Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
(Elephant Ridge) after another 30 minutes. From the top of Mgongo Wa Tembo there are
great views down into the crater and up to the main cliffs below the summit. Continue
through some open grassy clearings and over several stream beds (usually dry) to Saddle
Hut (3570m).
From Saddle Hut a side trip to the summit of Little Meru (3820m) takes about an hour
and gives impressive views of Meru's summit, the horseshoe crater, the top of the Ash Cone
and the sheer cliffs of the crater's inner wall. As the sun sets behind Meru, casting huge
jagged shadows across the clouds, the snows on Kili turn orange and then pink as the light
fades.
STAGE 3: SADDLE HUT TO MERU SUMMIT & RETURN
(5km, 4-5hr, 816m ascent, plus 5km, 2-3hr, 816m descent)
This stage, along a very narrow ridge between the outer slopes of the mountain and the
sheer cliffs of the inner crater, is one of the most dramatic and exhilarating sections of
trekking anywhere in East Africa. During the rainy season, ice and snow can occur on this
section of the route, so take care. If there's no mist, the views from the summit are spectac-
ular. You can see the volcanoes of Kitumbeini and Lengai along the Rift Valley Escarpment
and also far across the plains of the Maasai Steppe beyond Arusha.
If you're looking forward to watching the sunrise behind Kilimanjaro, but you're not
keen on attempting this section in the dark, the views at dawn are just as impressive from
Rhino Point (3814m), about an hour from Saddle Hut, as they are from the summit. Per-
haps even more so because you'll also see the main cliffs of the crater's inner wall being
illuminated by the rising sun.
STAGE 4: SADDLE HUT TO MOMELLA GATE
(5km, 3-5hr, 2250m descent)
From Saddle Hut, retrace the Stage 2 route to Miriakamba (1½ to 2½ hours). From
Miriakamba, the short path descends gradually down the ridge directly to Momella gate
(1½ to 2½ hours). It goes through forest some of the way, then open grassland, where gir-
affes and zebras are often seen. Most companies will finish the day with a wildlife drive
through the park.
Tarangire National Park
Beautiful baobab-studded Tarangire National Park stretches along its namesake river and
covers 2850 sq km, though adjacent preserves help protect the extended ecosystem. It's
usually assigned only a day visit as part of a larger northern circuit safari, though longer
visits are rewarding in the dry season when it has the second highest (after Serengeti) con-
centration of wildlife of any Tanzanian national park and reportedly the largest concentra-
tion of elephants in the world. Large herds of zebras, wildebeest, hartebeest, elands, oryx,
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