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Trip
information;
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 Machame route
Kilimanjaro:
The Machame Route is a beautiful route up
Kilimanjaro that allows you to experience the southwest
and south sides of the mountain, since you go up one way
and down another. All your equipment and supplies are
carried by porters and a cook prepares all your meals.
Unlike the Marangu Route where you sleep in huts, on the
Machame you sleep in tents (tents are included), and the
porters will pitch your tent for you. Meals are served
in a dinner tent or on blanket outside. This makes the
machame, which is referred to as the "Whiskey Route",
better suited to more adventurous hikers, and it is also
rewards you with better views than the Marangu Route.
From Late afternoon sunsets at Shira, to the misty
revelations of Kibo's great Barrance Wall, the Machame
Route offers the spunky hiker a continous scenic slide
show. The Machame route is normally completed in 6 days,
and this greatly helps your acclimatization.
Important:
We recommend you to bring
gears like; smaller personal backpack, thick hiking
socks, windproof/waterproof pants and jacket, heavy
gloves, heavy winter jacket, water bottles, gaiters
(covers top of boots and bottom of pants), hiking boots,
larger backpack for clothes, cold weather sleeping bags,
safari style hat protecting face and neck from sun,
headlamp style flashlight, camera of course, dried fruit
and energy bars, sun block, malaria pills, water
purification tablets, inflatable pillows, your regular
clothes.
Note:
We do not place groups
together. This way you are ensured the full attention of
our guide, but with the added knowledge of our guides’
experiences. It also means that we can start the climb
on the day you prefer
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 gai 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.
Kilimanjaro - Machame Itinerary:
Duration: 6 Days trekking; 4 and a half days
ascending, 1 and a half days descending.
Lenght: 100
km/62 mi total; 62 km/38 mi to summit; 38 km/24 mi
descend from summit
Elevation: 4,405 m/14,450 ft net
gain; 3,915 m/12,845 ft descend
Machame Gate (1,490
m/4890 ft) to Uhuru Peak (5,895 m/19,340 ft) and descend
to Mweka Gate (1,980 m/6,500 ft)
Day 7:
Machame Gate to Machame Camp
Elevation (m):
1,490m to 2,980m
Elevation (ft): 4,890ft to 9,780ft
Distance: 18km
Hiking Time: 5-7 hours
Habitat: Montane Forest
Your day starts
early with a briefing, followed by breakfast and a
50-minute drive from Moshi or a one and half hours drive
from Arusha to the Machame Village (1,490 m/4,890 ft)
where your guides and porters prepare and pack your
equipment and supplies. You will receive a lunch pack,
and you can also buy mineral water in the village. If
the road is very muddy, it may be impossible to drive
from the village to the Machame Gate, and in this case,
it will take you an hour to complete the muddy 3 km walk
to the gate. After registering at the park office, you
start your ascent and enter the rain forest immediately.
Heavy rains on this side of the mointain often trasform
the trail into a soggy, slippery experience, so good
footgear, trekking poles, and gaiters are useful. Yo
will enjoy a welcome lunch stop halfway up and will
reach the Machame camping area in the late afternoon.
Your porters will arrive at camp before you and will
erect your tent before you arrive. In the evening, the
porters boil drinking and washing water while the cook
poepares your dinner. Night temperaturs can drop to
freezing at the Machame Camp.
Day 8: Machame
Camp to Shira Camp
Elevation (m): 2,980m to
3,840m
Elevation (ft): 9,780ft to 12,600ft
Distance: 9km
Walking Time: 4-6 hours
Habitat: Moorland
You rise early at Machame
camp, and after breakfast, climb for an hour to the top
of the forest, then for 2 hours through a gentle
moorland. After a short lunch and rest, you continue up
a rocky ridge onto the Shira Plateau where you will be
able to see Kilimanjaro's great Western Breach with its
stunning glaciers. Sometimes, the walls of the Western
Breach are draped with extensive ice curtains. You are
now west of Kibo on the opposite side of the mountain
from the Marangu Route. After a short hike west, you
reach the shira campsite. The porters will boil drinking
and washing water before serving dinner. The night at
this exposed camp will be colder, with temperatures
dropping below freezing.
Day 9: Shira Camp to
Lava Tower to Barranco Camp
Elevation (m):
3,840m to 4,630m to 3,950m
Elevation (ft): 12,600ft
to 15,190ft to 12,960ft
Distance: 15 km
Walking
Time: 5-7 hours
Habitat: Semi-desert
After
breakfast, you will walk up a steepening path above the
highest vegetation toward Kilimanjaro's looming mass.
After several hours, you walk thorough a rocky landscape
to reach the prominent landmark called Lava Tower, also
called the "Shark's Tooth." at 4,630 m/15,190ft. 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 belowthe 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. Although you end the day at almost
the same elevation as when you started, this day is very
important for acclimatization and will help your body
prepare for summit day.
OPTIONAL DAY (7-day
trek): Barranco Camp to Karanga Camp
Elevation
(m): 3950m to 4200m
Elevation (ft): 12,600ft to
13,800ft
Distance: 7km
Hiking Time: 4 hours
Habitat: Alpine Desert
After breakfast, we
leave Barranco and continue on a steep ridge passing the
Barranco Wall, to the Karanga Valley campsite. There is
water at this camp. Then, on Day 5 you will hike from
the Karanga Valley Camp to the Barafu Camp, summit on
Day 6, and finish your descent on Day 7.
Day
10: Barranco Camp to Barafu Camp
Elevation (m):
3,950m to 4,550m
Elevation (ft): 12,960ft to
14,930ft
Distance: 13km
Hiking Time: 8 hours
Habitat: Alpine Desert
After spending a
night under the imposing Great Barranco Wall, you climb
this awesome 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. The route then heads down through the Karanga Valley
and goes over intervening ridges and valleys to join the
Mweka Route, which will be your descent route. You have
now completed the South Circuit, which offers views of
the summit from many different angles. For now, all eyes
are still on the summit, so turn left and hike up the
ridge for another hour to the Barafu Hut. 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. This
should include replacing your headlamp and camera
batteries, and to prevent freezing, consider carrying
your water in a thermal flask. Go to bed by 7 PM, and
try to get a few hours of precious sleep.
Day
11: Summit Day! "Barafu Camp to Uhuru Peak to Mweka
Camp"
Elevation (m): 4,550m to 5,895m (and down
to 3,100m)
Elevation (ft): 14,930ft to 19,340ft (and
down to 10,170ft)
Distance: 7km up / 23km down
Hiking Time: 6 - 8 hours up / 7 - 8 hours down
Habitat: Stone scree, seasonal snow and ice-capped
summit
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) "You will want
gaiters and trekking poles for the loose gravel going
down". 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 12: Mweka Camp to Mweka Gate to
Moshi/Arusha
Elevation (m): 3,100m to 1,980m to
890m
Elevation (ft): 10,170ft to 6500ft to 2,920ft
Distance: 15 km
Hiking Time: 3 - 4 hours
Habitat: Forest
After a well-deserved
breakfast, it is a short, scenic, 3-hour hike back to
the park gate. 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). 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 hotel.
Price:
US $2’153 per person sharing (minimum 2pax)
Extra days on the Mountain: US $190 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)
- all
items of personal nature
- Mineral water, drinks
(soft or hard)
- Laundry and extras in the lodges
- Tips and gratuities
- Sleeping bags but we can
provide for hire on request.
- All Mountain Gears
(we can arrange hire of this)
Book with us today and get 10% discount |
