Itinerary

Day One
Arrive at Kilimanjaro International Airport (JRO), purchase your tourist visa ($100 cash) and go through customs before collecting your luggage.  You will be met at the arrival hall by a Bio Bio Expeditions staffer who will escort you to the Moivaro Lodge.  The lodge lays 7km from the center of Arusha and sits on a 40 acre coffee plantation complete with beautifully laid gardens and walk ways.  From the main building there is an incredible view of Mt Meru, the second tallest mountain of Tanzania.  The restaurant and bar are under a classic African thatch roof that is tastefully complemented by a peaceful setting for the swimming pool, just a short walk across the manicured lawn in the center of the property.  The rooms are quaint cottages, each with its own veranda and private bath. You will love this start to your stay in Africa! Elevation - 1,500 meters / 4920 feet.

Day Two
Many people wisely choose to take the opportunity to rest from the long journey as well as mentally and physically prepare for your Kilimanjaro ascent.  However, you do have the choice of visiting the town of Arusha, which is culturally interesting and offers great shopping opportunities.  Or, you may choose to do an introductory game drive to the nearby Arusha National Park.  (This game drive is not included in your trip price.)  If you opt for the game drive, you will be picked up in a comfortable safari vehicle and drive one hour to the Arusha National Park. This is a beautiful, lush, relatively small park at the base of Mt. Meru with incredible views of Kilimanjaro.  You will enjoy the forested foothills and the open, grassy calderas, which offer perfect viewing of cape buffalo and other herd animals, such as elephant, zebra, giraffe, impala, sable, waterbuck, bushbuck, and warthog.  The forest is also a favorite habitat of blue monkeys, baboons, and Colobus monkeys.  Return to Moivaro Lodge.  Elevation - 1,500 meters / 4,920 feet.

Day Three: Today we begin our climb! Day packs and poles ready!

Day 1 of trekking – the gate to Shira 1 Camp:  After a hearty breakfast, we drive approximately 2 hours up to the town of Londorossi where we check into Kilimanjaro National Park.  It’s a short drive on a steep track through farmland and plantations up to Morum Gate.  We climb steadily through shrub forest and stands of giant heather to reach the rim of Shira Plateau (3,350 meters / 10,990 feet).  The views across the surrounding plains open up as we climb to our first camp in the center of the Shira Plateau.  Shira 1 Camp has great views and fewer crowds than the first night of the other routes.  The porters will greet us at camp with tea and cookies, tents will be set up and we’ll celebrate our first night on the flanks of Mt. Kilimanjaro.  We carry own bathroom tent, which is much nicer than the public facilities on the mountain.  Breakfasts and dinners are served in our roomy dining tent (Mountain Hardware Space Station) and our dining chairs all have back support to provide the most comfort possible.  Our porters will also provide hot water in washbasins so you can freshen up before meals and at bedtime! (Camp at 3,610 meters / 11,843 feet) 4-5 hours of hiking.

Day Four
Day 2 of trekking – Shira 1 Camp to Shira Camp:  This is a gradual day to help acclimatization and to explore the grassy moorland and the volcanic rock formations of the plateau.   Make way for the porters and they pass by with our camp in pieces on their backs.  After you arrive at Shira Camp, there’s an option to take a short walk to see the caves that used to serve as shelter for porters.  The sun will soon set behind the rugged mountain ridge of the Shira Plateau casting a purple hue over the valley.  (Camp at 3,840 meters / 12,598 feet.)  5-6 hours hiking.

Day Five
Day 3 of trekking – Shira Camp to Barranco Camp:  We ascend out of Shira Camp at a nice slow pace, as this is the highest we've been yet.  Kibo is in front of us throughout the hike.  After a lunch stop, we detour up a steep slope to the impressive Lava Tower, a tall, black volcanic mass of rock.  Some choose to scramble to the top, being rewarded with beautiful views.  Or, you may opt to rest and relax!  On the steep hillside above us we can see the Western Breach trail which goes directly to the Kibo Glacier.  After admiring the Lava Tower, we descend down to a cold glacial stream, refill our water bottles and continue on and around the mountain.  At this point, we continue to circumnavigate Kilimanjaro and view this beautiful mountain from many different angles.  After hiking across a sparse lava field, we descend to the beautiful Barranco Camp. There is another cold stream flowing through this scenic valley with the impressive Barranco Wall on the opposite side.  (Camp at 3,950 meters / 12,959 feet.)  6-8 hours hiking.

Day Six
Day 4 of trekking – Barranco Camp to Karanga Camp:  Wake up to hot tea and breakfast and immediately make our assault on the steep Barranco Wall, fondly called "the Breakfast Climb" as it is our first challenge of the day.  We will see Kibo from a new angle and have a nice, fairly short walk through high desert terrain and over several ridges to the Karanga River Valley Camp.  We camp beneath the icefalls of the Heim, Kersten and Decken Glaciers.  This is a “short” day of hiking so one may choose to do a hike up to the scree field and then "ski" back down or just rest in camp with a good book.  (Camp at 4,200 meters / 13,780 feet.)  4-6 hours hiking.

Day Seven
Day 5 of trekking:  Karanga Camp to Barafu Camp:  After climbing out of the Karanga Valley, the trail ascends a ridge to the Barafu Camp, our highest camp yet, at 15,980 feet.  From this dry camp (there are no nearby streams) we will be making our ascent to the top.  We plan to arrive early in order to adequately rest before our 11:30 pm wake-up call.  (Camp at 4,600 meters / 15,091 feet.)  3-4 hours hiking.

Day Eight 3,360 feet up, 9,172 feet down…3.12 miles up, 7.5 miles down!

Day 6 of trekking:  Barafu Camp to summit and back down to Mweka Camp:  Rise and shine at 11:30 pm!  Dressed in our warmest gear and with plenty of water (4 liters each), snacks, and headlamps we meet in the dining tent for some tea and cookies.  We begin climbing by starlight using our headlamps, the local guides always reminding us to go “polee-polee” (slowly-slowly).  This portion of the climb is, as you might imagine, the most demanding.  This is the marathon day!  The steepest section arrives just before Stella Point.  We ascend to the rim of the Kibo Crater between the Rebmann and Ratzel Glaciers.  The last section before the rim can sometimes be snow-covered and ski poles or a walking stick is useful for balance.  From here another hour leads to Uhuru Peak, (Freedom Peak) at 5,895 meters / 19,340 feet, the highest point on the continent of Africa.  After watching the sunrise and snapping plenty of photos, we descend back down to the Barafu Hut for a rest and lunch.  We then continue down the Mweka trail (used for descent only) through the giant heather zone to arrive near sunset at the Mweka Camp.  This is a festive yet dusty camp on the edge of the rainforest where you might want to have a little extra money handy to purchase beers and/or sodas. (Camp at 3,100 meters / 10,170 feet.) 11-15 hours hiking.

Day Nine
Day 7 of trekking:  Mweka Camp to Mweka Village:  Four to five hour hike down the Mweka trail through the rainforest.  Arrive in the village of Mweka where there are plenty of wood curios, batiks, T-shirts, and souvenirs for sale. We have a delicious hot lunch in the village then get on the bus for an hour-long drive back to the Moivaro Lodge, which will be a welcome, clean sanctuary.  After showers and rest, a delightful feast awaits us as we celebrate our accomplishment!

Day Ten
We are picked up in comfortable safari Landcruisers with removable roofs and drive west two hours to Tarangire National Park.  This park draws large herds from across the Maasai during the dry season as thousands of animals migrate from the dry Maasai steppe to the Tarangire River in search of water.  Lions and other predators follow the herds and can be found throughout the park.  The park is approximately 2600 sq km.

We have lunch at the entrance to the park and then have an afternoon game drive, ending up at the southeastern edge of the park.  We check into the beautifully laid out Kikoti Lodge and tented bungalows.  The lodge is located on a ridge with one of Tanzania’s most spectacular panoramic views.  While relaxing on the deck you can observe a variety of animals passing below and gaze across the vast plains to the escarpment on the far end, which is the natural extension of the western edge of the Great Rift Valley.  Accommodations are opulent large tents set on raised thatched platforms complete with beds, a desk, sitting chairs, electricity, bathrooms, hot showers and a private veranda looking west.

Day Eleven
We have full day to explore Tarangire National Park with a dawn game drive and a mid-day siesta.  We then go for an afternoon game walk to a rock outcropping overlooking the valley and enjoy a fireball African sunset.  We return to the lodge to have dinner and then you may opt for a night drive to study the nocturnal and diurnal creatures. Again, overnight at Kikoti Camp.

Day Twelve
After breakfast we leave Tarangire for Lake Manyara (95kms).  Here, there are panoramic views across the volcano-studded floor of the Great Rift Valley.  We stop along the way to visit Massai villages and overnight at the Serena Ngorongoro Lodge or Ngorongoro Farm House.

Day Thirteen
After an early morning breakfast, we descend into the crater for a full day game drive.  Overnight at Crater Serena Lodge or Ngorongoro Farm House.

    A few words about Ngorongoro crater…

    Often described as one of the wonders of the world, it was declared a WORLD HERITAGE SITE in 1978. The worlds largest intact volcanic caldera, it is a natural sanctuary for some of Africa's densest animal populations. Grasslands, swamps, lakes, rivers, mountains and wildlife are all there. The approach road winds up and up through the densely forested outer slopes to Heroes Point where there is a spectacular viewpoint over the 260 square km crater floor lying 600 m below. The Gol Mountains are at the far rim, Lake Magadi in the centre with Seneto springs to the left. Gorigor swamp lies to the right and Lerai Forest in the foreground. Access to the crater is strictly monitored, with only three roads (two of them, one-way,) to the crater floor. The authorities rigidly forbid tourists from entering the crater before 07.00 and they must leave before 18.00.It is estimated that there are up to 25,000 large mammals in the 100 square miles of the crater floor so you always see many animals on a game drive. They are mainly grazers but carnivores include a population of about 100 lions and approx. 400 hyenas. Open grassland covers most of the crater floor and this supports large concentrations of wildebeest and zebra. Buffalo, Thompson's and Grantís gazelle, eland, hartebeest and warthog are also common. There are no giraffe, Topi or impala in the crater. Elephant are mainly found in the swamp and there is a population of about 25 black rhino. Hippos are mainly found at Ngoitokitok Springs. There are many birds including flamingo on Lake Magadi.

Day Fourteen
Drive back to Arusha.  Stop along the way to visit the Reptile Farm.  Arrive in Arusha in time to wash up and catch your International flight home or transfer to the island of Zanzibar.

More information from Bio Bio Expeditions:

• View trip on provider's website
  www.bbxrafting.com/kilimanjaro-safari…
• Company profile, experience, and history
• View all of their trips