9 Day TK Lemosho Excel Climb & 3 Day Safari to Lake Manyara, Ngorongoro & Tarangire

A very challenging climb with an arduous night spent at 5,729 metres, just 166 meres below the highest point in Africa - but with great acclimatisation en route.

Arrival

14th August 2021: Arrive at Kilimanjaro International (JRO) airport at 1935 on KLM flight KL569 from Amsterdam.

Once you have completed customs formalities and collected your luggage, please exit the airport building and then look out for our driver who will be waiting under a shelter for you at the meeting point outside and should be carrying a placard with your name on it. Our driver will transfer you to Four Points by Sheraton Arusha for your overnight stay.

15th August 2021: Rest day in Arusha. Overnight at Four Points by Sheraton Arusha.

Your mountain guide will come to your hotel for your pre-climb briefing at approximately 1800, during which he will introduce himself, brief you on everything that will be happening throughout the duration of the climb, check any kit that you may have concerns over, issue any kit hire items, if any have been requested; and he will also deal with any final pre-climb administration and answer any questions you may have.

Kilimanjaro Climb

16th August 2021: Your mountain guide and supporting crew will collect you from your hotel at approximately 0730 to transfer you to Mount Kilimanjaro to start your 9 day TK Lemosho ‘Excel Series’ climb, finishing on the 24th August 2021.

24th August 2021: We will collect you from Mweka Village when you finish your climb and will transfer you to The African Tulip Hotel for your overnight stay.

Your safari guide will come to your hotel at approximately 1800 to introduce himself, complete your pre-safari briefing and answer any questions you may have.

During your briefing, please expect the clinician to arrive to conduct sampling for your PCR tests. Once ready (probably 26th August), John will email you your test results. 

Safari

25th August 2021: Your safari guide will collect you from your hotel at approximately 0800 to transfer you from Arusha to Lake Manyara for a game drive. Afternoon transfer to Ngorongoro Wildlife Lodge for overnight.

26th August 2021: Descend into Ngorongoro Crater for game drive. Transfer to Boabab Tented Camp for overnight inside Tarangire National Park.

27th August 2021: Morning game drive in Tarangire National Park. Afternoon transfer direct to Kilimanjaro International Airport, aiming to arrive at around 1830 - at least 2 hours to check in for your KLM flight KL 567 to Amsterdam, departing at 2040.

Safari route map

This map is not a comprehensive description of movements and shows only a selection of approximate landmarks along the safari's intended route.

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Important climb notes

Our Advantage and Excel Series climbs are configured to aim to ensure the best possible acclimatisation and preparation for the assault by maximising hydration, nutrition and rest. To this end we use mess tents, tables and chairs for virtually all meals. This allows us to have a very leisurely lunch every day under shelter that will typically include a soup starter, light pasta dish and fruit pudding. We therefore provide all the equipment requisite for these arrangements. We supply climbers with lightweight waterproof, breathable sleeping tents and 4cm thick sleeping mattresses and portable tented toilets.

If a climber has any equipment deficiencies he or she is advised to hire from us. We have an excellent range of high altitude clothing. To arrange the hire of any gear please save, amend and email to us the kit hire form sent to you by your TK Climb Coordinator.

When climbing the mountain, you will need two luggage bags, preferably a large duffel / cargo bag and a smaller, lighter day sack, between 25 - 35 litres size. The porters will carry your duffle/cargo bag, while you carry your day sack yourself. Your day sack needs to be comfortable, durable and big enough to hold everything you may need with you when walking, as it is unlikely that you will see your main bag from the moment you break camp in the morning to the time you arrive at camp in the evening.

Items generally carried in climbers' day sacks:

Your porters will carry your larger duffel / cargo bag, which will contain all your other personal equipment and clothing for your time on the mountain. We request that you please ensure that your ‘luggage containers’ have been adequately waterproofed. As well as using waterproof outer covers, we would advise you to also waterproof the items inside, using a bag liner inside the container.

Please also be advised that given the terrain that climbers will be walking in, their 'luggage containers' can suffer wear and tear. You can expect that at the end of a trekking day a porter will lower the luggage he has been carrying on his head, to the floor. Sometimes, even with care applied, this luggage will end up being dropped and possibly torn against the volcanic rocks, with possible damage also being caused to possessions inside the bag which are not adequately protected.

The Kilimanjaro National Park has a maximum carrying weight per porter of 25kg, which includes the porter's personal gear, which is assumed to be 5kg, plus 5kg of company gear. Thus the load they carry for the climber should not exceed 15kg.

Water on the mountain

On the mountain you'll be supplied with as much water as you need. Our porters will carry a supply of bottled water and then when this runs out, will take water from rivers and either boil or chemically purify it.

Please just make sure that you have 3 litres' worth of water carrying capacity in your daysack. Each day you should aim to drink at least 5 litres of fluid. This sounds like a lot but is actually the minimum recommended amount to ensure you replace moisture lost to the dry air through increased respiration.

Using a Camelbak means you can keep walking while drinking, whereas if the water bottle is out of reach, then you need to stop to get it. Conversely, if the Camelbak’s hose is not insulated, it is likely to freeze on summit night. The Camelbak will be in your daysack with the rest of your items so the actual container / bladder is not likely to freeze but the insulated hose usually does. We suggest that when you take a drink from your Camelbak, you blow the water back through the hose each time, so that the water in the pipe doesn’t freeze. We would also advise you to also take a couple of insulated water bottles as well, especially for summit night – any brand from an outdoor equipment shop should be fine.

Whilst on the subject of water purification, often in a depleted-oxygen environment, in an effort to conserve O2 the body often temporarily (until it seems to find the correct balance) undersupplies the gut, which disrupts normal peristalsis and can often result in a mild 24-hour diarrhoea, but which is easily curable with Loperamide, this is a very common issue and it is not due to the water or food provided by your experienced mountain chef on the mountain, or the food you eat at your pre-climb hotel.

Anti-malarial medication

There have been virtually no instances of malaria in Arusha for the past 3 years, and there is no risk of contracting malaria while on Kilimanjaro. We strongly advise against use of anti-malarial tablets prior to or during the climb as the side effects of most medications are severe and include headaches, nausea and diarrhoea - all of which can significantly impact a climber's summit prospects.

❄️ Weather

When considering an ascent of Kilimanjaro we frequently receive enquiries about what climbers should expect in terms of temperatures and precipitation. While this information is of course useful, it tells only a very small part of the story in terms of informing a climber how they should prepare.

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💸 Tipping

Tipping is a universal custom on Kilimanjaro and on safari and has always constituted a significant proportion of a guide or porter’s salary. It is alleged that there are even companies operating locally that do not pay their staff any salaries and that these workers rely exclusively on tips.

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