Kilimanjaro 2018 SAFARI & MARATHON February 22 - March 5 Thursday 22 Feb Morning flight from your hometown to Minneapolis OR your gateway. Friday 23 Feb Amsterdam - Kilimanjaro Met upon arrival at the Kilimanjaro International Airport by a lodge representative, to be transferred to The KIA Lodge for dinner & overnight. The KIA Lodge is situated on a secluded hill, just a few minutes drive from Kilimanjaro International Airport. Positioned in the heart of the African savannah in the shadows of Mount Kilimanjaro, it is the ideal location to overnight after a late night KLM arrival. On a clear day you can enjoy a spectacular view of the majestic Mount Kilimanjaro, which shows her snowy top mostly early in the morning and at sundown. Saturday - 24 Feb Breakfast. Your guide will meet you at the lodge round for the approximate 3- hour drive to the Tarangire National Park. We will drive to Arusha where we will exchange for Tanzanian Shilling, then to the grocery store where we can purchase additional snacks, water, sodas, beer, wine for our safari. Most of the day will be spent inside the park game viewing - picnic lunch is included. Check in at our private campsite for dinner & overnight.
The Tarangire ecosystem is the third largest in Tanzania (20 000 square kilometres), of which the park occupies a mere 13%. During the dry season, the park has the second largest concentration of wildlife in Tanzania. The unique acacia and baobab vegetation provides a home for over 550 bird species, as well as lion, leopard, buffalo and large herds of elephant; also species such as gerenuk, oryx and eland, rarely seen in the other parks in the north. Sunday, 25 Feb Depart camp after breakfast for a short drive, to Mtuwa Mbu Village, located within the east African Valley, some 120km from Arusha City. Mto wa Mbu inhabits more than 18,000 thousands in which there are 120 tribes. Masai being the original inhabitants of the area. Mtowa Mbu flourishes in the presence of three great rivers, Kirurumu, Mahamond and Magadini.
We will spend 1-2 hours in the village before continuing our drive to Ngorongoro Crater where we make our way to our private campsite located on the crater rim and have dinner and stay overnight. Along the way we travel through the dense forested slopes of Ngorongoro Conservation pausing to admire the splendid view of the crater floor 600 m below at Heroes Point. At 8 300 sq km Ngorongoro Conservation Area is named after its central feature, the Ngorongoro Crater, which is the world's largest intact volcanic caldera and within which has evolved an extraordinary natural sanctuary for some of Africa's densest populations of large mammals. There is an active black rhino breeding project inside the crater and you may be lucky enough to spot some of these magnificent, shy beasts during your tour, but sightings are limited as breeding areas are strictly protected and usually closed to public access. The crater rim can be very cold at night and cloaked in mist in the early mornings. You will need a heavy jumper, several layers or a warm jacket here. Monday, 26 Feb Today we head down into the caldera below and spend time enjoying game viewing in one of the most spectacular places on earth! Photographic opportunities are abundant, and one often sees four out of the Big Five in a short time! We will have a picnic lunch at the floor of the crater at a pleasant lakeside location where we can stretch our legs and soak up the magnificent scenery. Return to your private camp for dinner & overnight.
Tuesday, 27 Feb Today we make our way to the Olduvai Gorge for a short visit. The migration is often in the area at this time of year, but certainly cannot be guaranteed we will do our best to look for game as well. Your driver/guides will then drive into the Serengeti National Park for a picnic lunch (viewing game en route). Continue your journey to your private campsite for dinner & overnight (viewing game en route). Wednesday, 28 Feb Morning & afternoon game drives inside the national park. Full board camping at your private campsite. BALLOON FLIGHT (INCLUDES A CHAMPAGNE BREAKFAST AFTERWARDS) - Note that this excursion should be booked & paid at time of booking as it sells out.
The Serengeti is unequalled for its beauty and contains more than three million large mammals spread over the vast endless plains. It is here, at certain times of the year, that we may encounter the breathtaking spectacle of the annual wildebeest migration, where one and a quarter million wildebeest trek in columns of up to forty kilometres long in search of grazing, drawing with them their predators and numerous other species of game. Thursday, 01 March Depart camp after breakfast to be driven to the local airstrip (viewing game en route) to catch the scheduled Regional Air flight back to Arusha. Met upon arrival by a Wild Frontiers representative, to be transferred to Arusha town for lunch at Stiggey's Bar & Grill. Please note that drinks are excluded and will be for your own account. In the afternoon continue driving to MOSHI to arrive late afternoon to be dropped-off at the Keys Hotel for dinner and overnight. Friday, 02 March KEYS HOTEL A basic trekker's hotel. Small, it has a swimming pool, bar, garden area and restaurant. The staff is very friendly and accommodating. This will be your base hotel for the run and the trek, it is also Race Central and Kili Trek Central.
Saturday 03 March Breakfast and lunch at the hotel. Day at leisure to relax from your safari and prepare for the race! We will take a short walk to the stadium to review the layout for tomorrow s activities.. 16:00 - Race Bib packet distribution and briefing/description at the Keys Hotel, to get acquainted with the route of your marathon, half marathon or 5k run. Special carbo-loading Pasta Dinner at Keys Hotel. Sunday 04 March RACE DAY! Enjoy a cool-down at our the Wild Frontiers Hospitality Tent with free water & beer. 17:00 - Happy Hour and trek briefing by the pool at the Keys Hotel. 19:00 - BBQ Dinner at Keys Hotel. Monday 05 March Breakfast and lunch at your hotel Optional morning visit to the Amani Children's Home NO ACTIVITIES INCLUDED TODAY. Transferred to the Kilimanjaro International Airport to catch your flight back home or to your next destination. BON VOYAGE