Ethical Private Mount Kilimanjaro Climb (Machame Route) & Safari

A one-hour drive from Moshi lays the gate to the Machame Route, where you will complete park formalities, meet your crew of porters, and start to climb! The first section of the route climbs steadily and involves real jungle bashing through magnificent forests.

This path is less well-trodden and is often wet and muddy underfoot.

• Trekking Time: 4-6 hours
• Distance: 9 km (5.6 miles)
• Altitude Gain: 1210 m

Accommodation: Camping at Machame Hut (3100 m)
Room plan: Double Occupancy (2 people will share 1 tent)
Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner

The route continues up through the forest until reaching the steep ascent on the Shira Plateau, where there are rewarding views of the mountain. Looking back, you will be able to see Mt. Meru rising high above Arusha town.

• Trekking Time: 4-6 hours
• Distance: 5 km (3.1 miles)
• Altitude Gain: 740 m

Accommodation: Camping at Shira Caves (3840 m)
Room plan: Double Occupancy (2 people will share 1 tent)
Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner

Walking now on high moorland, the landscape changes the entire character of the trek. You will traverse the southwest side of Kilimanjaro, passing underneath the Lava Tower and the final section of the Western Breach, finally reaching Barranco Camp (3900 m).
The day has been spent at altitude (up to 4600 m), but you will have followed the mountaineering code of ‘walk high, sleep low’ to avoid altitude sickness by aiding your body in acclimatization.

• Trekking Time: 6–7 hours
• Distance: 10 km (6.2 miles)
• Altitude Gain: 60 m

Accommodation: Barranco Camp
Room plan: Double Occupancy (2 people will share 1 tent)
Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner

Start the day by descending into the start of the Great Barranco, a huge ravine. Then exit steeply, up what has been termed the Breakfast Wall, which divides you from the southeastern slopes of Kibo. It is a climb over rocks, although not technical. Passing underneath the Heim and Kersten glaciers, head towards the Karanga Valley (4000 m) to camp overnight.

• Trekking Time: 4-5 hours
• Distance: 5 km (3.1 miles)
• Altitude Gain: 100 m

Accommodation: Karanga Valley
Room plan: Double Occupancy (2 people will share 1 tent)
Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner

The day is characterized by a short hike on terrain formed by scree. Walk through arid land towards Barafu Camp (4600 m) where you have the entire afternoon to rest before ascending towards the summit.

• Trekking Time: 2-4 hours
• Distance: 4 km (2.5 miles)
• Altitude Gain: 600 m

Accommodation: Barafu Camp
Room plan: Double Occupancy (2 people will share 1 tent)
Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner

We avoid walking too long in the heat of the sun today by starting around midnight and walking steeply upwards to the summit glaciers.
You will be climbing scree for 5 to 6 hours, but you gain incredible height over a short distance. The views are spectacular. You should be on the crater rim at Stella Point (5750 m) as the first rays of the sun emerge. Spectacular ice cliffs within the crater surround you and the views to Mawenzi Peak and beyond are breathtaking. Another hour’s walk takes you to your goal, the summit of Uhuru (5896 m), the highest point. Uhuru means freedom in Swahili.

• Trekking Time: 6-8 hours
• Distance: 7 km (4.3 miles)
• Altitude Gain: 1296 m

After a quick celebration and photos at the top, you will begin the descent by returning to Stella Point and then descending on Scree Slope back to Barafu Camp for breakfast and a short rest before finally heading down to Millennium Camp (3000 m) for a well-earned rest. On the descent, you will have fabulous views of the plains and Mawenzi Peak.

• Trekking Time: 6-8 hours
• Distance: 12 km (7.5 miles)
• Altitude Loss: 289 m

Accommodation: Millennium Camp
Room plan: Double Occupancy (2 people will share 1 tent)
Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner

A gentle trek takes you down through the rainforest to the Mweka Gate (1640 m), where park formalities will be completed, you will be met by our vehicles, and receive your certificate of ascent courtesy of the Kilimanjaro National Park Authority. Thereafter, drive back to Moshi where you can treat yourself to a well-earned shower and a cold beer or two.

• Trekking Time: 4-5 hours
• Distance: 10 km (6.2 miles)
• Altitude Loss: 1360 m

Accommodation: Panama Garden Resort
Room plan: Double Occupancy
Included Meals: Breakfast and Lunch

After breakfast we head towards the central Serengeti National Park, also known as the Seronera. We descend into the heart of wild Africa with its endless plains rolling into the distance as far as the eye can see. The Seronera area, one of the richest wildlife habitats in the park, features the Seronera River, a valuable water source to this area. Thanks to this water source, the area attracts wildlife that represents most of the Serengeti’s species very well.

Accommodation: Embalakai Tented Lodge or similar tented camp in the Central Serengeti
Room plan: Double Occupancy
Included meals: Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner

On this day you will spend your time on the plains of the Serengeti doing game drives. Here you have the choice to do the early morning game drives if you so wish. This will give you the chance to see nocturnal species retire from a night out as well as the diurnal majority waking up for a new day.

Accommodation: Embalakai Tented Lodge or similar tented camp in the Central Serengeti
Room plan: Double Occupancy
Included meals: Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner

After breakfast in the morning, we drive back slowly through the Central Serengeti with game viewing on the way until we reach the Naabi Hill Gate where we will check out of the Serengeti National Park.

From there, we will drive to the Ngorongoro Crater rim. The Ngorongoro Crater is famous for being the largest, fully intact volcanic crater in the world. It’s also well-known for attracting lots of big-game animals.

You will have a chance to visit the Olduvai Gorge or Maasai Village (at extra costs) if you wish. After arriving at the Rhino Lodge, we’ll drive to the starting point on the Crater rim about 5 kilometers away from the lodge. We’ll walk along the western rim of the Crater past the Oloirobi viewpoint. There are patches of forest to begin with, and later it opens up into thicket and grassland, giving beautiful views down into the Crater on your right and eventually equally good views towards Olduvai Gorge, the Serengeti, and the Gol mountains to your left. This is an easy-paced walk with no arduous climbs, just a few short gradients. It lasts about 2 hours and can be done at any time of day.

Accommodation: Rhino Lodge
Room plan: Double Occupancy
Included meals: Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner

Very early in the morning, we’ll drive down the Ngorongoro Crater walls to the Crater floor where we will spend the better part of the day doing game drives in this 8th wonder of the world, also referred to as the Eden of Africa. Here we will get the chance to spot the animals that we might have missed at Serengeti. With a little luck, you can spot the Big 5 (elephants, lions, leopards, buffaloes, and rhinos) in a single day’s game drive. In the late afternoon, we will head to Moshi and this will conclude our safari time.

Accommodation: Panama Garden Resort or similar accommodation in Moshi
Room plan: Double Occupancy
Included meals: Breakfast and Lunch

We will transfer you from the hotel in Moshi to the Kilimanjaro International Airport (JRO) where you will fly back home. If you have more time you can extend your tour to Zanzibar for an additional cost.

Included Meal: Breakfast