Kilimanjaro Climb – The Machame Route
Climbing Kilimanjaro - The Machame Route is an 8-day, 7-night climb of Africa's highest mountain, staying at Machame, Shira, Barranco, Barafu, and Mweka huts en route. Climbing Kilimanjaro on the Machame route is a more natural climb in comparison to the Marangu Route, which has been modified to make an easier path. The Machame Route is more demanding, much quieter and scenic route but makes climbing Kilimanjaro all the more rewarding. Overnights are spent camping in tents, which are carried and pitched by the accompanying porters. Highlights of this route are the Shira Plateau, Barranco wall and the Karanga Valley reaching the summit via Stella Point. Because this route is more taxing it is recommended that climbers should be physically fit. You will need to acclimatise and with the additional day on trek there is a good chance of reaching the summit. It will be a tough challenge but we know you have it in you.
27 FEB 2006: Arusha
On arrival in Arusha, you will be met and transferred to the Impala Hotel for the night.
Meals: D
Accommodation: Impala Hotel
28 FEB 2006: Arusha
In the evening, meet your guide to be briefed on your excursion, and hire equipment if required. Relax, focus and prepare before having dinner at the hotel
Meals: D
Accommodation: Impala Hotel
01 MARCH 2006: Machame Camp
You are transferred to the Kilimanjaro National Park Gate at Machame for the first section of the climb. Climbing Kilimanjaro begins here where you will walk through the lush rainforest to Machame which is at about 3000 m above sea level for your overnight camping. (5-7 hours)
Meals: FB
Accommodation: Kilimanjaro Overnight Camp
02 MARCH 2006: Shira Camp
After breakfast and an early start, you take a morning walk up a steep ridge, passing through heather and open moorland. Enjoy the views and scenery until crossing a large gorge to reach Shira Camp where you shall overnight. This walk takes about 5-7 hours taking you to a height of 3800 m.
Meals: FB
Accommodation: Kilimanjaro Overnight Camp
03 MARCH 2006: Barranco Camp
Heading eastwards towards Kibo, you will cross a broad valley and continue climbing to a ridge crest. Enjoy the views, take a break and then cross to Scree slopes and a river valley before reaching Kilimanjaro Barranco Campsite. This will take about 5-7 hours at a height of 3900 m where you will spend the night.
Meals: FB
Accommodation: Kilimanjaro Overnight Camp
04 MARCH 2006: Barafu Camp
The path climbs steeply out of the Barranco Valley, crosses the Karanga River which is the last water point on this route climbing Kilimanjaro. This is a steep climb over rocky slabs to Barafu Campsite to your overnight camping site at a height of 4600 m. This has stunning views of the ice fields. Before you fall asleep, know you are nearly there.
Meals: FB
Accommodation: Kilimanjaro Overnight Camp
05 MARCH 2006: Mweka Camp
After breakfast you have to start climbing early to reach the crater rim at Stella Point in time for sunrise. After taking in the amazing view you then walk to Uhuru Peak, the highest point in Africa. (6-7 hours, 5896 m) From here you will descend via Barafu Campsite through the forest to Mweka Campsite to stay overnight and relax after a long, but well worth climb. (5-7 hours, 3000 m).
Meals: FB
Accommodation: Kilimanjaro Overnight Camp
06 MARCH 2006: Arusha
Descend through the forest to the Park gate at Mweka Wildlife College (3-4 hours) were you will be met and transferred to THE IMPALA HOTEL for dinner and overnight stay. With a feeling of achievement relax and unwind for the night.
Meals: FB
Accommodation: Impala Hotel
07 MARCH 2006
Spend one more night at the IMPALA HOTEL inclusive of breakfast
Meals: FB
Accommodation: Impala Hotel
Simba Safari
08 MARCH 2006: Lake Manyara
Morning at leisure ( lunch not included). You will then be picked up in the afternoon for the Simba Safari + driven to Manyara Serena Lodge + dinner + overnight. You will spend the night at Lake Manyara Serena Lodge on a full board basis. This is one of the most diverse of Tanzania’s national parks, a tiny (325km²) combination of Rift Valley lake, dense woodlands and steep mountainside. Made famous by elephant researcher, Dr Ian Douglas Hamilton in his book, "Among the Elephants", Manyara was established specifically to protect the elephant herds that have made the area world-renowned. Manyara is also a birding paradise (more than 380 species), especially for waterfowl and migrants, and the forests are one of the best places around to see leopards. Lions hunt on the grassy shores of the lake, and were once known for their habit of climbing trees, although this behaviour seems to have been dropped in recent years.
Meals: HB
Accommodation: Lake Manyara Serena
Lake Manyara Serena Lodge is located at the edge of the Mto Wa Mbu escarpment and overlooks the Great Rift Valley and the Manyara soda lake. Each of the 67 spacious rooms has an en suite bathroom with shower facilities and a private veranda with spectacular views of Lake Manyara. Inspired by the abundant birdlife, the design of Lake Manyara Serena Lodge is complimented by soft, geometric patterns and striking murals depicting bird migration patterns.
The lodge’s main area includes a dining room with indoor and outdoor seating, a bar, lounge, curio shop and a small meeting room. An outdoor swimming pool is available for you to relax in after a day on safari. Climb into a Landcruisers and descend into the Lake Manyara reserve at three scheduled times daily. Then take a guided bird walk and enjoy nature’s solitude. Each evening after dinner, you may choose to have coffee or drinks around the campfire where there is local entertainment to amuse you.
09 MARCH 2006: Serengeti
Enjoy a morning game drive at Lake Manyara National Park before transferring to the Serengeti for two days of game drives on a full board basis, staying at the Sopa Lodge.
Meals: FB
Accommodation: Serengeti Sopa Lodge
Serengeti Sopa lodge is located in the Nyarboro Hills in the south west of the Serengeti National Park, and is the only tourism development in this section of the Park. The vicinity of the lodge boasts a fair amount of game due to the year-round water and the acacia woodland. This offers a pleasant stay as you spot game at your doorstep.
Situated on the slopes of the hills the lodge offers magnificent views over the rolling plains of the National Park. Access to the lodge is via a tarmac highway to Makuyuni and then an all weather road through Mto wa Mbu, Karatu and the Ngorongoro Conservation Area highlands. The alternative is a one-hour scheduled or chartered flight from Arusha to Seronera followed by a 45-minute drive through plentiful wildlife to the lodge. Spacious rooms, each with two double beds welcome you to a comfortable stay, while a swimming pool invites you to cool off in the African sun.
10 MARCH 2006: Serengeti
Enjoy morning and afternoon game drives in the Serengeti, the park of legends and dreams. Officially, the park is 14 763km², but there are no fences and the actual range stretches way past the borders, into Kenya’s Masai Mara, the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, the Maswa Game Reserve in the south-west, the Grumeti and Ikorongo Controlled Areas in the west and the Western Corridor, stretching almost to the shores of Lake Victoria. Simply put, at the right time of year, the Serengeti is Africa’s most spectacular wildlife experience. Anyone who has ever been there at the height of the migration will never forget it: day and night, it is an endless cacophony of grunting wildebeest, barking zebra, and the squeals of baby wildebeest being born and being hunted down by the ever-present predators.
Meals: FB
Accommodation: Serengeti Sopa Lodge
11 MARCH 2006: Ngorongoro Crater
Drive via Olduvai Gorge to the Ngorongoro Crater Conservancy, where you spend two nights at the Sopa Lodge on a full board basis, including a full day tour of the crater.
Meals: FB
Accommodation: Ngorongoro Sopa Lodge
Ngorongoro Sopa Lodge is located on Lemala Hill on the uppermost, eastern rim of the Ngorongoro Crater. The Ngorongoro Sopa Lodge is the only tourist development on the eastern rim of the crater and thus offers you unique and spectacular views down into the crater floor and of the sunsets from the west. Another major advantage of this location is that you can embark on your crater safari within five minutes of leaving the lodge. The lodge has 100 suites, all of which enjoy magnificent views into the crater. Each suite is carpeted and heated by oil fired central heating radiators. The spacious bedrooms contain two comfortable queen sized beds and fully tiled bathrooms equipped with baths, showers and WCs. Each suite has an enclosed 'solarium' with comfortable rocking chairs perfect to relax in. A small private lounge with a writing desk and a drinks refrigerator provides extra privacy to the suite. The lodge prides itself of its high standards of service and friendliness.
12 MARCH 2006: Ngorongoro Crater
Enjoy the full day game viewing on the crater floor. This is quite possibly the most famous of all Africa’s conservation areas, and is worth visiting at least once in a lifetime. It is the largest intact volcanic caldera in the world, and some scientists maintain that before it erupted, it stood higher than Mount Kilimanjaro, the highest point in Africa. Covering a mere 260km², the 600m deep crater is home to a permanent population of more than 30 000 animals, and is one of the only places in Africa where you stand a very good chance of seeing the "big five" (lion, leopard, buffalo, rhino and elephant) in the course of a morning or evening’s game drive. Unique to the crater is that the local Maasai graze their cattle on the floor, and it is not unusual to see Maasai cattle and buffalo grazing together, with a lion kill just a few hundred metres away.
Meals: FB
Accommodation: Ngorongoro Sopa Lodge
13 MARCH 2006: Tarangire National Park
Drive to Tarangire, arriving in time for an afternoon game drive. You will spend the night at the Sopa Lodge on a full board basis. At 2 600km², Tarangire is far from being the biggest of the Tanzanian parks, but its unrivalled landscape of open plains, dotted with thousands of baobabs, is unforgettable.
Tarangire rivals the Serengeti for the size of the game herds that congregate here at peak season (June to November). This is when many of the animals crowd around the only source of permanent water in the park, the Tarangire river. This is also the best place in Tanzania to see really big herds of elephant - up to 300 at a time. The park is also home to a rich diversity of birdlife.
Meals: FB
Accommodation: Tarangire Sopa Lodge
On the eastern side of the Tarangire River stands Tarangire Sopa Lodge. The lodge is located in the Tarangire National Park and is one of Tanzania's most easily accessible conservation areas. Getting there is pleasant enough with plentiful game to be viewed on the way.
75 suites offer you accommodation and have wall-to-wall carpeting, a private lounge with a mini bar, a bedroom with two queen size beds and ample room for a third. An en suite bathroom with shaver sockets and a hair dryer, and a private veranda offers stunning views over the baobab studded landscape. Polished marble floors and full air conditioning creates a wonderfully cool atmosphere compared to the afternoon heat. Jump into the pool and refresh in between game drives or take in the African sun at the pool bar. Among the wildlife to see here, the elephant population stands out as one of the highest in Tanzania but also has the highest number of recorded bird species than any other habitat, making it a birders paradise.
14 MARCH 2006: Day of Departure
Drive back to Arusha + drop off Arusha town centre (transfer to airport can be added - please advise flight details. )
Meals: B
“Meals” descriptions:
B Breakfast only
FB All meals included (full board)
LD Lunch and dinner
Cost includes:
· Transport as detailed
· Services of an English speaking driver/guide
· Accommodation and meals as detailed
· Current park fees and government taxes
· Transport in a safari bus with photo roof
· Guaranteed window seat in a shared vehicle
· Game drives and crater tour
Cost excludes:
· International flights
· All airport departure taxes
· Visas
· Driver/guide or local escort tips
· Telephone bill, laundry and any items of a personal nature
· Travel insurance
· Equipment and attire for climbing Kilimanjaro
· Drinks and dining tips, porterage
Additional remarks
· All tours operate with a minimum of two passengers. Rates for one passenger available on request.
· Tips - whilst discretionary, it is customary to give tips to guides and porters after the climb. Climbers are advised to budget USD50 - USD100 per climber (not per crew) for this purpose
·
What to Pack: Anorak, mittens, balaclava, snow goggles or ski sunglasses, scarf, 3 pairs warm trousers, sweaters, 6 pairs warm socks, thermal underwear, waterproof layer, sun proof hat, comfortable boots, sun cream, small first-aid kit, knapsack, and water bottle
· We may have to reroute the itinerary or accommodation in similar lodges in case on non availability
· Prices for domestic flights, airport taxes, park fees and government taxes may be changed without prior notice. This is beyond our control and any increase levied will be passed to you.
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