Kilimanjaro Shira Plateau Day Hike

Kilimanjaro Shira Plateau Day Hike

Tour Descriptions
From your Hotel in Moshi, depart with your guide after an early breakfast for the drive to Kilimanjaro National Park. Depending on the location of your hotel, the journey will take 1½–2½ hours.
You will be driven to the western side of the mountain and up through the forests to the Londorossi Gate, at an altitude of 2,100m, where the hike begins. The ascent is over 1,000m, moving steadily up through tropical montane forests, home to a variety of animals and birdlife. With the help of your guide, you may spot colobus monkeys, crested turacos and more. As well as being the less-visited side of the mountain, these western regions are known to be frequented by big game from Kenya’s Amboseli National Park, which neighbors Kilimanjaro National Park. It is not uncommon to hear elephants rumbling through the forest; you may even catching sight of them through the trees.

Itinerary
This is a typical itinerary for this product

Stop At: Mount Kilimanjaro, Kilimanjaro National Park 00255 Tanzania

The Shira Plateau area of Kilimanjaro offers a fantastic opportunity to get a taste of Africa’s tallest peak and to explore a World Heritage Site as a day trip. Take either a more strenuous day hike along the ancient rim of the plateau or stick to something more relaxed on the undulating floor – perhaps going as far as the photogenic ‘cone place’ or Shira Needles at the southern end of the plateau. To the west, the Kibo massif sweeps up to the glaciers near the summit, the rise scarred by deep valleys and eroded lava flows that stand like twisted modern sculptures in the harsh mountain weather. A number of streams tumble down this flank of the mountain, eventually joining together in a gully that crosses the plateau before plunging down to the plains far below.
The day starts early with a pick-up in Arusha then a 3-hour drive through the rich agricultural area at the base of the mountain. Observe the variety of local agriculture, from hand-tilled smallholdings to large commercial farms before giving way first to plantation forest and finally to indigenous forest.
Once through the park gate, the road climbs more steeply up a rough track moving quickly through the different layers of vegetation from thick mountain forest with towering trees, gradually giving way to the giant heath.
From the parking area at the edge of the plateau you can strike out in any direction, following the myriad of small animal tracks to meander your way across the plateau. The guide will carry trail food and a picnic lunch and each hiker needs a small rucksack to carry water, warm clothes and full waterproofs – the weather can change incredibly quickly. A pair of stout walking boots is needed, as in some areas the ground can be soft.
Mid-afternoon, return to the vehicle and bump back down the track and across the plains to Arusha, arriving back at the hotel late afternoon or early evening.

Duration: 8 hours