9 Days Hiking Kilimanjaro-Umbwe Route | Ngorongoro Wildlife
Print This PostPackage Overview
This safari through the great Land of Tanzania is an absolutely fascinating experience on the African continent. So you will have a taste of both adventure and wildlife encounters. On this Tanzania adventure and wildlife safari, you will participate in a mountaineering/ hiking experience of the Kilimanjaro Mountain. You will follow the footsteps of early trekkers; Hans Meyer and Ludwig Purtscheller who took on the adventure in 1889.
You will hike from the Umbwe route, and it is the shortest to the southern glaciers on mount Kilimanjaro but the most challenging route.
Proclaimed as the “Roof of Africa” and the crown of Tanzania, Mount Kilimanjaro undoubtedly offers preternatural mountaineering to adventure enthusiasts. It’s a mountain range of 3 peaks, and hosts the highest standing peak on the African continent at 5’895 meters above sea level. The mountain is one of the top three “natural wonders of Africa” and a popular UNESCO world heritage site. It hosts an assortment of various bands of vegetation aligned in zones that is; from Rainforest, Alpine-moorland, High altitude desert to Arctic.
On this safari, you will also visit one of Africa’s most fascinating wildlife destination areas; the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. It’s crater stands majestically as one of Africa’s Natural Wonders. The otherworldly wildlife encounters in Ngorongoro crater, a UNESCO site, are a true tale of an African safari. These two sites are popular safari destinations because of their prestigious nature.
Hiking level: Demanding
Details
Note: Welcome to Tanzania! You will be warmly received by our guide on the day of arrival at Kilimanjaro International airport. Later, transfer to the accommodation where you are to have your overnight before the Kilimanjaro trek.
Overnight (o/n): Pink Flamingo lodge (Luxury)/ Kaliwa lodge (Mid-range) Bed & Breakfast
Package Itinerary
Start with breakfast then leave the lodge and transfer to the park gate via Marangu to Umbwe. On arrival, here, you will prepare to take on the Kilimanjaro hiking adventure. Trekking sets off from the gate at about 1’640 meters and hikers ascend steadily on a roughly 7-hour steeper trail through a rainforest vegetation zone to the Camp (Umbwe forest camp) at about 2’930 meters where they stay through the night.
All the meals are prepared from here as you relax yourselves for the following day adventure. Hikers today have a gain in altitude of about 1’200 meters.
O/night: Umbwe Camp. Meal Plan: Full Board (FB)
Today after breakfast, setoff early from the camp at the edge of the forest, ascend gradually via the umbwe caves and crossing through an Alpine Moorland zone with varied species like Lobelias, Heathers etc. to the Barranco camp at the edge of a High-Altitude desert. This trail rewards climbers with vistas into the Umbwe valley and the summit of Kibo. The trek last about 6 hours with a gain of about 1’000 meters in altitude. Retire at the camp where you will have your dinner and overnight.
O/night: Barranco Hut. Meal Plan: Full Board (FB)
Have breakfast early enough, then continue trekking the Kilimanjaro. From the Barranco camp, you will hike for about 4 hours through a High altitude desert zone, crossing the wall from Barranco on a steep ascent lasting over 1.5 hours westwards, then you descend into the Karanga valley and finally take on a simple hike along the eastern valley wall leading you to the Karanga camp at 4’040 meters.
O/n: Karanga Camp. Meal Plan: Full Board (FB)
After breakfast, you will ascend from Karanga to Barafu Camp at an altitude of 4’640 meters. The hike today rewards you with a gain of about 600meters and takes nearly 3 hours. Today, you will have more hours to rest as you prepare for a remarkable marathon of trekking Kilimanjaro the next day. From Karanga to Barafu, the hike is through a High Altitude desert where you will cross over a loose surface of scree (metal like gravel). After reaching the camp, you will spend the remaining hours of the day here and also have meals here.
O/n: Barafu Camp. Meal Plan: Full Board (FB)
You will wake up early in the night (at or just after mid-night), and prepare for the adventure through the arctic zone, you take a hot drink and dress up in warm clothes before you start off the hike. You will leave Barafu camp, trekking all the way past Gillman’s Stella at the crater rim on to the Uhuru peak. On the trek to the summit, prepare for quite a challenging moment across rocky ridges and scree region as well as a cold environment. The climb to the peak takes about 6-7 hours and at the summit, you are in to capture “the once in a life time moments”, at the highest point in Africa; at 5’895meters.
Afterwards, descend for about 4 hours back to Barafu camp where you have a lunch break, then continue with the descent nearly 3 hours to Millennium camp (3’820 meters) where you will camp for overnight.
O/n: Millennium Camp. Meal Plan: Full Board (FB)
Start with breakfast, descend steadily to Mweka gate at an elevation of 1’630 meters, which lasts about 5 hours to the gate. From the camp at Millennium, you will descend through an area of Alpine-moorland to Mweka camp/hut situated at an elevation of 3’080 meters, and just after like an hour from Mweka camp you enter a rainforest fringed zone all the way to the gate. At the gate is where you will meet your safari vehicle. After being given your Kilimanjaro hiking certificate, you will be transferred back to the hotel where you have dinner and overnight as you also prepare for the next day wildlife experience.
O/night: Pink Flamingo lodge (Luxury)/Kaliwa lodge(Mid-range). Meal Plan: Full Board (FB)
Today after breakfast, you will set off to Ngorongoro Conservation Area, a world class UNESCO heritage site. Here you will be participate in a wildlife experience on this safari in Tanzania. The journey to the park crosses through a stunningly scenic countryside via Lake Manyara national park. You will have a lunch break on arrival, then in the late afternoon, you will descend to this grand volcanic crater, highlighted by the amazing view of the wildlife across the floor.
Overnight (O/n): Ngorongoro Crater lodge (Luxury) /Ngorongoro Tortilis Camp (Midrange).
Meal Plan: Half Board (HB)
Today after breakfast, you will explore part of the 15’000 Sq.km of Ngorongoro on an early morning to afternoon game drive. In the late afternoon to evening time, you will take on a walking safari. The activities today present you chances to capture some of the finest moments and encounters with the great game and wildlife species of Africa, like some of the African Big Five members i.e. Lions, Buffaloes, Leopard, Rhinos and Elephants among other wildlife such as Zebras, Gazelles, Reedbucks….
The walking safari along the various trails are one perfect way to embrace nature at close range. You will retire for the night at the lodge.
O/n: Ngorongoro Crater lodge (Luxury) /Ngorongoro Tortilis Camp (Midrange).
Meal Plan: Full Board (FB)
Begin with a hearty breakfast and checkout from the lodge then embark on a journey to Kilimanjaro where you will be dropped off at the airport for your flight back home.
Meal Plan: Breakfast & Lunch. End of Safari
Note: * Safari Starts and Ends in Kilimanjaro || * Please book flights departing after 1900hours
Include
*Park entrance fees and All activity fees (hiking & game viewing) unless labeled as optional
*Professional English Speaking guide& driver
*Ground Transportation in 4X4 safari vehicle with pop-up roof
*Round trip Airport or Hotel transfers
*Drinking mineral water in the car and during hiking and Meals as the itinerary details
*Accommodation during the tour, at the hotel and quality sleeping tents and mattresses during the hike and on bed & breakfast on day of arrival
*Porter fees
*Government VATs
*AMREF Air Evacuation cover
Exclude
*Tourist Visa fees (visa can be arranged on request)
*Accommodation on last day of the tour [can be arranged on request if necessary]
*Airline tickets [arranged on request]
*Tips, Gratuities and expenses of personal nature
*Travel insurance
*Any extras