Hornbill Level

Kilimanjaro, the highest point in Africa at 5,895 meters, is a challenge to climb. Yet unlike the highest peaks on other continents, Kilimanjaro requires no technical climbing skills and any reasonably fit person can make the summit.

In order to reduce the risk of altitude sickness and to increase the chance of making the summit, we suggest taking a minimum of 6 nights on the actual mountain climb. Our experienced mountain guides and porters will take you slowly up the breathtaking Machame route. This route requires some scrambling as well as altitude walking but is probably the most stunningly scenic route to the top.

The Kilimanjaro Mountain is a National Park and consists of a number of unique eco-systems, which change as you gain altitude. The park is 756 square kilometers in area and was gazetted in 1973. The first eco-system is the rainforest with its large trees, hanging moss, lichens and orchids. You should plan on getting damp if not wet when walking through the forest. Although there is not much game spotted, there are elephant, leopard, forest hogs and numerous birds within this area of the mountain.

From around 2,700 meters upwards, you leave the rain forest and move into the open moorlands with tussocks of grass and the famous Kilimanjaro Lobelia plants along with other alpine type vegetation. The vistas open up from here onwards as well, with stunning views down over the plains and, on a clear day, of the peaks themselves.

As you move ever upwards, the vegetation slowly thins out to heather and short grasses and eventually to bare scree, rocks and snow. Little animal life is found at this level although there have been reports of leopard spotted just below the summit!

The peak itself, Kibo, is a dormant volcano; it is not yet extinct although it is unlikely you'll experience any activity! A caldera of nearly 2.5 kilometers across and over 180 meters deep, with an ash filled cone inside that evidences the old volcanic activity, forms the snow-bound peak of Kibo.

Day 1 Arrive at Kilimanjaro Airport, met and transferred to the Marangu Hotel to meet your guides and porters. Overnight at the Marangu Hotel.

Day 2 Leaving Marangu Hotel, drive to the Machame park entrance and start your climb through the cultivated farms and then onwards to the forest. Overnight at the Machame Huts at 3,000 meters.

Day 3 Climbing across valleys and ridges you'll slowly climb upwards to the moorlands of the Shira plateau and your overnight stop at the Shira Huts. (3,800 meters)

Day 4 Spend a day at the Shira Huts acclimatizing to the altitude with walks and hikes in the area. Overnight at Shira Huts.

Day 5 Heading upwards and over to wards the Barranco Huts today, a long hike of 5 - 6 hours but only gaining 100 meters overall. Beautiful views and more acclimatization help prepare you for the final push to the summit. Overnight at Barranco Hut.

Day 6 From Barranco you head upwards to the new Lava Tower Hut at 4,600 meters. A hard 4-6 hour climb this is the last section before the summit push. Overnight at the Lava Tower Huts.

Day 7 Starting in the early hours of the morning, you'll start your summit push from here. Arriving at the summit at dawn, to watch the sunrise is the end goal. Little time is spent here however as the altitude takes its toll very quickly! Descend down on the Marangu route to Horombo Hut at 4,703 meters for a well-deserved rest and meal. Overnight at Horombo Hut.

Day 8 Today is spent on the Marangu Route descending back down the mountain to wards the park gate. Here you are collected and returned to the Marangu Hotel for dinner, a hot shower and a well earned comfortable nights sleep! Overnight at Marangu Hotel.

Day 9 After a gentle day relaxing at the Marangu Hotel, with gentle walks to relieve any aches and pains, transfer to the Kilimanjaro Airport for your flight home.

Includes: Airport transfers, accommodation at Marangu Hotel and on mountain, guides, porters, all meals, water, park fees, and local taxes.

Excludes: International flight, visas, personal purchases, sleeping bags, towels, personal purchases and tips.

Contact Melinda Rees for more information on this safari.

Why travel with us? Because Eco-resorts is changing the world-one journey at a time.

Animals and people both need land. Ecotourism provides an alternative income for the people, leaving space for the migratory animals. Eco-resorts actively supports the villages and projects that are protecting East Africa's environment and culture.

We develop self-help eco-projects, which promote wildlife conservation. We also educate both our consumers and our partner camps with two free ezines. We use renewable energy products, reduce paper and plastic consumption in our office and have left the natural vegetation unscathed, resulting in duiker and monitor lizards visiting the office!

We donate 10% of all post-tax profits to fund community and/or conservation projects. Community projects are operated with the local villagers as the operators and managers; Eco-resorts provides advice and guidance when requested, but abides by local beliefs and traditions.

Our current projects include:

- The Children of the Rising Sun Orphanage, which provides accommodation, meals, medicine and schooling for 28 street-children. Our goal is to have a vocational job-training center operational at the home, for the kids and local villagers.

- The Arabuko Sokoke Forest Reserve, the last remaining tract of coastal lowland forest in Kenya, which provides the only refuge for several endemic birds and mammals, such as the golden-rumped elephant shrew and the Sokoke Pippet. Designated as one of Conservation International's 26 global bio-diversity hotspots (www.conservation.org) and surrounded on all sides by an ever increasing human population, the Forest is in danger of disappearing as trees are cut for carvings, land cleared for subsistence farming and animals trapped for food.

Eco-resorts hopes to ensure that the local villagers become the greatest supporters of the Forest. One of the many projects in the Forest trains the local villagers to breed forest butterfly species for export to the live butterfly market.

With two local butterfly farms already in operation, over 400 people in the area bordering the Forest now have an income that relies upon the continued health of the Forest. Our goal is to employ another 100 people.

Please contact melinda@eco-resorts.com for more detailed information on our ezines and the Eco-resorts community and wildlife conservation projects that your eco-adventure safari will support. Help us make a difference!