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Join Mountain Madness on this once in a lifetime guided climb up Mount Kilimanjaro- the roof of Africa! On this trekking ascent of Kilimanjaro, the highest mountain in Africa and one of the Seven Summits, you will enjoy first class style the entire way! Our seldom-traveled route requires no technical experience. Participants need to only be in great physical shape and have the desire to stand on the summit of Kilimanjaro.
Africa is a diverse continent that will enchant and delight the adventurer in everyone. Our success rate is high: more than 90% of all Mountain Madness clients summit Kilimanjaro! Our route takes us up the Western Breach via the Shira Plateau, a route pioneered by Mountain Madness founders Scott Fischer and Wesley Krause. Krause eventually moved to Tanzania and since the early 1980’s has been overseeing Mountain Madness operations on Kilimanjaro. He has played a key role in the certification and training of our guides and providing seamless services for our groups.
The Shira Plateau Western Breach is the best non-technical route on the mountain. Our summit day is only a 1-2 hour hike from our last camp. Along the way you will enjoy fine mountain dining and comfortable camps throughout the climb. Porters carry your equipment, set up your tent and assure your comfort. All these factors combine to maintain our high success rate. After the climb, we stay at the comfortable Moivaro Lodge where you can relax, swim in the pool, and enjoy a celebratory dinner surrounded by the beautiful Tanzanian landscape.
Elevation: 6,500 feet / 1981 meters
Mountain Madness Land Cruisers transport you from Kilimanjaro International Airport to an exclusive Private Tented Camp nestled in beautiful Arusha National Park. Here you will rest and prepare for your climb and enjoy some game viewing that may include elephant, colobus monkeys, buffalo, and fantastic bird watching. This region is incredibly scenic with views of Mt. Kilimanjaro and Mt. Meru dominating a panorama of grasslands and high tropical landscapes. You will enjoy a night game drive on your way to camp.
Today is spent relaxing and recovering from your travels. You will have an opportunity to familiarize yourself with the guides and fellow members of your group. Today your guide will have a trip briefing and review your equipment. There may be time for a walk or game drive, which will be taken out into the grasslands for views of African game and Mount Kilimanjaro, as giraffe, buffalo and antelope are usually seen in the area.
After a short drive through the beautiful grasslands and scattered Maasai villages we will arrive at the forest edge of the National Park. From here we will walk a few hours through the undisturbed lush jungle to our camp for the night. Our Tanzanian guides will share their knowledge of the local ecology as you walk through the fantastic plants and trees, hear birds, and see other exotic wildlife. With luck you will be able to see Colombus monkeys and signs of elephants on your walk to camp. Upon arriving at camp, you will find your tent set up as well as hot tea and snacks waiting for you in the dining tent. You may relax or go on a short hike before dinner.
Upon waking, your Tanzanian guides will greet you at your tent with tea and hot water to wash with before enjoying breakfast. We will take our time walking through the forest, which enables us to acclimatize comfortably and spot the plentiful game and bird life while enjoying the views down canyon through breaks in the jungle. Today's hike will take us through the Montane Forest and the Hagenia Zone. We will point out the unique environmental differences that characterize these separate equatorial zones.
Elevation: 10,500 feet / 3200 meters ; Hiking Time: 8-10 hours to camp (6.8 miles)
After summit celebrations we will begin our descent past Barafu Hut and down to our camp near Mweka Hut, where our porters will have prepared a special celebratory feast! We will have descended almost 9,000 feet today and you will feel intoxicated by the oxygen rich air.
Elevation: 19,340 feet / 5895 meters; Hiking Time: 1-2 hours to summit
After breakfast, we will leave camp and hike to the top of the crater rim. From there it is just a ten-minute hike to Uhuru Summit, the highest point in Africa at 19,340 feet! We arrive at the summit and are rewarded with clear views before the midmorning clouds roll in. We will bask in the glory of our accomplishment, grab a bite to eat, enjoy the views and take lots of photographs.
Hiking Time: 4-7 hours (5.2 miles)
Hiking time will vary depending on the trail conditions while traveling through the lush vegetation at this elevation. Rain can occur any time of year at this location and can make the trail muddy requiring a slower pace. Once we have descended the 4,500 feet to the road head we will have our lunch and say good-bye to our mountain staff before heading off to the hotel. At the Moivaro Hotel you can relax, swim in the pool and enjoy the serene setting overlooking the Tanzanian Coffee Plantation. A celebratory dinner at the Moivaro will follow! Climb only members transfer to the airport for a night flight home.
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