Shira Plateau Day Hike from Arusha

The Shira Plateau on Kilimanjaro offers a unique chance to experience high-altitude hiking in a spectacular World Heritage Site - perfect for a challenging rim walk or a gentler route across the undulating plateau floor. Highlights may include the striking “Cone Place” or Shira Needles, with the dramatic Kibo Massif rising to the west, its flanks carved by valleys, lava flows, and glaciers near the summit. Streams cut across the plateau, tumbling down toward the plains below, and with luck you may spot buffalo, gazelle, bushbuck, or signs of larger animals like elephant or eland.

The day begins with an early pick-up in Arusha and a scenic three-hour drive through farmland, plantation forest, and indigenous mountain forest to the park gate. From there, the track climbs into the heath zone, where giant heathers gradually shrink as you approach the plateau.

From the trailhead, follow animal paths across the open landscape with your guide, stopping for a picnic lunch en route. Hikers carry water, warm layers, and waterproofs as mountain weather can change quickly—boots are essential. After exploring the plateau, return mid-afternoon to the vehicle for the drive back, arriving in Arusha by late afternoon or early evening.