masai tribe, kilimanjaro tours with Acacia Africa

DAY 1- 3
Dar es Salaam - Zanzibar
Dar es Salaam is Tanzania’s main trading port and commercial city; it is a bustling city of high rises, colourful markets and Arab influenced architecture. Dar is also our ‘leaping off’ point for our excursion to Zanzibar.

Evocative and exotic, Zanzibar conjures up images of idyllic, sandy, palm fringed beaches, romantic winding cobbled alleys and lush tropical forests. You will find all of these here – and an intriguing history. Zanzibar was the base for the great 19th century explorers such as John Hanning Speke, Richard Burton and David Livingstone and was once a major trading centre for spices. Indeed the spice trade is centuries old: Zanzibaris have traded with the people of the Arabian peninsula for generations, plying the ocean in simple dhow sailboats relying on the annual trade winds for passage. The Arab influence is evident in the architecture and diverse street stall offerings of the capital, Stone Town. Indeed the Arab influence can be seen right along the East African coast - the Swahili language itself the result of the mixing of Arab and African languages and cultures over many centuries.

Zanzibar’s other history is not so romantic. The island was also a staging post for slaves brought from the African interior being held before being shipped to slave owners in the middle east. You can still see the places where these men and women were held – and even a short visit is enough to convey the appalling conditions they had to endure.

Our time on the island is not structured and your time is at leisure. Perhaps the best way to see Stone Town is on foot: explore the bazaars, shops, mosques, palaces, courtyards and alleyways of the old town. Spices are grown in plantations nearby and you can take day-tours to visit some and have your senses dazzled by the tastes and scents experienced. If it’s white sand, sparkling ocean and hot sun you prefer – head for the northern beaches and enjoy the Indian Ocean at its best. Try snorkelling and diving, indulge in some sumptuous seafood, or simply relax beneath a coconut palm with a cocktail and a good book.

After three nights we cross back by ferry to the African mainland and Dar es Salaam.

NB Basic shared accommodation is included on Zanzibar however meals will be for your own account allowing you to experience some of the many different options available on Zanzibar. Please refer to the tour dossier (available below) for more information


DAY 4 - 5
Zanzibar – Dar es Salaam, Arusha
Returning from Zanzibar to the African mainland, we join our Overland tour truck and travel inland to the great game parks of East Africa. On the way north, if the weather is clear, we gain a view of the magnificent snowcapped Kilimanjaro, Africa’s highest peak at 5895m, where you will return in a few days’ time. We drive past the town of Moshi and on to is Arusha, a city of some 2-3 million people a melting pot of markets, vehicles and tribesmen, nestling in the shadow of Mt. Meru (4556m). After time to explore the markets, we head to our camp located outside the city on the edge of the Masai plains. Here there is the opportunity for camel riding or to visit one of the local Maasai villages; there is also a small but very interesting Masai museum, and you can see snakes, small and large in the nearby snake enclosure. For those who are interested there is a small school and clinic not far from the camp. Finally, enjoy Tanzanian hospitality in the lively bush bar. It is from here that we prepare for our two night/three day excursion to the Serengeti National Park and the Ngorongoro Crater.

DAY 6- 9
Arusha, Serengeti National Park, Olduvai Gorge, Ngorongoro Crater
We transfer from our truck to smaller 4WD vehicles more suitable for gamepark viewing and drive across the Rift Valley to the Ngorongoro Crater and Serengeti national parks. The open plains and wide horizons of the Serengeti, where thousands of hoofed animals roam is perhaps one of the most evocative images of Africa. Indeed, the name itself, ‘Serengeti’, derives from the Masai word Siringitu - meaning ‘the place where the land moves on for ever’. If you are lucky enough to travel between the months of July and September you should catch the annual migration – a magnificent sight of huge numbers of wildebeest and zebra migrating to new pastures. But at any time of year game viewing in the Serengeti is highly rewarding and camping out in the park where lion, elephant and hyena roam is an unforgettable experience.

Leaving the Serengeti’s plains (or sometimes on the way into the Serengeti) , we pass by the renowned Olduvai Gorge, the place where Drs Louis and Mary Leakey made ground breaking discoveries of early man in East Africa. Our next night is spent camping on the rim of the Ngorongoro Crater. At 326 square kilometres in area, this is Africa’s largest intact caldera known and has become known in particular for its concentration of animals. From the rim at 2400m, you have a sweeping view of the crater floor some 700m below. The following morning, we drive down the steep access road onto the Crater floor for a morning game driving. With luck we will see some, if not all of Africa’s ‘Big Five’ (leopard, lion, elephant, buffalo and rhino), as well as hippo, hyena, antelope, buck and the prolific birdlife of the area.

DAY 10-11
Arusha - Moshi
After a final Crater game drive we return to Arusha to spend the night before making the short journey (80km) to Moshi to move to the next section of the trip. The afternoon is at leisure – explore Moshi or relax by the pool and prepare the forthcoming trek.

DAY 12
Trek to Mandara Huts 2740m (7km, 4-5 hours), B L D Mountain hut
After breakfast and a briefing from your guide, we leave Moshi and drive for 45 minutes to Marangu Gate on the eastern side of the mountain. We begin our trek here, walking through forests tall eucalyptuses, home to a range of birdlife and colobus monkeys which we may see jumping through the canopy. It can be muddy here, so trekking poles and gaiters may help. After a stop for lunch we may have the time to detour to Maundi Crater, from where there are beautiful views across the surrounding region, including Southern Kenya across the border. We aim to reach Mandara Hut, our first camp in the late afternoon. Our porters and cook arrive at camp before us to start setting up and preparing dinner.

DAY 13
Trek to Horombo Huts, 3690 (11km, 6-8 hours), B L D Mountain hut
We rise early and continue our trek after breakfast, hiking through rainforest glades and follow an ascending path up through unique mountain heathland on the slopes of the Mawenzi massif consisting of giant lobelias and groundsel vegetation, some which reach over 3 meters high. Continuing on we enter an area of low shrubs and moorland where we take lunch. Although a long and quite strenuous walk, there are amazing views of Mawenzi from the moorland and by the time we reach our huts we have views of Kibo itself. We arrive at
Horombo Huts at approximately 3pm where there is time to rest before dinner.

NB. You may start to feel the effects of altitude sickness here. To aid your acclimatisation we can provide an extra day here at Horombo. On this day you could choose to either rest or take a day walk to a basecamp below the lesser peak Mawenzi. See below for more information.

DAY 14
Trek to Kibo Huts, 4695 (10km, 6-8 hours), B L D Mountain hut
If feeling energetic you could rise early this morning and catch great photos of the sunrise over Kilimanjaro. After breakfast we set off and climb through the dwindling moorland which blends into a rocky moonscape as you enter the sweeping saddle connecting Mawenzi and Kibo. Stopping for lunch we have great views of the peak and will be able to view the summit route we’ll be taking early tomorrow morning. This afternoon we cross the surprisingly wide saddle of alpine desert, to the foot of Kibo at Kibo Huts. This evening’s camp does not have running water so our porters will prepare washing water for us. We will also eat early so as to have as much sleep as possible before our very early start for the summit. At this altitude we will be looking out for signs of altitude sickness. While many people are affected by mild altitude sickness, the guide will advise if symptoms are acute and summit should not be attempted.

DAY 15
Trek to Uhuru Peak, 5895m (4km, 7-8 hours)
Descend to Horombo Huts, 3690m (14km, 7-8 hours), B L D Mountain hut
We wake at midnight to a light breakfast and leave camp at 1am for the ascent. Our goal is to climb before dawn so that we reach Uhuru Peak shortly after sunrise. Setting off, we take switchbacks across a large scree slope and reach Gillman’s Point on the crater rim at 5,861m between 5-7am. Here, views of the fabled crater and possible ice caps great you. After another 2 hours of hiking along the crater rim you have a final push to reach Kilimanjaro’s true summit at Uhuru Peak. This is Africa’s highest point and the highest for approximately 5000 kilometres! On the summit we enjoy our accomplishment and enjoy the views of the surrounding plains as they wake up to the day before our descent back down. It is another 7-8 hours descent back down to Horombo but a new view looking down! We arrive back, eat dinner prepared by the cook and get some well earned sleep.

DAY 16
Trek to Marangu Gate, 1830m (18km, 5-7 hours), Moshi
B L Local hotel

• There is no additional information for this tour