Walking Safari

Pick up from your accommodation then drive to Marangu gate which is 1800m.After registering at the gate  your guide  will start to guide you and same time he will give you information about different  plant and animals at the park and the history of Kilimanjaro mountain and the tribe which live around this mountain.

This will  take 3hours to get at Mandara camp  which is 2700m on way you will  see animals like black and white colobus monkeys,blue monkeys also you will see flowers like impatients kilimanjari,Fireball lily,Protea kilimanjarica,lobelia deckenii and different type of birds, for three hours you will be walking at nice shade of rain forest and good temperature, all this will make your three hours to be unforgettable trip in you life.

When you get at Mandara camp you will have you lunch and then you will have time to go at Maundi crater. From the area you will be out of rain forest so you will be able to have nice view of Mawenzi peak and Kibo( Uhuru) peak which is the highest in Africa. Then descend via same router to Marangu gate and drive back to your hotel.

One advantage of this day trip is that you will not be required to have any special Mountain climbing gears. All that you need for this trek is comfortable clothing, comfortable walking shoes and a rain coat in case it rains on your way up. It´s also good to wear something on your head to protect your face from sun burn. You should have a light back bag for your small things and drinking water. Remember to take your camera.

This one day tour will take you through the beutiful forest of Mt. Meru. Mt. Meru is an underappreciated gem in Northern Tanzania. Rising up from the savanna plains and rainforests of Arusha National Park, this majestic queen can be appreciated by a walking safari in a park known for small mammals, colobus monkeys, and a variety of exotic birds.Take time to relax and enjoy nature as its greatest in one of the Tanzania’s major attractions, and it is also a good start to acclimatise for Mt. Kilimajaro climb, and a hike to a waterfall nearby.

You can combine the walk with a nature walk through the Mangalia waterfalls and relax with the wonders of nature.

Even a short walk of only an hour or two can be very rewarding and there are also many opportunities for longer hikes. After spending days sitting in a vehicle, some visitors do say that they would like to stretch their backs and legs.

Crater Rim walk
Drive to the starting point on the Crater rim about 5 kilometres from your Lodge/Camp. The walk is along the Western rim of the Crater past the Oloirobi viewpoint. There are patches of forest to begin with and later it opens up into thicket and grassland, giving beautiful views down into the Crater on your right and eventually equally good views towards Olduvai Gorge, the Serengeti and the Gol mountains to your left. This is an easy-paced walk with no arduous climbs, just a few short gradients. It lasts about 2 hours and can be done at any time of day. A good time would be either early morning before departure on a game drive, or late afternoon on arrival at the Lodge after a day’s game viewing.

Mount Oldeani 
From the Eyasi Viewpoint you walk directly uphill. This is a stiff climb taking about 2 hours. You climb about 900 metres to a height of 3,200 metres at the top. As you progress on the climbing, you will notice a change in the vegetation, the plants and the birdlife. It is all open grassland with no forest or thickets of dense bush. At certain times of the year, the profusion and blossoming of different colours of the wild flowers and trees will surely amaze you. Eventually your hard work is awarded by a spectacular panorama from the top with wonderfully excellent views from all sides, e.g. the Crater to the north, the Serengeti and Lake Eyasi to the West, Lake Manyara to the South, and the Crater highlands to the East.  This walk can be done in about 4 hours if you walk at a continuous pace without stops in between till you ascend to the top. However, it can be easily expanded into a more leisurely, half-day excursion with a picnic lunch.

Empakaai Crater
From Lodge/Camp you will drive north-west along the rim of the Ngorongoro Crater, and through the village of Nainokanoka and the Embulbul Depression enjoying good views of Mt. Loolmalasin on the right; at 3648 metres, this is the third highest mountain in Tanzania. The drive is through open grassland dotted with Maasai villages. You will see a mixture of lots of cattle, and a few wild animals like zebra and other harmless animals.

After about an hour and a half you get to the eastern rim of the Empakaai Crater, which prouds itself of its 6 kms only diameter not knowing that it is smaller than Ngorongoro, although it is surely, a very beautiful place. This is a little-visited area and this is due to the fact that the only means of accessing the crater floor is on feet. Its walls are steep and thickly-forested. The walk down, which runs along a good path, takes about 30 minutes involving a drop of about 300 metres and goes through patches of forest. Look out for the two huge strangler fig trees as you approach the crater floor. Most of the floor is occupied by a soda lake, 85 metres deep. Depending on the season, there are numbers of flamingos, which congregate to feed along the edge of the lake. The lake is also a home to black-winged stilts, little grebes, and cape teal. You may not see many animals, but the tracks of leopard, hyena, baboon and buffalo betray their presence. The more energetic visitor will enjoy a walk along the edge of the lake around the entire floor of the crater. This takes 2-3 hours and is a chance to soak up the quiet beauty of this magical place. Then follows the hardest part – the climb back up to the rim! A picnic lunch can be eaten either in the crater or on the rim from where you can have a beautiful view northwards the Oldoinyo Lengai, a still-active volcano of great religious importance to the Maasai. This excursion can be done in half a day if you don’t walk around the lake. If you do, then it will take about 7 hours.

General
In order to ensure availability of a ranger, it is preferable to book walks in advance, during your tour package. It may occasionally be possible that adverse weather conditions happens (low cloud and rain) making it impossible to do the walk. To avoid this to happen, we recommend good walking shoes or boots, a sunhat and a waterproof jacket – just in case of a shower of rain. During these walks small numbers of animals will be seen but the main attraction of the walk is the beauty of the scenery, not the game viewing.

All walks are accompanied by an armed Ranger from the Ngorongoro Conservation Area Authority. Although the risk of coming into contact with a dangerous, large animal is tiny, it is a law that you are accompanied by a ranger – just in case…..! Costs: The fee per day for a ranger is US$50.00 per person, which has to be included to the tour package. It is customary to give him a tip if you are satisfied with his services. The only other costs are transport to/from the start point of the walk which also has to be included in the tour package.

Intro for Visitors (Tourists)
Experience shows us that the average length of stay in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area is only two days/one night. Naturally the main attraction is the crater itself, but guests often tell us that they would welcome the opportunity to see more of this beautiful area, especially on feet. Maybe they have spent several days in a vehicle, enjoying the game-viewing in the Tarangire, Serengeti and Lake Manyara as well as the Crater, but we do hear them say they would welcome the chance to use their legs and enjoy a good walk.

World Air Travel and Tours Limited are happy to organise a variety of walks. Even a short walk of only an hour or two can be very rewarding and there are also many opportunities for longer hikes. Some can be done as a simple add-on either at the beginning or end of a day of game-viewing. Tourists require either a half-day or a full-day with a second night in Ngorongoro. The above are just a few options which World Air Travel and Tours are happy to organise for its guests.