you can look east and see the jagged peaks of Mawenzi jutting into the African sky. After a hot lunch in camp, your afternoon is at leisure for resting or exploring. After two long days, this short day is very important for your acclimatization, since your summit push is about to start.
Day 6: Karanga Camp to Barafu Camp Elevation(m): 4,200 m to 4,550 m Elevation(ft) : 13,780 ft to 14,930 ft Distance : 13 km Hiking Time : 8 hours Habitat: Alpine Desert
In the morning, you hike east over intervening ridges and valleys to join the Mweka Route, which will be your descent route. Turn left toward the mountain and hike up the ridge through asparse landscape for another hour to the Barafu Hut where you will receive a hot lunch. The last water on the route is in the Karanga Valley; there is no water at Barafu Camp, even though Barafu is the Swahili word for “ice.” The famous snows of Kilimanjaro are far above Barafu Camp near the summit of the mountain. Your tent will be pitched on a narrow, stony, wind-swept ridge, so make sure that you familiarize yourself with the terrain before dark to avoid any accidents. Prepare your equipment and warm clothing for your summit climb, and drink a lot of fluids. After an early dinner, go to bed for a few hours of precious sleep.
Day 7 – Summit Day! Barafu Camp to Uhuru Peak to Mweka Camp Elevation(m): 4, 550m to 5,895 m to 3,100 m Elevation(ft) : 14,930 ft to 19,340 ft to 19,340 ft Distance: 7 km up, 23 km down Hiking Time : 8 hours up, 7-8 hours down Habitat: Scree and seasonal snow
You will rise around 11:30 PM, and after some steaming tea and biscuits, you shuffle off into the night. Your 6-hour climb northwest up through heavy scree between the Rebmann and Ratzel glaciers to Stella Point on the crater rim is the most challenging part of the route for most climbers. At Stella Point (5,685 m/18,650 ft) you stop for a short rest and a chance to see a supremely sanguine sunrise. At Stella Point you join the top part of the Marangu Route, but do not stop here too long, as it will be extremely difficult to start again due to cold and fatigue. Depending on the season and recent storms, you may encounter snow on your remaining hike along the rim to Uhuru Peak. On the summit, you can enjoy your accomplishment and know that you are creating a day that you will remember for the rest of your life. After your 3-hour descent from the summit back to Barafu Camp, you will have a well-earned but short rest, collect your gear, and hike down a rock and scree path into the moorland and eventually into the forest to Mweka Camp (3,100 m/10,170 ft). This camp is in the upper forest, so you can expect mist or rain in the late afternoon. Dinner, and washing water will be prepared, and the camp office sells drinking water, soft drinks, chocolates, and beer!
Day 8: Mweka Camp to Mweka Gate to Moshi/Arusha Elevation(m): 3,100 m to 1,980 m to 890 m/ 1387 m Elevation(ft): 10,170 ft to 6,500 ft to 2,920 ft/ 4921ft Distance: 15 km Hiking Time: 3 hours Habitat: Forest
After a well-deserved breakfast, it is a short, scenic, 3-hour hike back to the park gate. Don’t give your porters any tips until you and all your gear have reached the gate safely, but do remember to tip your staff at the gate. At Mweka Gate, you can sign your name and add details in a register. This is also where successful climbers receive their summit certificates. Climbers who reached Stella Point are issued green certificates and those who reached Uhuru Peak receive gold certificates. From the Mweka Gate, you will continue down to the Mweka Village, possibly a muddy, 3 km, 1 hour hike if the road is too muddy for vehicles. In the Mweka Village you will be served a delicious hot lunch after which you are driven back to Moshi/Arusha for an overdue hot shower and comfortable night in a nice hotel.
Arusha/Moshi: Depart for the airport or other destinations in Tanzania or Kenya. A trip to the beaches at Zanzibar is a good way to recuperate. We can arrange many reasonably priced trips and safaris to the Tanzania Nothern Parks such as trips to Serengeti National Park, Ngorongoro Crater, Lake Manyara National Park, Tarangire National Park and to Arusha National Park. Also we can arrange trips to Southern Circuit such as trips to Selous game reserve, Mikumi National Park and Ruaha National Park.
Extra Day for Acclimatization You can spend an extra day at Shira Camp 2, Barranco Camp, or Karanga Camp for acclimatization purposes. If you want to add this day, and maintain an 8-day itinerary, you can omit day 3 and walk from Shira Camp 1 to Barranco Camp.
Note that If you skip the rest day, you can visit Mawenzi Tarn on a 6-day itinerary.
Price: US $2,211per person sharing (minimum 2pax)
Extra days on the Mountain: US $195 per person per day
Price Above Includes: - Transport to and from mountain gates. - All parks entry fees. - All camping fees. - Rescue fees. - Guide and porters fees. - Guide and porters salaries. - All accommodations on the mountain based on three meals a day. - Cook and all kitchen utensils.
Price Above Excludes: - International and domestic flights (we can arrange on request) - Accommodation on the first night upon your arrival before climb and on the last day after climb (book with us) - Airport transfers (book with us) - Tips, drinks and all items of personal nature - Hard and soft drinks and tips - Sleeping bags but we can provide for hire on request. - All Mountain Gears (we can arrange hire of this)
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This is a fantastic tour and a "must do" for any first time visitor to Dar, as I was.
It helps you understand more about the people who live in Dar and makes what can seem like a complex and intimidating place, accessible, friendly and understandable.
My customized 13-day trip in Tanzania was absolutely amazing!
From breathtaking Ngorongoro hiking to a taste of Kilimanjaro and local village visits, it was truly a life-changing experience.
My driver and tour manager went out of their way to accommodate my whims and made sure that my stay in Tanzania was a pleasant one. Unfortunately I fractured my ankle during one of the hikes I took, but I was taken to the hospital immediately, and taken a great care of.
I would definitely recommend this operator to anyone who's looking for a tour that's much more than just game drives.'
We went on a two day walking – canoeing trip in Arusha National Park. The tour operator also made hotel arrangements for the first three days we were in Arusha.
They stayed in contact for 11 months via email. The person I was in contact with Elifasi and our guide, Apolo Kihwil, meet us at the airport took us to our hotel. On our rest day we visited a school at our request and not part of the paid itinerary this was on their time.
Our guide Apolo was the best we had on our entire trip. He was informative, friendly and had a great sense of humor, we were rewarded with a dream trip my favorite giraffe and several at a time the last bunch we counted eleven, baboons, wart hogs, black and white monkeys, hundreds of thousand of lesser and greater flamingos on big Momella Lake he provide delicious lunches and was infinitely patient while we took photographs.
I would not hesitate to use them on my next trip to Tanzania and would request Apolo as our guide.
We had a most wonderful holiday in Kenya and Tanzania.
They looked after us very well and we were very satisfied with their service. The service provided value for money. The only comment we would make is that the email from them gave us the impression that we would be staying in a lodge but when we arrived we were in a tent. We were satisfied with the tented accomodation, however it could have been made clearer in the original email that it was tented accomodation.
The staff were very kind and helpful.
Tour Operators Reply:
Thank you for the client's feedback and contructive comment/suggestion. We are glad that they were very satisfied with the service we provided to them, despite their impression that they would be staying in a lodge instead of tent.
As per the first enquiry which the clients sent into our company, she stated that she will prefer to stay in Camping “Accommodation Preference: Camping” and the price given to them was based on Camping accommodation, and these was stated in the itinerary that “Dinner and overnight at the camp”
However, there was typing error at the end of the itinerary which indicates Lodge accommodation instead of Camping accommodation.
We will try our level best to make sure that this mistake will not happen again.
After having a wonderful safari in southern Africa organised through your webiste, we decided to return again to Tanzania after 45 years.
We booked a 19 day safari to visit six game parks...Selous, Mikumi, Lake Manyara, Serengeti, Ngorongoro, and Tarangari.
Our guide/driver, Hurumu, met us at the Dar airport and drove us to a hotel for our day of jet lag recovery. We drove to Selous first. We're not strangers to East Africa, having first arrived in 1963. By far, Hurumu is the best guide that we've ever had. He was extremely knowledgeable of wildlife, has great game eyes, a good conversationalist, and was very caring for all our needs. He understood our physical age limitations (74) but was not at all solicitous. Cool water was always available. Hurumu had the ability to always get the Toyota into position for the best photograph.
We made our initial contact the operator in 2009. Elifasi, in the office, worked with me to create the itinerary. He also was most helpful. While at Selous we requested an itinerary change. Elifasi made the changes without a problem.
The entire safari was most enjoyable and problem free.
The best of Kenya & Tanzania and they made that experience a reality. They were always on time, concerned about our well being and would without any reservations recommend them! The scenery and game viewing were all memorable and expectations met. Organizing the tour was also without any hassle
I went solo, a 50 something white woman, and me and _______ (I forget his name), rode around for 5 hours. It was a unbelievable experience.
He was a wonderful guide, I called him the "Mayor" because everybody knew him! He was so popular everywhere we went that I felt completely comfortable, safe, and like an invited family friend.
He showed me 3 or 4 neighborhoods, I met coffee makers, chapati breakfast cooks (had breakfast there with a Masaai family who stopped by!), a traditional herbalist (where I learned the treatment for meconium aspiration, I'm a perinatal pathologist!), herbal pharmacist (where I saw that fenugreek seed is used to facilitate delivery with prolonged labor), local market, fabric seller, and had a delicious lunch at an outside Swahili restaurant. I played with kids, talked with everyone, and really got a great sense of the community.
My guide also is very active in local projects and inspired me to help with a bridge rebuilding project he is spear heading. The bicycle riding was easy and really the only way to get around in these neighborhoods. It was by far the best experience I had in Dar, and one of the best I have had in my many travels in East Africa!
We could not have asked for abetter way to end our incredible adventures in Tanzania. We saw everything and did everything we could have ever imagined. From the big game watching in the Serengeti, Ngorongoro, and Lake Manyara, to ascending the highly active volcano next to Lake Natron, it was all so unbelievably incredible. A total dream come true!
Our guide Huruma had he most expansive breadth of knowledge of the natural environment, he was a pleasure to talk to. He was also extremely flexible with us as lans often changed for various reasons, but ALWAYS for the better. Huruma made us feel safe and comfortable the whole time. Alex our cook as wonderful as well making sure we had the best quality meals possiblemade from the freshest ingredients.
Choosing a safari operator is tough, but I will just say that I will always recommend these guys. They are very professional and will do everything to make sure you have the best trip possible. Thanks again for our lifetime memories. We will be back, so you will hear from us again.
Thanks Elfasi for all your time, flexibility and support in orchestrating this dream trip.
