DAY 1 -- Shira Gate to Shira Camp Elevation (m): 1830m to 3840m Elevation (ft): 6000ft to 12,600ft Distance: 18km Hiking Time: 5-7 hours Habitat: Montane Forest
The drive from Moshi to the trailhead takes about 3 hours. We walk through the rain forest on a winding trail up a ridge. Lower down, the trail can be muddy and slippery. Gaiters and trekking poles are a good idea here. We continue a short distance until we reach the Shira Camp.
DAY 2 -- Shira Camp to Lava Tower to Barranco Camp Elevation (m): 3840m to 4630m to 3860m Elevation (ft): 12,600ft to 12,700ft to 13,000ft Distance: 15 km Walking Time: 5-7 hours Habitat: Semi-desert
From the Shira Plateau, we continue to the east up a ridge, passing the junction towards the peak of Kibo. As we continue, our direction changes to the South East towards the Lava Tower, called the "Shark's Tooth." Shortly after the tower, we come to the second junction which brings us up to the Arrow Glacier at an altitude of 4,876 meters. We now continue down to the Barranco Hut at an altitude of 3,860 meters. Here we rest, enjoy dinner, and overnight. Although you end the day at the same elevation as when you started, this day is very important for acclimatization and will help your body prepare for summit day.
DAY 3 -- Barranco Camp to Karanga Camp Elevation (m): 3860m to 4200m Elevation (ft): 13,255ft Distance: 5.5 km Hiking Time: 4 - 5 hours Habitat: Alpine Desert
After breakfast, we leave Barranco and continue on a steep ridge passing the Barranco Wall, to the Karanga Valley campsite.
DAY 4 -- Karanga Camp to Barafu Camp Elevation (m): 4200m to 4600m Elevation (ft): 13,255ft to 15,100ft Distance: 7.5km Hiking Time: 4-5 hours Habitat: Alpine Desert
After breakfast, we leave Karanga Camp and continue through the Karanga Valley and the junction which connects with the Mweka Trail. We continue up to the Barafu Hut. You have completed the South Circuit, which offers views of the summit from many different angles. Here we make camp, rest, enjoy dinner, and prepare for the summit day. The two peaks of Mawenzi and Kibo are to be seen from this position.
DAY 5 -- Barafu Camp to Summit to Mweka Hut Elevation (m): 4600m to 5895m (and down to 3100m) Elevation (ft): 15,100ft to 19,300ft (and down to 10,200ft) Distance: 7km ascent / 23km descent Hiking Time:6- 8 hours ascent / 7-8 hours descent Habitat: Stone scree and ice-capped summit
Very early in the morning (midnight to 2am), we continue our way to the summit between the Rebmann and Ratzel glaciers. You head in a northwesterly direction and ascend through heavy scree towards Stella Point on the crater rim. This is the most mentally and physically challenging portion of the trek. At Stella Point (5685m), you will stop for a short rest and will be rewarded with the most magnificent sunrise you are ever likely to see (weather permitting).From Stella Point, you may encounter snow all they way on your 1-hour ascent to the summit. At Uhuru Peak, you have reached the highest point on Mount Kilimanjaro and the continent of Africa. Faster hikers will see the sunrise from the summit. It can be very cold at night at these elevations, but it will be quite warm by the end of the hiking day. You will want clothing for both extremes with you. From the summit, we now make our descent continuing straight down to the Mweka Hut camp site, stopping at Barafu for lunch. You will want gaiters and trekking poles for the loose gravel going down. Mweka Camp is situated in the upper forest and mist or rain can be expected in the late afternoon. Later in the evening, we enjoy our last dinner on the mountain and a well-earned sleep.
DAY 6 -- Mweka Camp to Arusha Elevation (m): 3100m to 1830m Elevation (ft): 10,200ft to 6000ft Distance: 15 km Hiking Time: 3-4 hours Habitat: Forest
After breakfast, we continue the descent down to the Mweka Park Gate to receive your summit certificates. At lower elevations, it can be wet and muddy. Gaiters and trekking poles will help. Shorts and t-shirts will probably be plenty to wear (keep rain gear and warmer clothing handy). From the gate, continue another hour to Mweka Village. A vehicle will meet you at Mweka village to drive you back to hotel in Arusha. Don't forget to tip your guides and porters It is time for celebration!
Price Includes: -All park entry fees. -All camping/hut fees. -Rescue fees. -Guide and porters fees. -Guide and porters salaries. -Transport to and from the mountain gates. -Meals 3 times daily. -Cook and all kitchen utensils.
Price Excludes: - International flights - The first night on your arrival and last night after safari (book with us) - Airport transfers (book with us for 60$ per transfer) - Hard and soft drinks and tips, - and all Mountain Gears (we can arrange hire of this)
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Our driver was friendly and knowledgeable about the animals, plants, and history of the parks we toured. Our camp cook was amazing! He prepared some of the best dishes that I had in Tanzania. Also, he baked my friend and I a special cake to help celebrate the New Year! Finally, Peniel made us certificates that included our date of travel and the names of the parks that we visited.
Peniel even arranged for our (cheap) transfer to the airport after our stay in Arusha. Overall, it was a great experience and I would highly recommend them.
We just arrived home from a amazing 14 day holiday visiting several wildlife parks of Tanzania and in the end spending relaxing days in Zanzibar.
After we made the initial enquiry Peniel got in touch with us and fulfilled all our special wishes. All questions were fully and quickly answered via e-mail, and even when we arrived several hours early in Arusha, he managed to pick us up at the airport together with our driver-guide. We just sent a short message from Daressalam and he organized everything else.
We spent 7 days of wonderful safari on our own with John, our perfect driver and tour guide . The roads are sometimes very rough but with John we felt save all the time. The national parks we visited (Lake Manyara, Serengeti, Ngorongoro, Tarangire) are really fantastic and John presented to us so many more animals than the big five.
All the accomodation at the lodges was wonderful, good food and we particularly enjoyed the Tarangire Roika Tented Lodge.
We have no hesitation in recommending the safari operator to other travellers...
Our Safari turned out to be an experience above our expectations.
The service of the staff was perfect. The cost of the safari was reasonable. In fact we had such a nice safari that we already are planing on going with them again!
I also recomend them to any one I know that have interests in going on a safari.
From picking us up at a different airport to getting our lost baggage up to us after we had already started climbing, the tour operator really saved the day.
The customer service was incredible throughout the trip and we were able to create a very customized itinerary for our limited timeframe.
As someone who only goes on one vacation per year, I can promise that you won't regret choosing them
Thank you for the opportunity to comment on our Safar. We thoroughly enjoyed the complete excursion. Overall rating 8!
Peniel was the friendly and very helpful coordinator and his enthusiasm and quick response to all our questions was exemplary. Overall rating for his contribution: 9! He also helped us to adapt our Safari to our own needs. All his bookings and information was of a very high standard throughout.
All the accommodation was of a high standard, except for the Impala Hotel in Arusha.
The driver Apollo was friendly, but he must guard at not taking firstly the client ‘s interest at heart. We had to warn him to drive more cautiously on narrow and winding roads. His knowledge of the country, it’s people and fauna and flora in general is of a very high standard. His rating is 6.
The government can really put in a huge effort to improve the quality of the roads, mainly from the point after passing the Crater into the Serengeti area.
We experienced two flat tyres on these roads. The Safari vehicle we used was comfortable, but we expressed our concerns about it’s roadworthiness with quality of tyres, the opening of windows and the general performance of the engine.
Tanzania is indeed a very beautiful country with friendly people and lots to offer, but exploitation of visitors must be guarded against.
Just a note to say how special our safari was. From meeting us at the airport, even with a delay,to the stay at the marvellous Impala hotel, to the safari itself and a final transfer to the airport.
The punctuality by John our guide and Abu our cook plus their attention to detail were admirable. The skills, knowledge and enthusaism was very much appreciated by us both. We saw more animals,with a greater variety, than we could have hoped for. Each day was inspiring and our meals were of local, fresh produce and very tasty.
Finally thanks to Peniel for his tireless efforts to organise this special week and his prompt replies to all our e-mails.
Before our trip we have to admit that we were a little nervous since your operation lesser-known that some of the massive tour operators in the area. However, from the moment we met the team in Arusha, it was clear we had made the right decision and were in for the trip of a lifetime.
Our tour guide, Apollo, was a complete joy to spend time with. He was very knowledgable of the local wildlife and customs and was eager to share his knowledge with us. He was extremely accommodating during the trip - allowing us to stop at any time for any reason and enjoy the trip on our own pace. When three different ATMs in Mtu Wambu happened to be broken, he even lent us cash to hold us over for the next couple days before we could return to a working ATM...incredible.
Our Chef ("Stomach Doctor"), Abu, was equally enjoyable to be around and always had a smile on his face. His food was delicious and provided great comfort after long days on Safari. When we specially requested Banana Pancakes for our final breakfast, Abu happily obliged and made the best Banana Pancakes we'd ever had.
If given the chance to return, we would gladly use this tour operator again and would specifically request the services of Apollo and Abu. We will be recommending your tours to all of our friends. Thank you so much for providing an incredible life changing experience.
8
Client:
Pauline & Michael Stanley, Nancy & Michael Gocke - from Australia
I cannot praise the tour operator enough. After I made the initial enquiry on your site Peniel got in touch with me on a timely basis. Although I did receive answers to my enquiries from the other tour companies they were by far the most efficient and offered the best value for money.
All my questions were answered and Peniel told me things I never thought to ask. At our request they added on a few days in Zanzibar after the safari and that to was excellent.
Peniel was in Arusha to meet us when we arrived at the hotel and he explained everything we needed to know. He came to see us again when we got back from the safari to make sure everything went well and to explain the Zanzibar portion of the trip.
Our guide was also outstanding. During the entire safari his eyes were constantly on the landscaping looking for game for us to view. We saw all of the big five up close. We even saw 4 black rhinos thanks to Anton, and I understand they are hard to see. The safari that they offer is 30% cheaper than other tour companies. I was a little concerned that we may get a cut rate safari but that was not the case. The customer service, accommodation, food and our guide was first rate. All of us have no hesitation in recommending this tour operator.
We had a fabulous time. We had John as our driver guide and Benson as our cook... he is an amazing cook!
We saw Tarangire, Manyara and Serengeti national parks and the Ngorongoro conservation area. It was an amazing safari, John was an excellent guide, the car was an older version landcruiser, but very comfortable and suited to the safari as it had a pop up roof for photographing the animals and comfy seats.
The tent was great and the staff almost always managed to pack up and set up everything before we had a chance to help so we felt lazy but was nice to have it all done for us. We saw all the big 5 plus many other amazing animals and would definately recommend the company to others.
They have an office in Arusha and very competent customer service staff that went beyond duty to help us with going around Arusha to sort our money troubles when our bank had issues sending money from Australia.
Only suggested improvement was a bit more confidence from the guide in terms of engaging us, he had a great knowledge base but seemed shy in divulging the info, we had to ask a lot of questions. all in all a solid 8.5 out of 10! We had a great time with them.
Our safari was wonderful!, The Tangerine and the Ngorongoro parks were beautiful and we saw a lot of animals, although Lake Manyara was not so nice, may be because of the season we went, we couldn't see so many animals there.
John our driver was nice and knowledgeable. We also enjoyed the Octagon Lodge, the service was very good and the installation nice.
