Day Trips

Ngorongoro Crater (Conservation Area)

Your day will seem complete and beautiful if your time in Tanzania will allow you to set your feet in this beautiful Garden of Eden. Why the Garden of Eden? Because long ago the Maasai lived here in peace, living off the land and the wild animals. The land now is conservation, designed to protect the animals.  The area is beautiful with a nice view of Lake Makati in the middle of the drive. Imagine – what does this place look like?

It is a nice game area, which is within a caldera. You can see five of the big animals including elephants, lions, buffaloes, rhinos, leopards, as well as many birds.
We leave early from Arusha, then go on the game drive and finally go back to Arusha. The drive takes 2 to 2:30 hours.
Rates:

• 2 people in the vehicle: $ 350 each
• 3 to 4 people in the vehicle: $ 300 each
• 5 and more people: $ 275 each

Arusha National Park

Take your day in Arusha National Park (Momela National Park). It’s a nice park, about 45 kilometers (40 minutes) from Arusha. We can offer you a full game drive in this park where there are many animals to see – zebra, buffalo, warthog, giraffe, waterbuck, dik-dik, as well as many flowers and birds around lake Momella. We can also offer you very nice walking within the park so that you can spot animals, like giraffes and buffaloes only a few meters from you. There are also several waterfalls within the park. There is no need for you to worry – you will be provided with a ranger who will make sure most of the time you’re safe from the animals! See a nice view of Mount Meru from this park. Rates: 2 people in the vehicle: $270 each 3 to 4 people in the vehicle: $240 each 5 and more people: $200 each

Lake Manyara National Park

At this park, there are many animals like elephants, buffaloes, giraffes, zebras, and lions. Many beautiful birds, including flamingos, can be seen around this lake. We can offer you a full game drive in this park, as well as a chance to walk around. It’s about 1 1/2 to 2 hours from Arusha. Rates: 2 people in the vehicle: $300 each 3 to 4 people in the vehicle: $250 each 5 and more people: $220 each

Tarangire National Park.

Tarangire National park has many wild animals, including many, many elephants, and also buffaloes, zebras, giraffes, as well as birds. After morning breakfast we can drive you to this nice and attractive park and later in the evening we can drive you back to the hotel. It’s about 1 1/2 to 2 hours from Arusha. Rates: 2 people in the vehicle: $300 each 3 to 4 people in the vehicle: $250 each 5 and more people: $220 each Explore Tanzania’s Indigenous Culture

Meeting indigenous people and experiencing their rewarding culture, norms, and traditions, while exploring their amazing natural environments, will make your journey unforgettable.
In northern Tanzania, you will find the Maasai and Chagga tribes, a magnificent valley, rivers, lakes, springs, and ridges – all offering a super viewpoint of Mt. Kilimanjaro and Mt. Meru.
Our Cultural Tourism Program Offers:

• Traditional Food. The food will depend on the particular tribe you are visiting. If the Chagga tribe, you will eat Machalari, which is their traditional food. It is a fresh banana cooked together with the beef. If you visit the Maasai, you will eat meat. On request, vegetarian food can be provided.

• Shamba Tour (farm tour). Here you can observe local farmers working in their fields, hoeing the land, and keeping their domestic animals.

• Maasai, Chagga, and Swahili culture tour, including arts & crafts and traditional dance. You have the opportunity to just watch the dance and arts and crafts or participate.

• Maasai, Chagga, and Swahili Survival course, including showing you how people have managed to survive. Learn about local medicine.

• Nature Hike, where you can hike to the local mountain and see the countryside.

• The study tour includes learning about the lives of the indigenous tribes, what has changed over the years, and how the tribes are handling these many changes.

• Historical information (from our museum), where you can learn about Tanzanian life in general.

Rate: $300 per person. This includes transport to the village, food, guide and driver, and the village fee. Tips are appreciated.
Additional option: you can stay the night for $50.
Safe Trekking

Dear friend, please bear in mind there is no such thing as a safe mountain. At Diamond Glacier Adventures we take safety very seriously.
Many people are under the mistaken impression that Africa’s highest mountain is an easy mountain to trek. But without the proper guidance and equipment, it can be a monster.
The biggest enemy on Kilimanjaro is neither weather nor the wildlife but the high altitude. Many people face Altitude Mountain Sickness (AMS), regardless of their fitness level.

What is AMS?
Altitude Mountain Sickness is an illness caused by a reduction of barometric pressure and the concentration of oxygen in the air at a high elevation. Lower pressure makes the air less dense so your body gets fewer oxygen molecules with every breath you take.
There are three levels of AMS – mild, moderate, and severe.

Mild Acute Mountain Sickness

• Common to travelers who ascend rapidly to altitudes above 7,000 feet.
• Typical problems could include any or all of the following: headache, difficulty sleeping, loss of appetite, swelling of the face and hands, breathing problems, and nausea.

Moderate Acute Mountain Sickness

• Symptoms include nausea, vomiting, a constant headache, and severe breathing problems even when sitting still.
• Carefully monitor the sufferer to ensure that he/she does not progress to severe AMS.

Severe Acute Mountain Sickness or High Altitude Cerebral Edema (HACE)
Main symptom: the loss of sense and balance
Signs and symptoms – Vomiting, loss of coordination, severe lassitude, seizures, loss of sensation on one side of the body, hallucinations, stupor, confusion, and severe headache.
High Altitude Pulmonary Edema (HAPE)
Main symptom: the accumulation of water in the lungs
This can happen as early as the second night. Usually, it begins within the first two to four days of ascent to higher altitudes.
Signs and symptoms –

• Breathlessness with minor exertion. As greater amounts of fluid collect in the lungs, shortness of breath will increase, even while resting.
• Dry hacking cough.
• Anxious, restless, and rapid or bounding pulse.
• Lips and fingers have a bluish color (which may mean you are not getting enough oxygen).

Treatments
Altitude sickness

• Eat foods high in carbohydrates and low in fat and stay well-hydrated. Graded ascent is the safest way to prevent altitude illness.

Acetazolamide (Dynamos) is a prescription medication that may help prevent altitude sickness. It works while you sleep; it increases your respiration rate.
Mild altitude sickness

• Do not go higher in altitude until the symptoms have gone.
• Watch closely for progression of illness to more severe forms.
• Minimize exertion.
• Avoid sleeping pills.
• Take acetaminophen (Tylenol) 680mg to 1000mg or ibuprofen (Motrin) 400mg to 600mg for headaches.
• Administer acetazolamide (Diamox) at a dose of 250mg twice a day.

Severe Acute Mountain Sickness or High Altitude Cerebral Edema (HACE)

• Immediately descend at least 3000 feet (1,000 meters).
• Administer acetazolamide (Diamox) at a dose of 250mg twice a day.
• Administer oxygen if available. A Gamow bag may also be helpful in mitigating the effects.
• Administer 8mg of Decadron (Dexamethasone), followed by 4mg after 6 hours.

High Altitude Pulmonary Edema (HAPE)

• Immediately descend at least 3000 feet (1000 meters). Do not wait. Waiting could prove to be fatal.
• Administer oxygen (four to six liters every minute) if available. A Gamow bag may be helpful in mitigating the effects.
• Every hour the dose of 10 to 20 mg of nifedipine (Procardia) may be helpful.

Hypothermia
Main symptom: an abnormally low body temperature due to a cold environment.

• 90 degrees Fahrenheit (32 degrees Celsius) is considered mild to moderate hypothermia.
• Below 90F (32C) indicates severe hypothermia.
• Death from hypothermia is likely to occur at around 75 to 80F.

How we lose and conserve heat

• Radiation – this is a direct loss of heat from a warm body to a cooler environment. Protection includes wearing a hat and scarf.
• Conduction – this is heat loss through direct physical contact between the body and a cooler surface. Protection includes insulation from the ground.
• Convection – this is heat loss by air movement circulating round the body and depends on the velocity of wind (wind chill factor.) Windproof clothing and shelter will help reduce heat loss.
• Evaporation – when sweat or water evaporates on your skin, it cools you. Put extra layers under your clothing to act as a barrier.

This information is summarized from guide training Demi received from Kilimanjaro National Park.

Rates

Hiking the peaks
Climbing Kilimanjaro
Marangu Route (Coca Cola Route)
5 days, 4 nights on the mountain

• 1 person to pay $ 1,450
• 2-4 people each to pay $1,430
• 5 or more people each to pay $1,350

Machame Route (Whiskey Route)
6 days, 5 nights on the mountain

• 1 person to pay $1,750
• 2-4 people each to pay $1,550
• 5 or more people each to pay $1,450

Rongai Route
6 days, 5 nights on the mountain

• 1 person to pay $ 1,780
• 2-4 people each to pay $1,630
• 5 or more people each to pay $1,460

Lemosho Route
8 days, 7 nights on the mountain

• 1 person to pay $1,500usd
• 2-4 people each to pay $2,050
• 5 or more people each to pay $1,950

Umbwe Route
6 days, 5 nights on the mountain

• 1 person to pay $1,700
• 2-4 people each to pay $1,550
• 5 or more people each to pay $1,450

Mt. Meru Trekking
3 days, 2 nights on the mountain

• 1 person to pay $800
• 2-4 people each to pay $700
• 5 or more people each to pay $600

4 Days, 3 nights on the mountain

• 1 person to pay $860
• 2-4 people each to pay $750
• 5 or more people each to pay $650

Extra nights on the mountain are available: $195 per night.
Extra porters are needed to carry extra equipment, such as large camera gear, which costs $10 per day.
Our prices include:

• Two nights’ accommodation in Arusha or Moshi hotels
• Three meals a day on the mountain
• Rescue fees if necessary
• Transport to and from the mountain
• Camping or hut fees
• Park fees
• Tents for camping
• Salaries for the professional mountain guides,  the porters and the cook