This 10 days Serengeti, Ngorongoro & Kilimanjaro safari will take you to arguably one of Africa’s best safari destinations in Tanzania. It will kick off with hiking Mount Kilimanjaro with the aim of being on top African continent. The hike will cover most of your first days and after reaching the summit you will head to the national parks Serengeti and Ngorongoro reserve.
These two places are blessed with rich biodiversity as you will find out while exploring them. While here you will be in position to meet Africa’s big five of the lion, rhinos, leopards, elephant and buffalo. Serengeti has made a reputation for itself one of Africa’s leading wildlife destination by holding the annual Great wildebeest migration. This is recorded as one of the Seven Wonders of the World. You will end your exhilarating 10 days in these two wonderful savanna plains and having made uncountable African safari memories.
Serengeti, Ngorongoro & Kilimanjaro safari Highlights
- Day 1: Arrival and transfer to the hotel
- Day 2: Transfer Machame Gate & to Machame camp
- Day 3: Machame Camp to Shira Camp
- Day 4: Shira Camp via Lava Tower Hut to Barranco Camp
- Day 5: Barranco Camp to Karanga Camp
- Day 6: Karanga Camp to Barafu Camp
- Day 7: Barafu Camp to Uhuru Peak to Mweka Camp
- Day 8: Mweka Camp to Mweka Gate
- Day 9: Full day Serengeti experience
- Day 10: Transfer to Ngorongoro crater and departure.
Detailed Itinerary
Day 1: Arrival and transfer to the hotel
Your first day will start with your pick up from the airport by our company driver guide who will welcome you, brief you about 10 days safari in Tanzania. This will cover the different destinations you will explore on your trip, the type of accommodation you will use and more of what you should expect on this 10 days exhilarating safari. You will be transferred to a hotel in Moshi where you will check in at your booked hotel and refresh plus dinner as you prepare for tomorrow’s adventure.
Day 2: Transfer Machame Gate & to Machame camp
You will wake up very early to have a wonderful breakfast, check out of your hotel room. Immediately begin on the transfer to Machame gate where the real adventure begins. This usually takes 45-50 minutes from Moshi to Machame gate. You will pass through beautiful countryside of Machame village lying at the slopes of Kilimanjaro Mountain. Upon arrival you will be put into groups and have a briefing from a ranger guide about the history of Kilimanjaro, its formation and what you need before hiking.
After the briefing you will start hiking from Machame gate to reach Machame camp later in the late afternoon. This usually takes 5-7 hours of casual hiking since the gradient is not that steep. At Machame camp you will set camp for the night, dinner, and refreshment.
Day 3: Machame Camp to Shira Camp
You will wake up early for breakfast before breaking camp. Today’s early rise will be to give us an advantage to arrive at Shira Camp before late afternoon. This will give us ample time to rest and prepare for the harder stretch from Shira camp to Barranco camp tomorrow. As you hike along your way to Shira camp you will notice the big change in the landscape around you. The lush green rainforest you met earlier on the hike will be replaced by dry moorland.
Upon arriving at Shira Camp, you will be welcomed with beautiful views of the Kilimanjaro ranges lying around you as the camp is set on the Shira plateau where it gains its name. The Kibo glaciers glows in the golden hue of the setting African sun a sight to remember always. You will enjoy another wonderful prepared meal before retiring to your tent for the night.
Day 4: Shira Camp via Lava Tower Hut to Barranco Camp
Today’s hike will involve acclimatization (adaptation of body) as you will hike to approximately 700m, but camp on a lower altitude the yesterday. From Shira Plateau, you will ascend to Lava Tower standing at 4,640m above sea level where you will have a brief stopover to catch your breath. After this brief stop, continue climbing through the great Barranco Valley before reaching to the gorgeous Barranco Camp.
Today’s hike will take approximately 6 to 7 hours. The long stretch will be covered however with but the various attractions like the stunning alpine desert and the Barranco Valley itself spewed with its giant Senecio and exotic lobelia plants. This will keep you entertained and not think of the long hike ahead. At camp you will have a well awaited dinner and overnight plus enough rest for day 5.
Day 5: Barranco Camp to Karanga Camp
Today you will have one of the easiest days of hiking and with the hiking lasting 3 to 4 hours. After breakfast you will embark on the journey to Karanga camp via the Barranco Wall. This is an interesting point for you to conquer which involves scrambling using both feet and hands to help you overcome it.
Hikers should not be scared because it’s a simple task and if necessary your guide are ready to lend a helping hand. This route furthermore with its numerous different gradients allows for further acclimatization as you make your way to the mountain ridge.
The stretch will take you through beautiful landscapes with spectacular views of the desert vegetation till you arrive at the Karanga Camp. Upon reaching you will rest for most of the day as you gather energy for the last stretch and push for the Uhuru peak.
Day 6: Karanga Camp to Barafu Camp
On your 6th day you will rise up to the beautiful sunrays bouncing off the Kibo Summit. You will relish a quick energizing breakfast before breaking camp and setting off to for Barafu Camp. Today’s hike will mostly be through desert terrain and Kibo summit always looming on your left. Roughly 3-4 hours of hiking will bring you at Barafu Camp. Here you will refresh, rest and have an early dinner as the highlight of your hike is only a couple hours away at midnight.
Day 7: Barafu Camp to Uhuru Peak to Mweka Camp
You will wake at midnight for a quick cup of coffee or chocolate and biscuits to recharge for last ascent to Uhuru peak. Use the moon and your headlamps as your sources of light. You will first have a stopover at Stella point right on the brink of the crater rim. This will be approximately 5 to 7 hours. After the short break you will use one to two hours to reach Uhuru Peak standing at 5,895m above sea level. This is the highest elevation on the African continent.
You will enjoy the sun rising and scattering its rays over the sparkling snow and beautiful African landscape a sight to remember. After taking a few photos as souvenirs of this incredible view, you will begin on your descent back to Barafu Camp. You will rest for a few hours before starting to Mweka camp and your last day on the amazing Mount Kilimanjaro.
Day 8: Mweka Camp to Mweka Gate
Rise up to a very delightful breakfast that will be followed by a customary farewell ceremony from the crew you hiked with. After the almost teary ceremony you will begin on you descent to Mweka gate. You will come back through rainforest area with a chance to see the wildlife that resides on these lower slopes. These might include the cheeky black and white colobus monkeys, white necked raven, marsh mongoose, Abbott’s duiker among others.
You will make it to Mweka gate in about 2 to3 hours. You will have a quick shower and then transfer to Moshi airport for a transfer to Serengeti national park and have ample rest from the strenuous 7days of hiking.
Upon reaching Serengeti you will check in, have some celebratory beverages before dinner and overnight rest.
Day 9: Full day Serengeti experience
You will start your second last day with an early breakfast before jumping into your safari vehicle for a morning game drive. This is one of the most amazing and rewarding safaris you can experience while in Africa. The drive will take you through the Seronera section which has a big reputation for the largest concentration of animals in the park. These range from the famous wildebeest, plain zebras, Maasai giraffe, waterbucks, antelopes, buffalos, hartebeests among others.
These kopjes include the Simba kopjes, the Moru and Maasai kopjes. You will return after your game drive to your lodge for some rest as you wait for a scrumptious lunch and rest before heading out again for an evening game drive or choose to stay in for rest if you wish so. Have a wonderful time seeing the African sun set over the vast savanna plains before your dinner and overnight sleep.
Day 10: Transfer to Ngorongoro crater and departure.
You will wake up early have a quick but wonderful breakfast and embark on your transfer to Ngorongoro crater one of the widest craters in the world. Upon reaching you will briefly explore the vast crater that hosts a variety of wildlife from mammals like elephants, buffalo, antelopes and predators like lions, hyenas and jackals that come to hunt them.
Have picnic lunch in this beautiful gigantic caldera before continuing to Arusha for departure or hotel drop off. This will mark the end of your 10 days Serengeti, Ngorongoro & Kilimanjaro safari.
