Depart the USA for Tanzania, usually flying via Europe. (Saturday)

Arrive into Kilimanjaro International Airport in the evening, where you will meet your guides. Transfer to our hotel in Arusha, at the base of Kilimanjaro, where we have a team dinner. (Sunday)

In the morning we explore the local villages that surround the base of Kilimanjaro. In the afternoon we hold our first team meeting, and organize our gear for the climb.

Drive to the Umbwe trailhead, with stunning views of the mountain along the way. Once there we meet our Tanzanian porters and staff, organize loads, and then begin our climb through lush forests. Six hours of walking will take us to our first camp, at 9,500 feet.

Our 6 hour hike takes us out of the humid forest and onto a stunning ridge with our first views of the famed Western Breach wall of Kilimanjaro. The trail continues climbing on this ridge until the Barranco Camp, at 13,000 feet.

Today is an acclimatization day at Barranco Camp. In the morning we take a 3 hour hike up the Barranco Wall to over 14,000 feet, from which we have incredible views out to Mt. Meru and the Tanzanian grasslands. We return to camp in the afternoon to rest and enjoy our local cook’s creations.

Today’s hike takes us through the last of Kilimanjaro’s vegetated zones and into the barren alpine world of the upper mountain. A four hour hike takes us past species of plants found only here on Kilimanjaro’s upper flanks, and ends at our camp at the Lava Towers (15,000 feet), incredible formations which we spend the afternoon exploring.

The move to our highest camp on the mountain takes only two hours, but is quite challenging due to the high altitude and terrain. The Arrow Glacier Camp, at 16,000 feet, is well worth the effort and boasts one of the best sunset views in all of Africa. We get into camp early, and spend the afternoon resting and preparing for our summit attempt.

Summit Day! We wake around midnight for a hot drink and snack and then begin our climb. The first 6 hours are steep and we occasionally use our hands to scramble over rocky sections (no ropes or technical experience are necessary) as we ascend the Western Breach Wall. Around sunrise we top out on the wall and step onto the crater. The route from there crosses past the small crater glacier and then ascends easily to the summit, the highest point in Africa at 19,341 feet! Our descent is via the Mweka route. After at least a 12 hour day we will set camp at 10,000 feet.

Four hours of easy descent take us through the Mweka’s lush rainforests (a completely different ecological zone than we saw on our ascent) to the end of the trail (6,000 feet) and our van. We return to our hotel for much needed showers and a celebration dinner. Those who only have time for the climb fly home after dinner (Monday). But we highly recommend our safari, an unforgettable East African experience.

We begin with a short drive to Manyara National Park. Manyara is known for its many flamingos and baboons, as well as lions and herds of antelope – all taking advantage of the water at Lake Manyara. In the evening we leave Manyara to drive to our hotel on the rim of Ngorongoro Crater.

A full day of exploring Ngorongoro. Ngorongoro holds the highest concentration of big game anywhere in Africa. It is an unbeatable place to see herds of wildebeest, zebras, antelope, and buffalo, along with the predators that feed on these herds – lions, cheetahs, and leopards. It is also one of the better places to spot rhinoceros. We will return to our crater hotel for a second night.

Today we take another early morning game drive in the crater. This is the best time to see many of the animals. We also visit a traditional Masai village, where we meet and learn more about these nomadic herders. In the afternoon we return to Arusha. After one last celebration dinner complete with stunning views of Kilimanjaro in the distance, we head to the airport to catch evening flights. (Thursday)

Return to the USA.(Friday)