These treks are ideal for those who do not have enough time to summit Africa’s highest peak, want to take their children along, or are unsure about the effects of high altitude.
We offer a 1-day trek on the Shira Plateau in the West or a 1-day trek on the Marangu route in the east. We supply a qualified guide who is Wilderness First Responder trained, lunch packs and water, and you can trek anywhere between 3 and 6 hours depending on fitness levels.
Kilimanjaro Shira Plateau Trek or Mountain Biking (full day)
This trek is for those who wish to experience Kilimanjaro without having to reach the summit. The Shira Plateau offers one of the best views of Kilimanjaro’s glaciered summit. It’s about 2 hours’ drive from Arusha to Londorossi Gate to complete entry formalities, then continue for another hour up to Morum Barrier Gate. Begin trekking or mountain biking through heather and moorland. Explore the Shira plateau and visit the ancient collapsed Shira cone, the oldest of Kilimanjaro’s three volcanoes. The amount of time for trekking depends on your energy levels and the time you reach the start point. We recommend a very early start for up to 5 hours hiking or staying closer to West Kilimanjaro for a more leisurely 2 to 3-hour hike. Lunch boxes are provided.
Kilimanjaro Marangu Day trek (full day)
On this hike, we explore the lower reaches of Kilimanjaro that early explorers first discovered. After formalities at the gate, you walk through dense and humid forests for up to 4 hours, and if you are lucky, you may spot the black and white Colobus monkeys in the trees. Continue until you reach the Mandara Huts at 2743m. After your picnic lunch – and if time permits – walk to the Maundi Crater for a long view over the plains and Lake Jipe, and in the distance, the Pare and Usambara mountains.
Descend to the gate to meet your driver and the drive back to your hotel.
What to bring on your trek
Good walking shoes or boots are necessary and we recommend walking poles and an extra layer of warm clothing as conditions can change rapidly. Good sun and rain protection is a must, and all guests should carry a daypack to keep drinking water and other necessities.
The rural spread of the Southern Pare Mountains is also a magical, forested expanse of hidden villages, valleys and homesteads clinging to steep handmade terraces, with plenty to inspire an inquisitive mind. The tourism project here is located in high in the Mbaga Hills, in an area with an extraordinary local and colonial history. The traditional Pare culture is still much in evidence, and witch doctors from here are so renowned that people travel long distances, even urban dwellers from Arusha venture this far south to decipher unusual problems.
Areas such as Malameni Rock, where children were sacrificed to appease evil spirits until the 1930s, can now be climbed after receiving special instruction from the hut below. It is not far from here to the legendary Mghimbi Caves, which provided a natural hideaway and haven for local tribes during slave raids. Both of these can be visited on a half day walk. More spiritualism can be found among the tropical fruit trees and banana palms in Ikongwe Village, reached in a full day excursion from Mbaga, a beautiful and fruitful area that is believed to be a gift from the heavens, and where now a very distinct religious community has developed.
Another area considered with great respect by local communities is Mpepera Viewpoint atop Mpepera Hill, where a cross has been erected to represent the peace between the resident Catholic and Protestant communities. The viewpoint is used by locals as a peaceful area for prayers, and gives excellent views of Mount Kilimanjaro, or the Mbaga Hills and Mkomazi Game Reserve when the skies are clear. Full day walks can also be arranged into local villages to visit families practising traditional methods to brew quantities of beer or longer hikes through unspoiled woodland such as Shengena Forest. Here it is possible to camp under the stars and wake up for a sunrise hike up Shengena Peak, the highest point in the Pare and Usambara Mountains at 2,463m above sea level, and discover fresh springs and troops of colobus monkeys and enjoy magnificent views over Same and Lushoto.
History
The Pare are known to have had an extensive fortified capital, under their chief Ghendewa. He started and managed a conscript army and masterminded a unified tribe with a ‘sophisticated social system’. Ghendewa was killed fighting the Chagga. Reverend Jacob Jenson Dannholz missionary from Leipzig came to live in Mbaga for approximately 10 years between 1908 – 1917, and built a church and farmhouse on Tona Moorland. Locally known as The White Man’s House, but it is officially named ‘Dannholz Cottage’ in honor of the man who built it. This has been used by the missionaries ever since, and four bedrooms are available for visitors.
We help a lot of our customers is safari planning and advisory services together we create a perfect adventure and tours
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