Adventure To-Do List:  Mount Kilimanjaro and a Safari 

Monday, Sept 28-2015 – Arrive in Tanzania

• Arrive at the wee-baby Kilimanjaro International Airport JRO
• Check in at the Outpost Lodge in the town of Arushu. (The lodge boasts hot water in some of the rooms, a clear pool and the best coffee in Arushu. 5 star all the way for these travelers!)

Tuesday, Sept 29-2015 – Final Pre-Hike Prep / Rent Stuff

• Organize any rental equipment or clothing. (Bringing a whole bunch of -15C clothing on a 6 week trip to Africa for just one long night up the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro is near to crazy talk. So lots of places have rentals for all kinds of things like sleeping bags, hiking poles, rain gear, day packs, etc. Some of us are cutting back on how much we bring by renting the bigger stuff or items we won’t need for the rest of our travels.)
• Evening brief with our guide from Climb Mount Kilimanjaro who work in conjunction with Team Kilimanjaro as their on the ground team in Tanzania. (We don’t know our guide yet but we are secretly hoping it is the trail guide author of amazing-ness Henry Stedman from Trailblazers who wrote the trail guide for Mount Kilimanjaro and many other hikes I have done in the UK. Hello he is awesome!)

Wednesday, Sept 30-2015 – Begin Hike Day 1/7 

• 0700 leave hotel
• Arushu to Rongai Gate by 4×4 vehicle
• Rongai Gate to Simba Camp on our own two feet
• Distance to hike: 7 km
• Sleeping at the elevation of: 8,645 feet (2,635 m)
• Enjoying our last day of normal air pressure and all the oxygen in our lungs we could ever dream of (and will dream of)
• Colobus Monkeys!
• Interesting note: some of us on this hike also want to climb to Machu Picchu which is “only” at 8,000 feet. Did we do these in the wrong order?

Thursday, Oct 1-2015 – Hike Day 2 / 7

• 0700 wake up
• Simba Camp to Kikelelwa Camp
• Distance to hike: 11.75 km
• Sleeping at the elevation of: 12,057 ft (3,675 m)

Friday, Oct 2-2015 – Hike Day 3 / 7 

• 0700 wake up
• Kikelelwa Camp to Mawenzi Tarn Hut Camp
• Distance to hike: 3.75 km
• Sleeping at the elevation of: 14,114 ft (4,302 m)
• Steep UP, no more vegetation after this day

Saturday, Oct 3-2015 – Hike Day 4 / 7 

• 0700 wake up
• Mawenzi Tarn Hut Camp to School Huts
• Distance to hike: 10.5 km
• Sleeping at the elevation of: 15, 476 ft (4717 m)
• Acclimatization Hike up 200 m
• Crossed the Saddle today, an alpine dessert

Sunday, Oct 4-2015 – Hike Day 5 / 7 SUMMIT DAY

• 0400 wake up
• School Huts via Gillman’s Point to Uhuru Peak (Summit at 19,341 ft)
• Distance to hike: 12 km
• UP and UP and UP (above the altitude of Mt Everest base camp) and then DOWN
• Sleeping back at School Huts with elevation of: 15, 476 ft (4717 m)
• Brande Looks Back: Kilimanjaro Day 5 (Summit Day – Emotions)
• Brande Looks Back: Kilimanjaro Day 5 (Summit Day – Epiphany)

Monday, Oct 5-2015 – Hike Day 6/7  

• School Huts to Horombo Huts Camp
• Distance to hike: 21.65 km
• Sleeping at the elevation of: 12, 208 ft (3,721 m)
• A lodge camp of the Coca Cola Route  is here at Horombo Huts

Tuesday, Oct 6-2015 – Hike Day 7 / 7  

• 0700 wake up
• Horombo Huts to Marangu Gate
• Distance to hike: 20.75 km
• Sleeping at the elevation of: OUR HOTEL!
• Down, down and down and get your certificate, have a partially chilled pint, count your toenail losses, shower, you did it!

Wednesday, Oct 7-2015  – Recover, Laundry, Sooth Muscles 

• wake up whenever you feel like it
• do whatever you like today (pool, chill, sleep, wobble about on sore muscles)
• enjoy some extra calories

Thursday, Oct 8-2015 – Safari Day 1

• Pick up at Outpost Lodge in Arushu
• 2 Safari Vehicles needed to take all 7 of us out to see the Lion King
• Drive from Arushu to Lake Manyara – Tarangire Park
• Packed Lunch outside the Park gates (monkeys stealing food right from your hands)
• Animals we saw in the park: lions, giraffes, zebras, wildebeest, elephants
• Drive from Tarangire Park to Ngorogoro Crater
• Stop at viewpoint over the Crater (seriously like a scene from the Lion King)
• Overnight at the Rhino Lodge

Friday, Oct 9-2015 – Safari Day 2

• Pick up at Rhino Lodge
• 2 Safari Vehicles again (same drivers and vehicles)
• Drive down, down, down into the Crater (while texting and driving in thick fog?!)
• Start drive through the crater at sunrise
• Animals we saw in the Crater: lioness, zebra, ostrich, Timon & Pumba, hyena, hippos, a very far away rhino, all kinds of birds
• Drop off at Outpost Lodge for our last night in Tanzania

Saturday, Oct 10-2015

• On to the next adventure! South Africa!