17-Day Tanzania Safari with Mount Meru, Ol Doinyo Lengai and Kilimanjaro

Your English-speaking mountain guide meets you at Mc Ellys Hotel at 8:30 am for the drive to Momella Gate in Arusha National Park. After registration you start the climb, with a picnic lunch on the way, to the first hut, Miriakamba Hut. The walk takes about three hours, and the lower slopes are home to buffalo, giraffe and monkeys. Dinner and the night are at the hut. From 1,597 m to 2,503 m, a gain of 906 m.

After breakfast you climb to the second hut, Saddle Hut. This part is steeper than the first and takes about two hours, so you arrive with the afternoon free. If you feel strong, you can climb Little Meru with your guide and come back to the hut; it is good acclimatisation and gives fine views of the main summit. Dinner and an early night follow. From 2,503 m to 3,560 m, a gain of 1,057 m.

You wake around midnight for a cup of tea before setting off for the main summit of Mount Meru. The path crosses rocky ground in the dark, and from the top you look out over the crater and, on a clear morning, across to Kilimanjaro. You then return to Saddle Hut for a full breakfast and spend the rest of the day resting. From 3,560 m to 4,566 m and back, 1,006 m up and down.

After an early breakfast you leave Saddle Hut and descend to Momella Gate by way of Miriakamba Hut, about two and a half hours of walking downhill through the forest and open glades. At the gate your guide signs you out, and our driver guide transfers you to Migombani Camp for dinner and the night, ready for the start of the safari. From 3,560 m to 1,597 m, a descent of 1,963 m.

After breakfast you drive to Tarangire National Park for a full day of game drives, with a picnic lunch in the park. Tarangire is known for its big elephant herds and ancient baobabs, and in the dry season animals gather along the river. Look for zebra, wildebeest, buffalo, giraffe, fringe-eared oryx, lion, cheetah and leopard, and for birds such as Fischer's lovebirds and green wood hoopoes. In the evening you drive to Panorama Camp, with hot showers, mosquito nets and Wi-Fi, for dinner.

After an early breakfast at 6 am you set off with a picnic lunch for the Ngorongoro Crater and descend to the crater floor for about six hours of game drives. Wildebeest, zebra, buffalo, eland, warthog, hippo and elephant live here, along with lion, hyena, jackal, cheetah and the elusive leopard. You also visit Lake Magadi, a shallow alkaline lake in the south-west of the crater, often busy with flamingos, hippos and water birds. Late afternoon, you drive back to Migombani Camp for dinner.

After breakfast you head north, with game viewing on the way, to Lake Natron and Worldview Camp for a hot lunch. In the afternoon you drive to the foot of the escarpment and walk to the Ngare Sero waterfalls to swim in the river pool, with birds and butterflies all around. In the evening you visit the lake shore, one of the main breeding areas for flamingos, and look for other water birds. After sunset you return to Worldview Camp for dinner.

At 1 am, after a cup of coffee, you meet your English-speaking Maasai mountain guide and drive to the start of the climb on Ol Doinyo Lengai, the active volcano the Maasai call the Mountain of God. It is hard and steep, with scrambling on rock, so you need to be fit and sure-footed. From the summit (2,878 m) you look into the active crater and out over Lake Natron, the Ngorongoro highlands, Mount Longido, Mount Kitumbeine and Mount Kerimasi. After sunrise you descend slowly, return to camp for lunch, then drive to Panorama Campsite.

After breakfast you drive back to Arusha and Mc Ellys Hotel for a full day's rest before the mountain. Walk around Arusha town, sort out any last gear, or simply rest at the hotel and catch up on sleep. Your mountain guide will brief you on the Machame route and check your equipment so anything missing can be arranged before you set off. Dinner and the night are at Mc Ellys Hotel.

After breakfast you drive from Arusha to the Kilimanjaro National Park gate, about an hour's drive, through Machame village on the lower slopes. From the gate you walk through rainforest on a winding trail up a ridge. Lower down the path can be muddy and slippery, so gaiters and trekking poles are a good idea. You continue until you reach Machame Camp for dinner and the night. From 5,400 ft to 9,400 ft, about 11 km, 5–7 hours.

After breakfast you leave the glades of the rainforest on a rising path, cross a small valley and walk along a steep, rocky ridge covered in heather until the ridge ends. The route then turns west into a river gorge and on to the Shira campsite on the Shira Plateau, where there is time to rest before dinner. The views open up today, and the altitude starts to tell, so go slowly and drink often. From 9,400 ft to 12,500 ft, about 5 km, 4–6 hours through moorland.

The key acclimatisation day. From the Shira Plateau you climb east up a ridge, past the junction towards Kibo, then turn south-east to Lava Tower, the rock known as the Shark's Tooth. Shortly after the tower, a second junction leads up towards the Arrow Glacier at about 16,000 ft. You then descend to Barranco Camp at 13,000 ft. You end the day close to your starting height, but the climb helps your body prepare for summit day. About 10 km, 6–8 hours.

After breakfast you climb the steep ridge of the Barranco Wall and continue to the Karanga Valley campsite. From Karanga the trail meets the junction with the Mweka trail and climbs on to Barafu Camp. This completes the Southern Circuit, which shows you the summit from many different angles, and from camp both Mawenzi and Kibo are in sight. Dinner, a briefing and early rest before summit night. From 13,000 ft to about 15,000 ft, about 9 km, 8–10 hours.

You set off between midnight and 2 am, climbing between the Rebmann and Ratzel glaciers and heading north-west through heavy scree to Stella Point (18,600 ft) on the crater rim. Rest here and, weather permitting, watch the sunrise. The last hour to Uhuru Peak (5,895 m) may be on snow. You then descend, stopping at Barafu for lunch, and continue to Mweka Camp (10,000 ft) for dinner; gaiters and poles help on the loose gravel. About 5 km up in 7–8 hours, 12 km down in 4–6 hours.

After breakfast you continue down to Mweka Gate, where you receive your summit certificate. Lower down the path can be wet and muddy, so keep gaiters and poles to hand; shorts and a T-shirt are usually enough, with rain gear and a warm layer in your pack. From the gate you walk about another hour to Mweka village, where our vehicle meets you for the drive back to Arusha. From 10,000 ft to 5,400 ft, about 10 km, 3–4 hours.

After breakfast you check out at 9 am for a tour of Arusha town, with a visit to the Tanzanite Museum and time for shopping for gifts and souvenirs. Later in the afternoon we drive you to Arusha Airport and drop you off for your flight. This is where your seventeen days of mountains and safari in northern Tanzania end, and we hope to welcome you back.