
Upon landing at Kilimanjaro International Airport or Arusha Airport, our representative will be there to assist you with your journey to the booked accommodation in Arusha. The night before the climb, you will have a pre-climb meeting at the hotel to go through logistics and check gear. You will also check to make sure you have the required medical insurance and trip protection in place. He will then go, leaving you to unwind, have dinner, and sleep overnight.
After a hearty breakfast, we’ll pick you up in Arusha and take you through the beautiful Arusha National Park to the Momella Gate. After the paperwork is completed, you will begin your hike from this point. At the outset, you and your armed park ranger may see giraffes and buffaloes grazing in the wide grasslands. In about 2 hours, you’ll reach Maio Falls, an excellent location for a break and a picnic. The journey then proceeds to the famous “fig tree arch.” If you keep going for another two hours, you’ll get up to the Miriakamba Hut in time for some afternoon refreshments.
The first part of the day consists of climbing a series of wooden stairs leading up a rocky path. Since you’ll be at a higher altitude, the air will be significantly cooler than it was the day before, and you could even find it easier to walk. There is typically a gloomy air to the jungle since the clouds tend to float low. Two hours later, at an elevation of 3,200 metres, you will reach the lookout point known as “Mgongo wa Tembo” (elephant back) and be able to take a much-deserved rest. The rainforest gives way to heather and grassland as you approach Saddle Hut (3,550 m) about lunchtime. Your walk to Little Meru (3,820 m) may be completed in anything from an afternoon to the early morning. Beautiful vistas of Arusha National Park and Mount Kilimanjaro, both approximately 80 kilometres distant, may be seen from here. When you get back to Saddle Hut, you’ll enjoy a hot lunch and go to bed early since you’ll be woken up at 12:15.
You’ll have a quick bite and perhaps tea before setting out from camp for the night. With your lights shining brightly, you will navigate the route through the woods to Rhino Point (3,821 m). The trail becomes steeper and rocky from here on out. As you make your way around the crater’s edge, you’ll be walking on a mixture of volcanic ash, boulders, and gravel. You may reach the top of Socialist Peak in roughly 4 or 5 hours. You can watch the sun rise over Kilimanjaro and get a great look at the crater on Meru, which is characterised by its steep sides and central “ash cone.” Back at Saddle Hut (3,550 m), rest and refuel with some soup and tea before starting the descent. You will rest in the Miriakamba Hut (2,514 m) before continuing your descent in the afternoon.
After breakfast, you’ll take the “northern path,” a 2-3 hour hike back to Momella’s gate. Although the descent is shorter than the climb, there is still the possibility of seeing elephants, buffaloes, giraffes, and black and white colobus monkeys. You will bid your hiking companions goodnight at the gate, and your driver will transport you back to the hotel we reserved, where you will celebrate your accomplishment and spend the night.
You will be taken to Kilimanjaro Airport in the morning, or you may choose to stay longer in Tanzania and enjoy a beach vacation on Zanzibar or a wildlife safari on the mainland.
Explore the vast savannahs of East Africa on a safari customized to your preferences, whether it's encountering the Big Five in Tanzania's famous wildlife parks, or visiting the Rhino sanctuaries of Kenya.