What our days will look like

Day 1- On January 25th we leave on our long flights, approximately 20 hours of flying.

Day 2- Arrive at the airport in the late evening and head out to the Moivaro Coffee Lodge, www.moivaro.com/moivaro_coffee_lodge.htm

Day 3- Unwind from the flight, orientation and preperation for the Kili climb.

Day 4- Drive to the Machame Village where we meet our guides and porters. Grab our sacked lunch, can't wait to see what's in there...., and head out to the Machame gate where we register. If the road to the gate is too muddy for vehicles we will walk the 3km, about an hours walk. After we register we begin our ascent. It will take us through rain forest where we may see blue monkeys and Kilimanjaro Colobus. This trail could be muddy and sloppy. In the late afternoon we will reach the Machame Camp where the porters will have camp set up for us.

Day 5- Early wake up for breakfast then hit the trail. We will continue through the rainforeswt for approximately 1 hour. From that point we will be in the moorland zone for about 2 hours. After lunch we will continue up a rocky ridge where, on a clear day, we will be able to see the 3 peaks of Mt. Kilimanjaro (Kibo, Mawenzi, and Shira) as well at Mt. Meru. Continue along the ridge into a river gorge and gradually ascend to the Shira Plateau (12,500ft.) We may see klipspringer and eland as we arrive at Shira camp at 12,631 feet.

Day 6- The toughest day so far. The route turns us east into a semi desert and rocky landscape surrounding the Lava Tower. We will ascend to the tower into a lower elevation to help us acclimate. This is where we may start to feel the effects of the altitude, breathlesness, irritability, and headaches. After lunch we will descend to the Barranco Camping area at 12,993 feet.

Day 7- We will hike out of the Barranco Valley topping out just below the Hem Glacier. The route then heads down through the Karanga Valley across intervening ridges, scree, and valleys joining up with the Mweka route. We may see the rare lammergeyer flying at these elevations. We will be camping at the Karanga Ridge Camp at 13,170 feet.

Day 8- We ascend up the ridge reaching Barafu Hut, Barafu Camp at 15, 131 feet. This is where we will prepare for our early morning summit ascent.

Day 9- Summit Attempt- We will rise at around 11:30pm to hot tea and biscuits. We will head out in a northwesterly direction and ascend through heavy scree towards Stella Point (18,815 feet) on the crater rim. We will stop for a short rest and watch the sun rise over Mawenzi. From Stella Point we have a 2 hour ascent to Uhuru Peak (19,431 feet)- the highest point in Africa, the SUMMIT!!! The time spent on the summit will depend on the weather. We will hike for 3 hours to Barafu where we will rest and collect our gear. After our much needed rest we will head down to Mweka camp at 10, 197 feet.

Day 10- After an early breakfast we will head out on a 3 hour scenic hike through open moorlands and forest glades to Mweka gate where we will sign our names into the register. We will eat lunch and head over to the Moivaro Coffee Lodge for a hot shower (yipee) dinner and relaxation. We will also meet up with the others joining us for the safari portion of the trip, which starts tomorrow.

Day 11- After breakfast we head out to Arusha and Tarangire National Park for a full day game run. Tarangire is one of the world's most famous parks for safari known for it's enormous resident elephant herds, lovely birds, famed and beautiful baobab tree and palm groves. We will return late in the afternoon to enjoy dinner amidst the sounds of the African countryside. We will be staying at the Tarangire Safari Lodge www.tarangiresafarilodge.com . Here we will enjoy a beautiful view of the savannah.

Day 12- In the late afternoon we will drive to the Plantation Lodge www.plantation-lodge.de/english/enter.htm on the slopes of the Ngorongoro for dinner and overnight.

Day 13-14 - In the early morning we will head out to Lake Eyasi for a full day of exploration of the lake region and the Hadzabe and Tatog people. The Tatog are a tribe of people who have been respected historically for their fierce warriors and rich community tradition. During this time we will have the opportunity to interact with these traditional tribal people in their villages and homes. While visiting these tribes, our agenda will depend on what activities are occuring in the villages. We hope to interact with the nomadic click-speaking Hadzabe tribe and the colorful Tatog tribe.

Day 15-16 - We have an early morning departure for the Serengeti Parkwith endless miles of breathtaking landscape and wildlife. The Serengeti National Park is probably the most famous game park in the world. It provides a large conceentration of plains animals (giraffe, gazelle, zebra, and wildebeest). We may have the opportunity to visit the Maasai people, who are beautiful and proud people, who more than any other people in East Africa resisted changing their traditional way of life. We will stay at either the Ndutu Lodge www.ndutu.com or the Serenora Wildlife Lodge (I couldn't locate a web link to this lodge). What lodge we stay at will depend on the wildlife migration.

Day 17- Today we will spend all day searching for the wildebeest migration and lions in the Serengeti.

Day 18- We will view game in the morning in the Serengeti and then head to the Ngorongoro Sopa Lodge www.africanmeccasafaris.com/tanzania/safaris/lodges/ngorongorosopa.asp . On the way we will stop at Olduvai Gorge for a short visit at a museum and have a picnic lunch. We will then continue south to the rim of Ngorongoro Conservation area for dinner and overnight.

Day 19- Today we will descend 2000 feet into the Crater for a full day of game viewing. We will hope to see lion, cheetah, hippos, buffalo, rhino and more. This 110 square mile crater is the permanent home to over 20,000 animals. This awesome, breathtaking setting is often refered to as the "ninth wonder of the world". After this long day in the crater we head back to the Sopa Lodge.

Day 20- After a more relaxing breakfast we will return to Arusha, stopping briefly at Mto wa Mbu open market. We will arrive at the Visiwani Lodge www.visiwani.com/surr.htm for lunch. In the afternoon we will tour around Arusha to include the Lapidary (tanzanite) and shops. Return to the lodge for dinner.

Day 21- Head out to the airport for our long return flights.