Yellow Wood Divergences | Mt. Kilimanjaro (+ safari)

Our next adventure travel opportunity will bring you to the northeast corner of Tanzania, where perched high above the floor of the nearby Serengeti National Park stands Mount Kilimanjaro. Confident and dominating, "Kili" soars to 19,341 feet. Join us this September to experience a full moon at the summit of the tallest mountain in Africa and the world's tallest free-standing mountain! If your schedule allows for an additional four days, we're thrilled to offer a once-in-a-lifetime breakout safari in the Northern Circuit. 

Itineraries for both the Kili trek and the safari are outlined below:

Kilimanjaro Trek

September 17, 2018
 Arrive at the Kilimanjaro International Airport in Arusha and drive about 45 minutes to the hotel in Moshi.

September 18, 2018
We will have a group meeting in the morning and spend part of the day organizing and packing all of our gear. In the afternoon we may take a hike to stretch our legs and clear the jet lag.  

September 19, 2018
MACHAME CAMP (9,750 ft.): After breakfast we will drive about an hour to the Machame gate, which is the start of the climb. Here we sign in with the national park authorities and begin hiking. The trail here is in great shape and winds uphill through the tropical rainforest for 5 to 6 hours before reaching Machame Hut. The views from our first camp are fantastic.

September 20, 2018
SHIRA PLATEAU (12,480 ft.): We start out at about 0800 hours and enter alpine vegetation. In the distance we can see the first close-up of the snow-capped summit. This is a great day of gradual hiking through fields of heather. At around 9,000 ft.we begin to see the first Lobelia, Protea and giant Senecia plants. This is another 5 to 6 hour day.

September 21, 2018
BARRANCO CAMP (12,850 ft.): Today we hike up over a high ridge, and then descend to Barranco camp. Our camping elevation does not change much, but the hike to almost 14,000 feet, helps with acclimatization. Barranco camp has a great view to the south over Moshi.

September 22, 2018
KARANGA VALLEY (13,200 ft.): Most groups will move to Barfu camp on this day. However, We believe it’s best to spend an extra day at Karanga to aid in acclimatization and to make the summit day easier. This is a 4-hour day.

September 23, 2018
BARAFU CAMP (14,950 ft.): We reach Barafu in about 4 hours. Here we will have lunch, and rest until dinner. Then we will sleep until midnight.

September 24, 2018 (Full Moon)
BARAFU to UHURU PEAK (19,340 ft.) to MILLENNIUM CAMP (12,500 ft.): At midnight we’ll have some hot drinks, don our headlamps and head out. We plan most of our trips around the full moon, but it can still be dark if there are clouds. It will take 6 or 7 hours to reach the crater rim. Sunrise on the Crater is going to be something to remember forever. The sun rising over the plains of Africa and diffuse light highlighting the nearby glaciers is truly a world class experience. After a cup of hot tea, we will continue along the rim for another hour or two before reaching the highest point in Africa, (19,342 ft). Congratulations! We will spend up to a half hour on the summit and then begin the 4-hour descent to Barafu. At camp we will rest for a few hours and then walk down to Millennium camp. This is a great 4-hour walk with each step adding more oxygen. (Many companies will go all the way to Mweka camp at 10,000 feet. This is a bad idea! Imagine summit day. You just hiked from 15,000 ft to over 19,000 ft, then back to 12,000 ft. This is a big day and you are tired. There is no reason to go another 2 hours and 2,000 ft on this day. This last 2,000 feet after summit day is a great time to sprain an ankle or twist a knee.)

September 25, 2018
MILLENNIUM CAMP (12,500 ft.) to MOSHI: In the morning we have a 3-hour walk down to the road. We then get a lift back to the hotel and a well deserved shower and a beverage with our guides. We overnight at the hotel.

Safari (optional)

Day 1: To the Tarangire National Park

After breakfast you will be picked up by your team, driving safari vehicles, and you will drive to the Tarangire National Park, where you will have lunch, before your first “Game Drive “,in the afternoon. Red and green are the dominant colors in Tarangire, the most wooded of the Parks .Watch out for the large scarlet termite mounds, and the endearing dwarf mongoose, that occupies the termite mounds as soon as they are abandoned. Look out too for the brightly colored red and yellow Barbet, which also uses the termite mounds to make its nest, and sings in a constant repeated duet with its mate. As you enter the park you will be welcomed by huge Baobab Trees and later the dense acacia woodland  After experiencing your first close-ups of giraffes, elephants, buffaloes, and a huge variety of exotic birds, you will drive to The Maramboi Tented Lodge, or the Haven Nature Camp Site

Day 2: To the Serengeti

After breakfast, we will drive to the Serengeti, via The N’Gorongoro Crater Ring, where you will see your first glimpse of the vast crater 610 meters below. Get out of the vehicle and take in the view from Heroes Point, look at the stone pyramid where the famous zoologist, Bernhard Grzimek is buried, with his son Michael whose light plane crashed here in 1959, when it collided with a vulture. Look out over the vast crater, the largest caldera in the world. From here you might be able to pick out the blue waters of Lake Magadi on the floor of the crater, covered in pink flamingos.  You will leave the Crater Ring and drive across the plains of the Serengeti to the famous Olduvai Gorge, where the Leakeys discovered the bones and footprints of our “hominid” ancestors in the exposed layers of rock in the gorge, which was once a lake bed .You will visit the museum, which relates the history of the discoveries and where there are some interesting remains on display including some of the footprints of our earliest ancestors. This part of the Serengeti is dry and  almost desert like, from the safari vehicle you can pick out ostriches, zebra, Thompson’s and Grant’s gazelle, wildebeest  and giraffe grazing on the top branches of the clumps of acacia trees, which are decorated with the hanging nests of the brightly colored Weaver birds . We go through the Nabi Gate to register our vehicle, and then your driver will take you on a “Game Drive”  Tonight you will stay at The Serengeti Serena Lodge or The Soronera Campsite

Day 3: The Serengeti

Another full day exploring the wonders of the Serengeti. You will be on the lookout for the "Big Five", lion, elephant, leopard, rhino & buffalo, but also ,look out for game in the Kopjes, small stone outcrops, which are often host to small mammals  such as the Rock Hyrax and the Klipspringer , a small deer.  Birds like rock thrushes and cliff nesting raptors abound.Get to know the difference between the Thompson's gazelle & Grant's gazelle, both present in the thousands. They are fast, but the cheetah can outpace them. The "Tommies" are slightly smaller, with a black side stripe. Back to the Serena Lodge or the Soronera Campsite for a good dinner

Day 4: To The N'Gorongoro Crater

After breakfast, early in the morning, you will drive back to  the N'Gorongoro Crater, driving down its steep 600m slope into the caldera.. A full “Game Drive” follows where you hopefully will see black rhinos, basking hippos, lions, elephants and some of the amazing bird life which lives in the crater, the extraordinary Kori Bustard, flamingos and many more. The N’Gorongoro Crater animals rarely leave the vast extinct volcano crater surrounded by its 650m high walls, and it has one of the densest wild animal populations in the whole of Africa. These are wild animals, but the topography of the crater ensures that they are concentrated in the 260km² floor, which provides a range of diverse habitats. Lake Magadi, a shallow soda lake where there are large flocks of Flamingos and Spotted Hyenas, hoping to sneak up on the wary flamingos for a fast snack. To the south of the lake there is the Gorigor Swamp, with an abundance of bird life, and to southeast the Ngoitokitok Springs where there is a permanent hippo pool. The Lerai Forest, which mainly consists of Yellow Fever Trees,  is a favorite stomping, ground of the crater’s elephants; strangely most of the elephants are old males with impressive tusks, although females do pass through. The open grassland, which covers most of the crater floor, supports a very large number of wildebeest & zebra. Predators abound. You are almost certain to see lions, golden, and black backed Jackals, cheetahs and leopards are rarer. The chances of seeing black rhinos are high.. The only animals you won’t see are impala and giraffe, possibly because of the lack of the right kind of grazing, although some say it is because they cannot descend the steep sides of the crater. The crater is also a bird watchers paradise, ostrich are common, as is the beautiful crowned crane, with their conspicuous golden yellow head tufts and there are large flocks of migrant storks in the rainy season. In the afternoon , we will drive back to Arusha , for your flight home (optional,possibility of a day room for a shower)

Interested?! Join us for an information session on Thursday, April 12 to learn more and hear directly from our trip coordinator, Daniel Nash of Satori Adventures & Expeditions. Email sarah@yellowwoodgear.com to RSVP.