Mount Meru and Mount Kilimanjaro Climb – 2 peak, 2 Weeks

We’ll take you from Kilimanjaro Airport to a cozy hotel in Moshi, the starting point for most Kilimanjaro treks. You’ll meet up with your fellow adventurers and your tour guide, and we’ll walk you through a full schedule as well as all safety considerations and a kit check to ensure you have everything you need and that it’s up to par: safety isn’t an option on our trips! If you have some free time, Moshi’s peaceful coffee shops and lively market, which combines African and Asian elements, will keep you occupied. Moshi is where you’ll spend the night for dinner and overnight at the hotel.

As we drive to Arusha National Park for our Meru adventure, we get an early start to take advantage of the cool, clear morning. The spectacular cliff-edged Ngurdoto Crater set in lush forests filled with Spanish moss; the azure and teal Momela lakes, verdant grassland and savannah – the breathtaking array of landscapes support a plethora of animals such as waterbucks, dainty klipspringers and colobus monkeys as well as nearly 400 species of birds – Arusha National Park is a naturalist’s and botanists haven.  The park also served as the exotic setting for Howard Hawks’ 1962 epic “Hatari,” starring John Wayne. Near the Ngarenanyuki River, the hike begins.

You may expect to see buffaloes, waterbucks, giraffes, warthogs, zebras, and gazelles along the way, and if you’re fortunate, a distant elephant or leopard in the distance. We’ll end our exciting day at the Miriakamba Hut, where we’ll have a delicious meal and get a good night’s sleep in preparation for our next day of adventure.

For the hard climb up the trail from Miriakamba to Saddle Hut, you’ll need a solid, energy-dense meal. The wooden steps at the beginning of your journey give way to a wild trail surrounded on all sides by thick forest vegetation, and as it thins out, you’ll catch views of Meru’s crater as you walk higher. If you’re feeling particularly enthusiastic, you can climb to Little Meru (3820m) and return in time for a well-deserved dinner at Saddle Hut and an early night, in preparation for your trek to Meru’s summit, which begins at midnight.

The most difficult segment of your Meru trip is still to come: an apparently innocuous level trail followed by some chilly switchbacks, all by the light of your headlight. After a small downhill section, you’ll begin a gradual and steady rise that will require all of your power to scramble up the trail, which is a difficult mix of volcanic rock and loose gravel. The amazing vistas of patchwork landscapes painted in pink and apricot by the sunrise at the peak, however, will make the effort worthwhile.

Before we retrace our steps back down to Saddle Hut, you’ll have time to take photos and bask in the glory of your accomplishment, but this time you’ll see what you missed on the way up: the morning skies turning from gold to the brightest blue, cotton-wool clouds below you, mountains in the distance, and the crater-edge trail ahead of you. A delicious lunch at Saddle Hut will re-energize you for the journey down to Miriakamba Hut and the closing portions of your Meru experience before embarking on your Kilimanjaro adventure.

We’ll go off through the cloud forest towards Momela Gate after a well-deserved and hearty breakfast at Miriakamba Hut. Rather than being described, the cloud forest is a landscape to be experienced. Imagine yourself in a lichen-festooned woodland, sometimes eerily quiet but more frequently alive with the sounds of the Black-capped Mountain Greenbul, African Crowned Eagle, or one of the numerous local or emigrant bird species that flourish there. Our vehicle will be waiting for you at Momela Gate, and once you’ve had the opportunity to purchase a Coke and a commemorative t-shirt, we’ll whisk you back to Moshi, where you can rest in the afternoon while learning about Kilimanjaro.

This is the most important one! However, the confidence you earned from your victory on Meru should help you conquer Kilimanjaro.

Day 6 of your 14 days Mount Meru + Mount Kilimanjaro climb will give you the much-needed break as you recover and get ready to attempt the Mount Kilimanjaro trekking adventure. Your Tranquil Kilimanjaro driver will take you to Moshi from Arusha. Moshi is the nearest town to Mount Kilimanjaro and there are various day trips around Moshi that you can partake in. Dinner and overnight at a hotel in Moshi that we will recommend.

You’ll leave Moshi for the Machame Gate, nestled in the beautiful rainforest in Kilimanjaro’s southern slopes, after a good night’s sleep and a magnificent breakfast. The 45-minute trip will take you through the heart of Tanzania, passing through off-the-beaten-path coffee farms and peaceful communities. We’ll have the stuff ready at the Machame Gate while you register with the national park officials — the park takes safety extremely seriously. Your trek to Machame Camp begins in the jungle, which is blazing with the color and sound of vibrant plant and animal life, but as you rise, you’ll come across airy, breeze-caressed grasslands and wildflower meadows teeming with insects.

When you arrive at Machame Camp, you’ll be rewarded with a breathtaking vista of your destination, Kibu Summit: so close but so far! Relax after a long day of hiking while your cooks prepare a delicious meal for you al fresco, where you can enjoy excellent cuisine and good company beneath the stars.

You have the most amazing day ahead of you. After a substantial breakfast, pack your belongings and head off on an open, sunlit route with huge blue skies above you and sun chasing away any lingering morning mists. Nature will give you to a variety of stunning sights as you ascend: forest canopies towering above you, golden savannah reaching for miles below you, and the scary volcanic peaks of Mawenzi and Kibo in the distance. Today’s hike will help you acclimate to higher elevations; when you go to the high moorlands, the wildflowers and grasses dry away, but you’ll be accompanied by groundsels, heather, and the magnificent Lobelia Deckenii. Shira Camp is a good place to spend the night.

You’ve made it halfway through this difficult journey, but the best is yet to come. You’ll approach the Lava Tower, a 300-foot high plug of volcanic rock that transforms from a glorious landmark into an ominous, looming passageway as you pass by. Today you’re aiming eastwards towards the gorgeous Shira Plateau on ever-steeper terrain. As you climb, you’ll see one of Kilimanjaro’s most famous sights – you’ll approach the Lava Tower, a 300-foot high plug of volcanic rock that transforms Your hard effort will be rewarded with a rapid descent to Barranco Campsite, and you’ll have more energy to appreciate the views on this slightly easier portion before arriving at the Camp, which is the most spectacular of all the sites on Kilimanjaro.

You’ll sleep with the majestic Kibo mountain straight in your eyeline across broad, empty sky, bordered down on one side by volcanic cliffs and glaciers gleaming in the sunlight. Before a well-deserved relaxation, have a delicious dinner.

You’d best have a healthy breakfast because the first thing you’ll have to do this morning is scaling the 300-meter-high Barranco Wall, dubbed the Breakfast Wall for reasons we don’t understand. This 90-minute scramble up volcanic cliffs ends with the majestic Helm glacier towering above you, and it’s a great way to stretch those calf muscles before heading off to the Karanga Valley, where you’ll be scrambling over bleached scree on an up-and-down route with stunning views to your right and the gleaming Heim, Kersten, and Decken glaciers for company.

As you approach Kibo on your left, you’ll stop in Barafu camp for an energy-dense meal and an early sleep in preparation for your summit attempt.

You’ll get up at 12 a.m. for the last push to Uhuru Peak, which will be done on a trackway lighted only by your headlights. This is the steepest and most difficult section of your journey, so keep your wits about yourself. On your ascent, the silent darkness, chilling night air, blackness on all sides, and the sole indication of companionship, the bobbing firefly lights of your colleagues’ head torches, will provide you with a distinct sensation of serenity and silence. Uhuru Peak awaits you as the sky gradually lightens with the approaching morning, and you’ll arrive just as the sun begins to gleam on the horizon.

You’re standing on Africa’s rooftop, looking down at the whirling cloudscape and glinting ice fields, and you realize how far you’ve traveled. Before returning to Barafu Camp for a delicious, substantial breakfast and shared stories of effort and amazement, celebrate with your team and take up the ambiance. The day comes to a close when you arrive to Mweka Camp, where you’ll spend the night under the stars, resting your exhausted but happy body after a big meal.

You’ve just climbed Mount Kilimanjaro, so wake up relaxed and triumphant on your final day on the summit! After a leisurely breakfast, take a stroll towards Mweka Gate amid beautiful clouds and mist-draped woodland landscapes. A Tranquil Kilimanjaro car will be waiting to drive you back to Moshi, where you will find a hot shower, a comfortable bed, and a clean set of clothing.

While in Moshi you can take a short day trip to the many options around the town or a stroll to the local market as you prepare to depart after your lovely Mount Meru and Mount Kilimanjaro climbing combo!

We will take you to the airport today to connect with your trip back home. If you’ve opted on a safari, that’s a whole new adventure for you, and we’ll take care of it as well!