14 Days Kilimanjaro Rwanda Gorilla Trekking

Day1: transfer to Akagera National Park

After an early breakfast at your lodge, our safari guide from Mj Safaris will pick you up from your hotel or the airport and then transfer to Akagera National Park where you will get a chance to see the different wild animals in the country. On arrival you will check-in at your lodge where you will have lunch, relax and later in the evening have a game drive to see various animals like buffaloes, elephants, giraffes, elephants, zebras, gazelles, impalas among others. Later return for the overnight at your lodge.

Meal plan: lunch and Dinner

Accommodation: Akagera Game Lodge

Day 2: Game Drive & boat Ride on Lake Ihema

Today have very early breakfast before setting out on a game drive to esplore the plains of this park where you will get a chance to see some of the early rises and any other animals you might have not seen the day before, you are likely to encounter elephants, the maasai giraffes, zebras, leopards, antelopes among others, return to the lodge for some refreshments and relax as you wait for lunch. in the late afternoon head out for a boat ride on Lake Ihema to see hippos, crocodiles and various birds including the fish eagle and the rare shoebill.

Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Accommodation: Akagera Game Lodge

Day 3 Transfer to Nyungwe Forest Park

You will transfer to Nyungwe Forest National Park right after your breakfast at

your lodge driving through the capital Kigali. Along the way, you will visit various places including the Butare Cultural Museum and the king’ palace in Nyaza before finally arriving in the park for your overnight.

Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Accommodation Options: Nyungwe Hotel, or Gisakura Guest House

Day 4: Chimpanzee tracking, transfer to Kibuye

Right after an early morning brakfats, transfer to the park headquarters where you will b briefed about the thrilling experience of tracking chimpanzees considered to be the closest living relative to man. The 3 to 5 hours activity will take you hiking through the verdant forested area until you finally meet them. Have lunch back at your lodge and in the afternoon transfer to Kibuye town where you will spend the night

Meal Plan: Breakfast, lunch and dinner

Overnight at Bethanie

Day 5: transfer to Ruhengeri

today you will transfer from Kibuye and drive through Gisenyi all the way to Ruhengeri going past the beautiful green countryside characterized with rolling hills dotted with tea plantation.

Meal Plan: Breakfast Lunch and Dinner

Accommodation: Mountain Gorilla View Lodge, Kiningi Guest House or Le Bambou Gorill Lodge

Day 6: Gorilla trek in Volcanoes National Park

today you will start the day early and by 8:00am be at the headquarters of Volcanoes National Park where you will receive orientation about the guidelines to be followed when gorilla trekking in order to ensure the protection of the threatened mountain gorillas. Gorilla trekking in Volcanoes National Park is a truly exceptional experience and cannot be compared to any other safari. When the briefing is over, the senior professional park rangers will guide you into the volcanoes as you look for the mountain gorillas. You will trek through the rough

topography up to when you eventually see these gentle beasts that will charm you with their normal life activities such as playing with their young ones or even feeding them. After you meet these gorillas, you are only allowed to stay around them for one hour and while trekking, you will come across a number of other primates that reside in Volcanoes National Park.

Meal Plan: Breakfast Lunch and Dinner

Accommodation: Mountain Gorilla View Lodge, Kiningi Guest House or Le Bambou Gorill Lodge

Day 7: Take a flight to Fly to Arusha

You will start your day with breakfast and then travel to the airport to catch your flight to Arusha. When you reach Kilimanjaro International Airport, you will be met by a professional tour guide from Taste for Afrika who will then take you to your hotel to spend the night.

Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Accommodation: Out Post Lodge

Day 8: Mt. Kilimanjaro Climb Transfer to Machame camp

You will begin your day early in the morning with a briefing then you will have breakfast followed by travelling to Moshi which will last 45 minutes then through Machame village. You will have guides as well as porters who will organize and carry your gear plus your luggage. You will be given a lunch pack however you will be able to purchase some additional personal items within the village. When you reach the gate office, you will register and begin your hike and reach the rain forest right away. There are high chances of receiving rain while you are in the forest and this will make the path so muddy as well as slippery. Your porters will reach the camp site way before you and set up your tent before you reach. Later in the evening, the porters will cook some water for drinking and washing and you will have a cook who will prepare our dinner then you will head to your tent to rest. The temperatures in the night reduce to freezing point around here. You will have a well deserved lunch break usually half way of your trek and you will arrive at Machame camping site in the evening.

Altitude reached: 2980m

Total ascent time: 6 to 7 hours in the forest zone.

Accommodation: Machame Camp and all your meals will be provided.

Day 9: Machame camp to Shira camp

You will be hiking for about six hours for a distance of 9 km. The habitat is Moorland

You will wake up early and have breakfast at Machame camp then you will hike for about an hour or more to the highest point of the forest and after which you will climb for two more hours at a less steep altitude in the moorland zone. You will then take a break for lunch and relax. You will proceed up a rugged ridge on the Shira plateau. At this point, if you look in the east, you will be able to view the Western Breach with its magnificent glaciers. You will now be heading west of Kibo and after a brief climb, you will arrive at the Shira campsite which stands at an altitude of 3840m. The porters will cook water for washing and drinking as well as your dinner. The temperatures at this camp are lower than for the night before since they will dip to lower than freezing.

Altitude reached: 3840 meters

Total ascent time: 5 to 6 hours

Accommodation: Shira Camp and all your meals will be provided

Day 10: Shira to Lava Tower (4630m) to Barranco camp

You will be hiking for 7 hours for a distance of 15km. The habitat is a semi desert.

You will now travel east to the semi desert and rugged topography encircling Lava Tower, where you will arrive at an altitude of 4630m when you have walked for almost five hours. You will have lunch at a selected place then you will hike the rugged scree path to Lave Tower (4630m). It will be the most challenging day for you. It is usually in this area where a few climbers will begin to experience headaches, breathlessness as well as irritability. When you are done with lunch, you will slope by about 680m to Barranco camping site then you will reach an altitude of 4600m at Lava Tower. The slope to Barranco camp will last for almost two hours and provides you with amazing photographic moments of the Breach Wall and Western Breach. The camp site is located in the valley under the Breach

and Great Barranco Wall, which will offer you with a beautiful sunset as you anticipate your dinner.

Altitude reached: 3940m

Total ascent time: 5 to 7 hours

Accommodation: Barranco Camp and all your meals will be provided

Day 11: Barranco camp to Barafu camp

You will be hiking for 7 hours for a distance of almost 13km. The habitat is the Alpine desert.

You will spend the night at the Great Barranco Wall which is a stunning view to behold then you will hike up this magnificent hurdle, which when you finish it usually is less difficult than what you initially thought. Peaking at a little under the Heim Glacier, you will be able to cherish the breathtaking nature of Mountain Kilimanjaro. You will then slope down the through the Karanga Valley above intervening ridges plus valleys which connects with the Mweka route. This route is the most popular path from the peak therefore you should not forget it. You will then take the left turn up the ridge for an hour or more then arrive at Barafu Hut. Your final stop for water is on the path is Karanga Valleysince Barafu camp does not have water. Barafu can be translated from Swahili to mean ice and it is a desolate plus hostile place to sleep. It is fully exposed to the continuous windstorm and the tents are set up on a rugged, thin and risky ridge. You should ensure that you acquaint yourself with the landscape before night fall to prevent any mishaps. The peak is currently 1345m higher up and you will take your last hike that very night. Organize your thermal clothing, gear plus your ski stick for your summit attempt. You should also carry camera batteries, an extra set of batteries and replace your headlamp. To avoid freezing, you should make sure that all your drinking water is in a thermal flask. You will sleep at around 7:00pm to get enough sleep.

Altitude reached: 4550m

Total ascent time: 6 to 7 hours

Accommodation: Barafu camp and all your meals will be provided

Day 12: Summit Attempt, Uhuru Peak to Mweka

You will be hiking for about 8 hours to arrive at Uhuru Peak then 7 or 8 hours to slope to Mweka with a distance of 7km to climb and 23km to slope. The habitat is stone scree and ice-capped summit.

You will wake up about 11:30 pm and then have some biscuits with tea. You will then begin to trek in the night. You will take the north western direction and hike in the thick scree leading to Stella point on the edge of the rim. You will take about 6 hours to reach Stella point and for majority of the climbers, this is the most tasking one both physically and mentally. When you reach Stella Point (5685m), you will take a brief rest and you will have the chance to enjoy the most stunning sunrise you might ever see in your whole life if the weather is on your side. When you are at Stella point, you will usually experience snow for your whole journey for two hours to Uhuru Peak. The amount of time you will be at the peak will be based on the weather conditions. You should not rest here for a long time since it will become very hard for you to begin again as a result of the exhaustion and biting cold. You will bask in your achievement and this day will definitely be ingrained in your memory for the remainder of your life. The trek back to Barafu from the peak will last almost three hours. You will take a well deserved break then you will gather your equipment and continue sloping to Mweka Hut (3100m). The route is not hard and it will lead you to the rock and scree path to the moorland and then to the forest. The camp site is located on the upper forest and you will most likely experience rain or mist in the afternoon. The porters will then boil water for drinking and washing.

Altitude reached: 5895m (Uhuru Summit), and later 3100m

Total ascent time: 6 to 7 hours; total descent time: 3 to 4 hours

Accommodation: Mweka Camp and all your meals will be provided

Day 13: Mweka camp to Mweka Gate

You will be hiking for almost three hours for a distance of approximately 15km. The habitat is the forest. You will start the day with an early breakfast then take a brief three hour climb back to the Park Gate. When you reach Mweka gate, you will register yourself. It is also the place where the triumphant climbers get their summit certificates. The climbers that get to Uhuru Peak (5895m) get golden

certificates and those that reach Stella Point (5685m) are given green certificates. After Mweka Gate, you will slope to Mweka Village, usually a mud-filled 3km hike that lasts one hour. While in the Mweka Village, you will get to eat a steaming hot meal. You will then travel to Arusha and take a warm bath and have a delicious dinner. You will spend the night at a hotel.

Total ascent time: 6 to 7 hours

Accommodation: Out Post Lodge

Meal Plan: Breakfast, lunch and Dinner

Day 14: Departure

This is the final day of our 14 Days Rwanda Safari & Mount Kilimanjaro safari with Mj Safaris. After breakfast, you will head to the airport for your departure flight. We hope you enjoyed your holiday and hope to see you again.