A member of Ensembles Explores Adventures hospitality team greets you upon your arrival at Kilimanjaro International Airport (JRO). He will drive you to your hotel. Your briefing, in the course of which your travel manager will provide all the details of the forthcoming climb, takes place in the evening. A final check of your readiness to tackle Kilimanjaro is the final part of your preparations.
We depart Moshi for Londorossi Gate, which takes about 4 hours; here we will complete entry formalities while guides and porters prepare equipment. We then continue to drive up a steep path to the Shira Gate where we will begin the hike. The trek starts through shrubs and giant heather until we reach Simba Camp
Shira Gate to Shira 1 Camp
Elevation: 11,800 ft to 11,800 ft
Distance: 4 km
Hiking time: 1-2 hours
Habitat: Heath
Today is a fairly easy day to help with acclimatization. We begin by exploring the grassy moorland and volcanic rock formations on the plateau. Then we take a scenic path to the Shira Cathedral, a huge buttress of rock surrounded by steep spires and pinnacles, before settling at Shira 2 Camp.
We continue to the east up a ridge and then head southeast towards the Lava Tower – a 300 ft tall volcanic rock formation. We descend down to Barranco Camp through the strange but beautiful Senecio Forest to an altitude of 13,000 ft. Although you begin and end the day at the same elevation, the time spent at higher altitude is very beneficial for acclimatization.
<Elevation: 12,500 ft to 15,190 ft
Distance: 7 km
Hiking time: 4-5 hours
Habitat: Alpine Desert
Lava Tower to Barranco Camp
Elevation: 15,190 ft to 13,044 ft
Distance: 3 km
Hiking time: 2-3 hours
Habitat: Alpine Desert
We begin the day by descending into a ravine to the base of the Great Barranco Wall. Then we climb the non-technical but steep, nearly 900 ft cliff. From the top of the Barranco Wall we cross a series of hills and valleys until we descend sharply into Karanga Valley. One more steep climb up leads us to Karanga Camp. This is a shorter day meant for acclimatization.
Elevation: 13,044 ft to 13,106 ft
Distance: 5 km
Hiking time: 4-5 hours
Habitat: Alpine Desert
We leave Karanga and hit the junction which connects with the Mweka Trail. We continue up to the rocky section to Barafu Hut. At this point, you have completed the Southern Circuit, which offers views of the summit from many different angles. Here we make camp, rest and enjoy an early dinner to prepare for the summit day. The two peaks of Mawenzi and Kibo are viewable from this position.
Karanga Camp to Barafu Camp
Elevation: 13,106 ft to 15,331 ft
Distance: 4 km
Hiking time: 4-5 hours
Habitat: Alpine Desert
Very early in the morning (around midnight), we begin our push to the summit. This is the most mentally and physically challenging portion of the trek. The wind and cold at this elevation and time of day can be extreme. We ascend in the darkness for several hours while taking frequent, but short, breaks. Near Stella Point (18,900 ft), you will be rewarded with the most magnificent sunrise you are ever likely to see coming over Mawenzi Peak. Finally, we arrive at Uhuru Peak- the highest point on Mount Kilimanjaro and the continent of Africa.
From the summit, we now make our descent continuing straight down to the Mweka Hut camp site, stopping at Barafu for lunch. The trail is very rocky and can be quite hard on the knees; trekking poles are helpful. Mweka Camp is situated in the upper forest and mist or rain can be expected in the late afternoon. Later in the evening, we enjoy our last dinner on the mountain and a well-earned sleep.
Elevation: 15,331 ft to 19,341 ft
Distance: 5 km
Hiking time: 7-8 hours
Habitat: Arctic
Uhuru Peak to Mweka Camp
Elevation: 19,341 ft to 10,065 ft
Distance: 12 km
Hiking time: 4-6 hours
Habitat: Rain Forest
On our last day, we continue the descent to Mweka Gate and collect the summit certificates. At lower elevations, it can be wet and muddy. From the gate, we continue another hour to Mweka Village. A vehicle will meet us at Mweka Village to drive us back to the hotel in Moshi.
Rest in the hotel and transfer to the airport.
Note: Hotel check-out is at 11:00 AM. In case you need a late check-out because of an evening flight, there is the option to extend your hotel stay for an extra fee.
We've booked a safary and a Kilimandscharo treck with Exsembles Explores Adventure. Both trips were unforgetable and intense experiences. The organisation was smooth. We had a pick up from the airport and stayed in the Pili Pili hostel before and after the trip.
Great experience. Good guides and Cook! Guides communicate by radio, when animals are seen somewhere. So there's have a better chance too find them. Like this we have seen the big five and all cats. It was a great trip!
We had a group hiking to the top of Africa via marangu route for 6 days with 2gether 2africa Safaris.
It was a lovely experienced that we experienced in our entire life. I would definetly recommend this tour operators if your on a budget and if you do wanna do a solo or couples, they will treat you well and give you anything ASAP
This is my first review for 2gether2africa. We booked both a safari and Kilimanjaro so I will seperate them out as they were two different experiences.We booked a safari for 4 days and 3 nights which included lodge based stays in the Simba Lodge, Tarangire, Kati Kati Lodge in the Serengeti and finally the Rhino Lodge in the Ngorongo crater. We would of loved more time on safari but this was all we had. Initial communication was good with the company (Mike)
With 2gether 2africa safaris we booked two trips, hiking Mt. Meru (3 days) and safari trip (3 days, Ngorongoro crater and Serengeti). We had two amazing and completely different experiences. Mt. Meru was adventurous and a bit challenging with glorious and rewarding feeling when we reached the summit. Safari was more relaxed and easy going with our eyes all the time wide open to see as much wild animals as possible (and we were lucky with that).
and my friends we did a little hiking to the top of Mount MERU last week with 2gether 2africa Safaris and we had an exceptional experience through the whole hiking trip
We gotta admit it was a little bit challenging with a lot of fun and cool views on the way from the beginning to the end. On the way to the starting point we did pass through the Arusha National park and saw some wild animals like the giraffe, buffaloes, huge elephant that was stuck on the way and had to way for like 20 minutes for it to pass and the wild boar they are in form of pigs, our guide told us are the wild pigs.
We went on a 15 day trip on Serengeti, Manyara, Ngorongoro and Tarangire with 2gether Safaris which was the most beautiful experience we ever heard in our life.We did enjoy everything including the warm welcome from Kilimanjaro airport to the end of the trip. We saw big cats,enjoyed the meal from our great chef, and also from our professional guide, Mike, who had answers to all of our questions from the beginning to the end.
We went with 2gether2africa on a 3 day trip to Sipi Falls in Uganda. We were amazed by the beautiful green nature of the area and how peaceful it is. The guys at 2gether2africa were super accommodating and were there to provide for all of our needs. We were impressed by their wealth of knowledge and their warm hospitality on our trip. They were very professional and had really thought through everything we needed for the trip so it ran very smoothly and was exactly what we wanted in our holiday. We would definitely take a trip with them again. Thanks guys!
We booked safari trip with 2gether 2africa safaris and had amazing experience. We visited Serengeti and Ngorongoro crater and were lucky to see all the animals we were hoping for. Our guide was really helpful, trying all the time that we see as much as possible. He also taught us so much about animals, african culture and swahili language. And chef was also great, preparing for us delicious food and by request vegetarian. Only one problem, it was too much food :).
I went on the africa through eyes tour with Mike, and had a truly extraordinary experience. The accommodations where excellent, starting before the safari itself. Mike organized our hotel and our drive there, helping us navigate every step of the way. The safari itself was awesome, with great guides who knew the answers to all our questions and had great English. The chef who prepared tasty vegetarian food at our request and somehow managed to cook great food in the camping grounds. The staff went above and beyond so that we would get the most of our stay and see all there is to see. Above all was the connection we had with them. It honestly felt like we were all old friends, whether it was joking around in the car or hanging out at the campsite. I would never have imagined that my safari would be such a unique experience. There is honestly not a bad thing for me to say, simply book this tour and let mike blow your mind.
I went on a 4 day safari to Serengeti, Tarangire and Ngorongoro crater with 2gether 2africa. I don’t have one complaint to write about. It was clear that the Godfrey Leonard Richard (Mike) put a lot of time and effort into planning our safari. Our guide, Suliman, was extremely knowledgeable and took time to explain about any animal we saw or asked about. Our chef (we called him the president) energized us and always left us happy with the food. He also had no issue catering vegetarian for me. In the evenings we all hung out and all the staff added greatly to the atmosphere. I quickly learned that being with nice, knowledgeable and friendly makes all the difference for the time between seeing animals. All in all, 2gether 2africa exceeded all of our expectations. Its a perfect choice for both families and backpackers. The thing that stood out the most was the connection we had with the staff, who proved that this was so much more than a business transaction.
Finally we got the adventure we were waiting for our entire life to see Africa Savanna. We had smooth conversation from the beginning with 2gether 2africa Safaris till the end. The campsite and lodges was well planned and organized as we requested.
We booked 7 day tour to Serengeti, Tarangire, Ngorongoro Crater and Walking tour to the Highlands of Ngorongoro. In our first night we stayed at Karatu Simba Lodge which was amazingly to see the sunset, we also stayed to the amazing Serengeti Simba Lodge.
Our Guide Steven was the most part of making things great! He was knowlegable about the Wildlife and he got eyes like Cheetah to spot where the animals are hiding. He knows exactly where to go and to find the animals.
My two friends and I went on a three day trip with Leo. We are all 21 years and, and it fits us perfectly, highly recommended for other backpackers, families and couples.
The two first days we went on safari in Mikumi nationalpark just a few hours outside Dar es Salam. Tanzanian trafic police with their pointy hats and nice uniforms are fast to stop you on their traffic stops each 15 kilometers, but charismatic Leo was very used to this and knew exactly how to handle the situation.
Choose your dates, choose your travel package, and choose your comfort level. We do the rest. Let’s start planning your Tailor-Made journey.
