August 9 – Mweka Gate, Kilimanjaro

It is about 2:30 in the afternoon and [BAI Guide] Nicholas just called to report that Daniel, Peter and Dave are in the Land Cruiser headed back to Arusha. Today’s walk off the mountain through the forest took the guys through a green and lush world of vegetation that was forgotten during the 5 days they spent traversing the arid higher zones of Kili. When they reached the Mweka gate, they checked-out with the Park Service and checked out the stalls that sell Kili tee-shirts, maps and souvenirs. During the quick ride back to Arusha they will pass through the rich farmland that surrounds Kilimanjaro, where the Chagga and the Pare people live their lives tending to small family farms, working on coffee and banana plantations and walking to markets to do most of their trading. A drive through this area shows why our groups are able to eat so well when they are in the high alpine desert of Kilimanjaro above – this is a rich land in terms of agriculture with an abundance of every kind of fresh food that you can imagine.

Those showers wait at the Mt. Meru Hotel. Tomorrow at 2:00 PM the guys will be taken to Arusha airport for the flight to Serengeti. Paul, who has guided more BAI safaris than perhaps anyone else, will be waiting for them at the airstrip. Serengeti is a vast expanse that is truly one of the world’s last remaining great wilderness tracts. The wildlife populations that still migrate through the plains, forests and swamps of Serengeti always offer more wonder and excitement that can be imagined before you are actually there. Paul will have the guys out for long, full days exploring and looking for adventure. Their base will be the exclusive Kirawira lodge in Serengeti’s wild Western Corridor.