KENYA PLUS TANZANIA 15 DAYS BIG 5 SAFARI
6 DAYS Lake Manyara, Serengeti, Ngorongoro Tarangire
DAY 1: ARUSHA – MANYARA
The tour starts with lunch in Arusha town at 1230hrs. 1400hrs, drive to Lake Manyara. Enjoy an evening game drive in the Lake National Park whose inhabitants include hippos, monkeys, tree climbing lions, flamingos and other varieties of birdlife.
Dinner and overnight at the lodge.
DAY 2: MANYARA – SERENGETI
After an early breakfast, drive to Serengeti National Park. Lunch at the lodge. Spend the afternoon game viewing in the endless plains of the Serengeti for a chance to see the great herds of wildebeest, zebras and gazelles or a pride of lions lounging in the shade.
Return to your lodge for dinner and overnight.
DAY 3: SERENGETI – NGORONGORO
Depart for an early morning game drive around your lodge, return to the lodge for breakfast. Mid morning, depart for Ngorongoro Conservation Area. Lunch at the lodge. This afternoon, you will descend 2000 feet (over 600 metres) to the floor of the crater for a half day crater tour. Explore the forest areas that are inhabited by monkeys and elephants, the lake area, where you may see the flamingos and the open savannah where the lions hunt for food.
Dinner and overnight at the lodge.
DAY 5: FULL DAY AND NIGHT IN SERENGETI
DAY 5: NGORONGORO – TARANGIRE
After breakfast, depart for Tarangire National Park arriving in time for lunch and an afternoon of game viewing. Lesser kudu, eland, lion and gerenuk can be found in this beautiful park, noted for its multitude of baobab trees and its tree-climbing lions.
Dinner and overnight at the lodge
DAY 6: TARANGIRE – ARUSHA
Enjoy an early morning game drive in the Tarangire National Park. Breakfast at the lodge, followed by the drive back to Arusha with game viewing en route. Lunch in Arusha town.
End of Your Safari
KILIMANJARO CLIMBING
The Marangu or main route is by far the most popular way to the summit. The accommodation on the way up and down is provided in mountain huts with all the basic necessities. It usually takes 5 days/4nights for the round trip. The trek can also be taken in 6 days/5 nights to add acclimatization with an extra day at Horombo Hut.
Day 1: ARUSHA OR KILIMANJARO INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT – MOSHI
Pick up from Arusha town or Kilimanjaro International Airport and transfer to Moshi town, which is commonly known as the gateway to Mount Kilimanjaro. Half Board accommodation at a Base Hotel in Moshi.
Day 2: MOSHI – MARANGU – MANDARA (2,750m)
After breakfast and a short tour briefing from the guide, we will depart to Marangu gate of Kilimanjaro National Park (it is a 45-minute drive from Moshi to the Marangu Gate). Upon registering with park authorities, our climb will officially commence with a four-hour walk to the Mandara encampment. We will pass through a thick rainforest zone, where there is a high chance of rain in the afternoon. We will spend the night at Mandara Hut (2,750m), an attractive collection of buildings. Bathrooms are available with running water.
Day 3: MANDARA – HOROMBO (3,720m)
Today we will continue our ascent through the forest for a short time, before reaching the heather and moorland zone at roughly 3,000m (approximately a six-hour walk). Enjoy stunning views of the mountain peaks at this altitude. We will spend the night at Horombo Hut (3,720m), which lies in a valley surrounded by giant lobelia and groundsel, flora which are characteristic of this semi-alpine zone. Bathrooms are available with running water.
Day 4: HOROMBO – KIBO (4,703m)
Our trek continues past the final watering point, and ascends onto the saddle of Kilimanjaro, between the peaks of Kibo and Mawenzi. The vegetation thins out as we enter the desert-like alpine zone (approximately 4,000m) and, once we cross the saddle, Kibo peak comes into view. The saddle is an alpine desert that resembles a lunar landscape. Be careful to notice signs of altitude sickness. This seven-hour walk will be taken at a slow pace. We will spend the night at Kibo Hut (4,703m), a comfortable stone construction (no running water at Kibo Hut). This semi-desert zone receives an annual rainfall of under 250mm; the ground often freezes at night, but ground temperatures soar to above 30 degrees Celsius by day. Few plants other than lichens and grasses survive in these conditions.
Day 5: KIBO – SUMMIT – HOROMBO (3,720m)
Shortly after midnight, we will commence our climb to the summit of Kilimanjaro, since it is easier to climb the scree slope to Gillman’s Point (5,861m) on the crater rim when it is frozen and an early start for the six-hour hike improves our chances of reaching the summit in time for sunrise. From Gilman’s Point, it is a further two-hour round trip along the crater’s edge to Uhuru Peak, the highest point in Africa. From the summit, it is downhill all the way to Horombo Hut where we will spend our last night on the mountain.
Day 6: HOROMBO – MOSHI
Today’s descent continues past the Mandara encampment to the bottom of the mountain, where each hiker will receive a well-earned certificate. From here, you will be transferred to a Base Hotel in Moshi for dinner and overnight.
Day 7: MOSHI – ARUSHA
After breakfast, transfer back to Arusha town.
END OF THE KILIMANJARO CLIMBING SAFARI
