Mt. Kilimanjaro: To The Summit On A Mission

After breakfast at the lodge, transfer to Arusha National Park. In anticipation of the climb ahead, acclimate today as you walk with a ranger through the park. Located between Mt. Kilimanjaro and Mt. Meru, Arusha National Park has a wide range of habitat, from the string of crater lakes with flocks of water birds, to highland mountain forest and on up to the imposing summit of Mt. Meru. At 14,990 feet, Mt. Meru is the fifth highest peak in Africa. The mountain forest contains a wealth of birds and other animals, including bushbuck, easily glimpsed in the glades between the ancient cedar trees, or black and white colobus monkey climbing along the branches. The geology of the area is reflected in the impressive view of the ash cone and cliff face leading to the summit of Mt. Meru. Enjoy a picnic lunch, followed by afternoon game drives. This evening, you have a group orientation before you enjoy a welcome dinner. Mountain Village Lodge B L D

After breakfast, you are driven across the Masai Steppe to our trailhead at the Lemosho Glades at the foot of Kilimanjaro. The drive takes about 3 hours. After the registration that takes about one hour, you drive for another hour to the trail head. You start with a gentle walk through St. John's flowers, giant fig and dense forests up to the camp. Your camp is set up near huts once used for shelter on the mountain. As you make your way up through the forested terrain, you may see colobus monkey and signs of elephant. Hiking time - 5 hours Elevation - 9,000 feet Forest Camp B L D

After breakfast in the forest, you start a slow walk to aid acclimatization. Travel through a savannah of tall grasses and bearded heather, ghostly landscapes of volcanic lava, caves and foamy streams framed by giant groundsels. Shira offers magnificent views of the Great Rift Valley, studded with mountains. Among them Mt. Meru and Longido are especially prominent. With abundant bird life all around you, you trek out of the forest and walk up into the Hagenia zone - moor land, through a savannah of tall grasses and bearded heather. At the half way point between the forest camp and Shira Camp, you stop for lunch. The Shira Cone rises about 660 meters above the plateau. Beyond it to the west is the Shira Ridge, a steep rise reaching more than 1300 feet above plateau level at its trig point. The southern ridge of the Shira Plateau has two dramatic peaks called Cathedral and the Needle. Your final destination is the Shira Caldera, a high desert Plateau, where on clear days you will get views of Kibo. Your camp is set on the Shira Plateau. Tonight we celebrate the arrival of 2010. Total hiking time 7 hours Elevation - 12,000 feet Shira Camp B L D

Today you wake up with a breathtaking view of the entire Western Breech and Gredner Glacier. You view the Shira Plateau, Shira Needle, and Shira Cathedral. You might see some eland, buffalo, duikers, and jackals! Today's route takes you through the immense alpine heather zone approaching Kibo massif from the west and steadily upward to Shira 2 Camp where you spend the night. Total hiking time - 4 hours Elevation - 12,535 feet Shira 2 Camp B L D

Proceed steadily upward through the heather and into the barren high-altitude desert, toward the "Shark's Tooth." The trek is about 2-3 hours to Moir Camp, one of the least visited camps on the mountain, nestled between very black and spherical, volcanic topography. The location affords the stunning views overlooking the Shira Plateau and Amboseli Game Reserve. At Moir Camp, you can further your acclimatization with a nature hike down to Fischer Camp named after Scott Fischer, the famous mountaineer; or you might decide to hike up towards the Gredner Glacier. Total hiking time - 5 hours Elevation - 13,900 feet Moir Camp B L D

After breakfast, you continue to acclimatize with a hike up to the Lava Tower that will take about 4 hours. Deep gorges (barrancos) have been carved into the soft rocks and ashes of Kilimanjaro. The most impressive of these is the Great Barranco below the Western Breach (15,100 feet). Here you feel dwarfed by the immense size of this free standing weathered rock measuring 320 feet in height. You might attempt to climb the tower or simply relax and take photos of the Western Breach. Total hiking time - 4 hours Elevation - 15,092 feet Lava Tower Camp B L D

As you start getting closer to the summit, you notice more wind and a significant drop in temperature. At this point the weather becomes unpredictable and a clear day you see the whole Shira Plateau and Mt. Meru below you on the Western side. The steep screed paths are interspersed with rocky steps which require hands to be used and care to be taken not to dislodge rocks on those below. The crater rim is reached at about 5700 m and the summit is still about 1 kilometer away in a straight line but 3 kilometers via Stella Point. First the crater must be traversed passing the remnants of the Furtwangler Glacier, then the rim regained by Stella Point before the final section to the summit. Here you enjoy a hot lunch with a break of about one hour. Later on you proceed up to the Arrow Glacier Camp at the foot of the Great Western Breach. Spend the rest of the day relaxing and acclimatizing or exploring the surrounding area. Total hiking time 2.5 hours Elevation 15,748 feet Arrow Glacier Camp B L D

In the early morning after your wake up call, you continue to enjoy views of Western Breach and the Breach Wall. On a clear day you can see some of the Rift Valley Mountain Giants protruding above the clouds - Mt. Meru Peak, Londigo, Kitumbeni and Oldonio Lengai. The first phase to the summit takes about one hour after which you are required to rest for 10 minutes. This cycle continues for a period of 4 hours followed by lunch in sub-freezing temperatures. Hot lunch will be served an hour and a half before the Crater Rim. Your camp will be ready for you on the Crater floor (18,372 feet). The rest of the day can be spent exploring the area or relaxing in camp with splendid views of Kibo Peak and Reusch Crater. Kibo Peak overhead will be seemingly just out of reach (19,343 feet). Kibo's glacier summit, the highest point in Africa, is a 1.2 miles x 1.7 miles caldera with an inner crater nearly a mile wide, and inside that a deep, 1148 feet wide central pit. Kibo is the best preserved center; it has three concentric craters and the outer crater rim leads up to Uhuru Summit - the chief summit waiting to meet your challenge the following morning! Total hike: 5 - 6 hours from Arrow Glacier Camp to Crater Camp Elevation: 18,832 feet Crater Camp B L D

This morning you are awakened early to start your final ascent! It will take you approximately 1.5 hours to climb from Crater Camp up to the Summit. Once at the summit, which you reach in time to watch the beautiful sunrise, you can pride yourself on your great achievement - at 19,340 feet, the Uhuru Peak is the highest point in Africa. Uhuru, when translated from Swahili to English, means Freedom! Enjoy a celebratory glass of champagne, and take in the breathtaking scenery and abundant photos. After time on the peak, begin the descent to your last campsite on the mountain. You leave the snowcap behind, and pass through loose scree marking the beginning of the familiar ghostlike alpine desert rocky landscape. The hike will take you down Barafu Valley to your first stop which will be after 3 hours. From here you continue your descent for another 1.5 hours to reach the millennium camp and proceed to Mweka Camp. Total day hiking: 7.5 hours Elevation: 10,170 feet. Mweka Camp B L D

This morning you experience a different setting all around you - it is filled with bird life, sounds of Colobus and Blue Faced monkeys in a land filled with lush forests on the slopes of the silent giant - the shining mountain or as the Maasai know it as Oldoinio Naibor - the white mountain. You continue with your descent towards Mweka Gate through the mountain forest filled with age old trees, vines, orchids, Spanish moss, flowers, birds and butterflies. You finally reach the base of the mountain, where your Abercrombie & Kent representative meets you for lunch. Then transfer to Mountain Village Lodge where a day room is waiting for you to relax prior to your transfer for your overnight flight home. Mountain Village Lodge (dayroom) B L