Safari to Kilimanjaro - Machame Route

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4.7 . Excellent
98%
Travel Style: Array Full on
Physical Level: Very Hard
Lodging Level: You'll stay in no-frills, but clean and comfortable, hotels or guesthouses. A 'Basic' trip might also involve a few nights of camping. Basic (2*)
16 days
From: $ 5,916 $ 370 / day
Checking price

Overview

Highlights (Bullets)

  • Do Mt Kilimanjaro via the incredible scenic Machame route, passing through cloud forest and moorland zones to the glaciated precipices of Kibo’s south face. 
  • You'll be in great hands during your trek – with one guide for every two passengers – so all you’ll have to worry about is soaking up the scenery and keeping your footing!
  • Explore the Serengeti National Park in depth with four game drives – two early-morning and two late-afternoon – through this spectacular wildlife arena.
  • Take a mind-blowing safari across the floor of the Ngorongoro Crater in an open-roof 4WD for a chance to see the endangered black rhinoceros.
  • We’re an official partner with the Kilimanjaro Porters Assistance Project. Hike easier knowing that while our porters are taking care of you, someone is looking out for them.

Short Description

Experience some of Kenya and Tanzania's most famous natural wonders on a 16-day adventure that will see you tackling the most challenging and scenic way to the roof of Africa on a trek along the Machame route to summit of Mt Kilimanjaro. Once you descend, embark on an overland journey across the Serengeti plains and enjoy multiple game drives to seek out Africa's iconic animals. Descend to the floor of the gigantic Ngorongoro Crater in pursuit of elephants, lions, and elusive rhino. This tour is non-stop active action that's perfect for independent travellers who love a challenge.

Style Small group tour
Spend most of the time outdoors. Common trip themes and activities include cycling, hiking, kayaking, whitewater rafting.
Itinerary Focus Active
You'll stay in no-frills, but clean and comfortable, hotels or guesthouses. A 'Basic' trip might also involve a few nights of camping.
Lodging Level Basic (2*)
Flight & Transport Inclusions All internal ground transport
Start City Nairobi
End City Moshi

Itinerary

Day 1 Nairobi

Jambo! Welcome to Kenya. Your adventure begins with a welcome meeting at 6 pm, and you can arrive at any time as there are no activities planned until this important briefing. If you arrive early, perhaps head out and explore the National Museum of Kenya, the Karen Blixen Museum or the highly recommended Bomas of Kenya, where traditional homesteads of several Kenyan tribes are displayed in an outdoor village.

Day 2 Kisii

Board your safari vehicle and travel west (approximately 8–9 hours). Today’s destination is near the hilltop town of Kisii, which will be the last chance to stock up on supplies before heading into Tanzania. Crossing the incredibly scenic Great Rift Valley on your way to the tea-growing highlands is a fantastic introduction to the landscapes of Kenya. You will pass through the ancient homeland of the Maasai. Keep a look out for these tall tribesmen dressed in distinctive scarlet robes as they tend to their prized herds of cattle. The roads on the way are pretty rough, but there will be chances to stop and stretch your legs, including a local homestead lunch in the town of Kaprong. The food for the lunch is grown and sourced locally, plus the lunch is a great way to learn from and interact with the women from the local village.

Day 3 Lake Victoria

This morning, stop at Kisii for a visit to understand the work and art of soapstone carving in a local workshop. Travel towards the Kenya–Tanzania border and to the shores of Lake Victoria (approximately 7–8 hours). This is not only Africa's largest lake – it's the largest tropical lake in the world. Its shores are shared by Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda. Visit an African marketplace and meet some locals or you can simply chill out on the lakeside sand with a cold drink. Make the most of the ATM and local market to stock up for your next three days of adventuring in the wilderness. You will camp on the shores of the lake tonight, at one of its least visited campgrounds, on the outskirts of a small town called Musoma.

Day 4 Serengeti National Park

Travel from Lake Victoria to the gate of Serengeti National Park on a smooth road (approximately 3 hours). Enter the Serengeti and enjoy a game drive and picnic lunch en route to your campsite. The wide-open plains of the Serengeti see myriad colours during the year – green after the rains, brown and burnt in the dry season – but one thing is a constant: this never-ending landscape is home to thousands upon thousands of animals travelling as herds across the plains. This region gets its name from the local Maasai word ‘siringet’, meaning the place where the land moves on forever, and you’ll begin to understand why on your game drive today. Enjoy a picnic lunch, then head to your campsite which is right in the action – located within the park itself! At night, listen out for the sounds of nocturnal animals as you drift off to sleep.

Day 5 Serengeti National Park

Start the day nice and early with a game drive at dawn. You will head out while the animals are at their most active, then head back to camp for brunch at around 11 am. This morning, there’s also the option of a balloon ride over the park today. If you have pre-booked this activity, you will be picked up before dawn and driven to the launch site. After a safety briefing, glide through the dawn, sometimes at tree height, where you’ll get some amazing photo opportunities. Sometimes you will ascend, getting an overview of the vastness of the plains and the early morning movements of the herds. After landing, dig into a delicious bush breakfast, then return to your camp. After spending the warmer part of the day relaxing with your herd – just as the animals do – depart again at dusk for another adventure through the wild, returning in time for dinner.

Day 6 Ngorongoro Crater

Enjoy a leisurely game drive and picnic lunch on your way out of the park today. Soak up final views of the animals and landscapes that make the national park such an incredible spot, before entering the Ngorongoro Conservation area. Your destination today is the rim of the crater about 3 hours away. Your campsite overlooks jagged volcanic peaks and rolling grasslands thousands of feet below – you can be sure that there are few campsites in the world with a better view than this!

Day 7 Ngorongoro Crater – Mto wa Mbu

A gigantic, perfectly intact volcanic crater, Ngorongoro is home to some 30,000 animals. Among these are endangered black rhinos, lions, leopards, elephants, impalas, zebras and hippos. The crater floor offers excellent wildlife viewing all year round, and the photo opportunities here are unrivalled. Later, join the local community for a guided afternoon stroll around the farming areas, milling machine and local homes before enjoying a traditional meal. Your campsite this evening is located in Mto wa Mbu.

Day 8 Marangu

Bidding farewell to your truck and crew, this morning we make our way back to Arusha where will catch a morning shuttle bus from Arusha to Moshi in the foothills (1300 metres / 4500 ft) of Mt Kilimanjaro (approximately 4 hours). This section of the trip is unaccompanied by a leader. The shuttle departs from the Impala hotel at around 9 am once your group drops you off. In the early evening there is a full briefing and kit inspection by an experienced Kilimanjaro climber.

Day 9 Machame Camp

Meet your guides and porters after breakfast and take the opportunity to organise your gear before setting off on a 1-hour transfer by road to the Machame Gate – the south western entrance to the Mt Kilimanjaro National Park. On the way, stop into one of the clothes lending offices of Kilimanjaro Porters Assistance Projects and learn how their program, supported by the Intrepid Foundation, is assisting porters. Begin your hike around lunch time, starting with a pleasant stroll through the rainforest, where many species of brightly coloured birds can be seen. Set up camp at Machame in the mid-afternoon ready for your first night on Kilimanjaro. The huts fell into disrepair some years ago, so with the help of the porters you will set up tents for the night. Enjoy an evening meal prepared by the porters and savour the first night of sleeping outdoors.

Day 10 Shira Camp

Your second day on the mountain takes you out of the rainforest and up a steep ridge into moor land. Watch as the vegetation grows sparser as you ascend along the path to the Shira Plateau – soon, several distinct species, including the giant groundsel and lobelia, will be the only plants dominating the harsh landscape. Spend the night camping on the edge of the plateau and be treated to a golden sunset over the snow-dusted peaks of Kibo.

Day 11 Barranco Camp

Enjoy a fantastic walk as you continue through the rolling landscape and deep river valleys. The undulating landscape offers a great chance to acclimatise and as you ascend to the more rugged areas of the mountain, there are great views of the Kibo Massif and its magnificent surrounds. Tonight is spent at Barranco Camp.

Day 12 Karanga Valley

Today is an important acclimatisation day as you’re only going to be walking during the morning. First, climb the Barranco Wall (not a technical climb) and then follow the Kibo South Circuit. If the weather is clear, you can expect to have some magnificent views of Kibo's southern glaciers. Arrive at your camp around lunchtime and rest your legs as you enjoy great views by the river in the Karanga Valley.

Day 13 Barafu Camp / Uhuru Peak

From Karanga, head up to the intersection of the South Circuit and the Mweka route where you’ll start climbing up a ridge to Barafu Hut. Barafu is Swahili for ‘ice’ – it can be very cold here at night! You should arrive at Barafu around late lunchtime, allowing plenty of time to rest before the final summit attempt very early tomorrow morning.

Day 14 Uhuru Peak / Millennium Camp or Mweka Camp

At around midnight you’ll be woken by the guides with some hot tea and biscuits to give you energy before the long, difficult ascent up scree, and sometimes snow, to Stella Point (5780 metres). Pass the giant Rebmann Glacier en route and hopefully arrive at Stella Point in time for sunrise and superb views of the crater, the glacier glistening in the morning sun. From Stella it’s a further 1-hour hike along the rim of the crater to Uhuru Peak (5896 metres), the highest point in Africa. From the summit, take in unforgettable views of the crater, the ice fields and the vast and distant East African plains below. After photos and back-patting, begin your descent. Back at Barafu Camp, enjoy a well-earned lunch and much thicker air! After lunch, continue on to Mweka Camp for the night and have a well-deserved rest.

Day 15 Moshi

Today you’ll continue to descend the mountain, traversing alpine meadows and rainforest to the Mweka park gate. From Mweka Camp to the Mweka gate, trek for 10 kilometres (approximately 3–4 hours) descending a total of 1300 metres (4300 feet). Enjoy some lunch after checking out of the park and then transport back to the hotel for a relaxing shower – a real treat after the physical exertions of the last few days! Tonight, gather with your trekking companions for a meal, sharing your experiences of the past six days on the mountain.

Day 16 Moshi

With no activities or trekking planned for today, you are free to depart at any time. Transfers to Kilimanjaro Airport or a shuttle to Nairobi can be arranged locally – please speak to your leader at your welcome meeting if you wish to organise this.

Availability

Checking price
Price From $ 5,916
Price Per Day: $ 370 per day
Checking price
Start DateFinish DateBase PriceAvailability 
Jun-10-2023Jun-25-2023$ 5,9165 spots left Reserve
Jul-08-2023Jul-23-2023$ 5,9166 spots left Reserve
Jul-29-2023Aug-13-2023$ 6,2124 spots left Reserve
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Jun-08-2024Jun-23-2024$ 7,46512 spots left Reserve
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Jul-27-2024Aug-11-2024$ 7,46511 spots left Reserve
Aug-10-2024Aug-25-2024$ 7,46512 spots left Reserve
Aug-24-2024Sep-08-2024$ 7,46512 spots left Reserve
Aug-31-2024Sep-15-2024$ 7,46512 spots left Reserve
Sep-14-2024Sep-29-2024$ 7,46512 spots left Reserve
Sep-28-2024Oct-13-2024$ 7,46512 spots left Reserve
Nov-30-2024Dec-15-2024$ 7,46512 spots left Reserve
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3,191 Intrepid Travel Travel Reviews & Ratings

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Value
4.7
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Lodging
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Safari to Kilimanjaro - Machame Route

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A brilliant trip

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I can thoroughly recommend this Vietnam trip. The hotels were all very good and were well situated within walking distance of the city centres. There was a good variety of visits and activities which were very well organised. As with all the Intrepid trips we've been on, it was our brilliant trip leader Linh who brought the trip to life. He gave us so much information about Vietnam and its people it really enhanced the trip. He made sure everything ran smoothly and nothing was too much trouble - a great trip leader!
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Best guide ever...Thank You, Trang!

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A trip is only as good as the guide. And our guide Trang was fantastic. The best! She made our trip wonderful, and Intrepid is so brilliant to have hired her and have her represent Intrepid. The trip went smoothly and we were delighted with everything we saw. Getting through via phone to Intrepid is tough, but it is worth the wait. The hotels, the spots we visited, the transportation....all was well-planned and executed!
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Perfect for Solo Travellers

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I've travelled with Intrepid many times, most recently to Antarctica, and I can't recommend them enough. Great people, great destinations, great itineraries. Love that they pair you up with another traveller if you're travelling alone.
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Adventure and local interaction without the worry!

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With so many travel companies out there, and so much info on travel planning sites, Intrepid is still in a class of its own. I've often read their itineraries to get ideas, and even copy them, but this time I went with them on a trip. And it was everything that they say on their websites. So if you are reading to verify everything they say on their website, I say just don't hesitate, DO IT. Its all happening and its all true.
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WOW!

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Wow - Intrepid thought of everything. Great adventure, variety, safety, group dynamics, and an amazing guide Karni! He was knowledgeable and you could feel the pride he held for his country. My next adventure will definitely utilize Intrepid.
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What an amazing tour.

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What an amazing tour. So well organised from good accomodation, comfortable transport to boats waiting in the wilderness. A wonderful experience lead by an exceptional, knowlegable tour guide Quang Dang.
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Details

Flight & Transport Inclusions

All internal ground transport Overland vehicle,minibus,4x4 Safari Vehicle

Group Size

Small Group - 24 max

Maximum Number of People in Group: 22

Accommodations

Camping (with facilities) (3 nights),Camping (with basic facilities) (8 nights),Cottage (1 night),Hotel (3 nights)

Guides

On this trip you will be accompanied by three crew members - Group Leader, Cook and Driver who will usually be Kenyan. Your Group Leader’s role involves organizing the overall operation and smooth-running of the trip, managing trip logistics, coordinating the tipping kitty (where applicable) and will form work groups to take turns cooking, cleaning and shopping. (From time to time your leader may drive as well) Your Group Leader will work towards making the trip as safe and enjoyable as possible for all travellers. Intrepid trips are built around the co–operation and participation of all the group members under the supervision of the group leader. The group leader will show the group how to set up and use the equipment. While not being guides in the traditional sense you can expect them to have a broad general knowledge of the countries visited on the trip, including historical, cultural, religious and social aspects. We also use local guides where we think more specific knowledge will add to the enjoyment of the places we are visiting, especially when tracking and identifying game - we think it's the best of both worlds. Regardless of the country of origin, our Group Leaders are chosen for their leadership skills and are wonderful ambassadors for our company and our beautiful continent and its people. Your Cook is responsible for the cooking and will help to coordinate the work groups for preparing the meals and washing up! Cooks are also responsible for organizing food shopping (they are always happy to have you on board) and most importantly, they make sure high hygiene standards are kept at all times while camping. Your Driver’s main responsibility is to get you to your destination safely; they are also responsible for the maintenance of the vehicles along the way. Everyone is expected to participate and carry their share of the workload/duties, making camp chores easier. The duties Rota system is adopted where all members share in general camp duties – cooking, shopping, washing up etc. If the whole group participates it will be quicker, easier, and more fun. We endeavour to provide the services of an experienced leader and crew; however, situations may arise where your leader is new to a particular region or training other group leaders. KILIMANJARO CLIMB: This trip is led by experienced guides, with a minimum of 1 guide to every 2 climbers. Sufficient porters are employed to carry the group’s equipment.

Age Notes :

Min. Age: 15

Max Age: 99

Additional Information

Finish point

  • Chanya Lodge
  • Plot 298, Kiboriloni (off Arusha-Himo Road)
  • Moshi
  • 8176
  • TANZANIA, UNITED REPUBLIC OF
  • Phone: +255 (0) 768 128 686

Trip ID#:

intrepid-YKXCC

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