TANZANIA

We will meet, drive you from Kilimanjaro International Airport (JRO) to your hotel in Moshi to rest for a while and later meet your guide for gear checking and briefing about the mountain. Furthermore, the guide will go through the group camping gear and demonstrate the use and operation of all equipment especially emergency oxygen cylinder and pulse ox-meter, your guide also will explain signs and symptoms of various mountain sicknesses which might happen while trekking.

After breakfast in the morning, you will drive approximately for two to three hours to the Londorosi gate where you will do registration and get entrance permit. Your hike will start through crossing a rainforest for about 2 to 3 hours to cover the distance of 4.5 miles/7km to Mti Mkubwa Camp. On the way, you will see a lot of beautiful flowers like impatiens Kilimanjaro, and if you are lucky, you might see black and white Colobus monkeys and other forest wildlife.

This day will be one of your beautiful and longest hikes. For the first sessions, you will walk for 3-4 hours to Shira 1 camp. You will have a lunch stop and short break, and you will cover distance of 4.5miles/7km. After lunch, you will hike for about 4-5 hours to cover the distance of 5.5miles/9km. You will also cross the middle of Shira Plateau, a world heritage site through moorland zone, and arrive in the beautiful overnight camp located at the base of a massive lava flow.

Today, you will keep walking in Alpine desert for 5.5miles/9km for about 6 to 8 hours. You will start by climbing over steep hills and very few rocks, then steady uphill climb to the lava tower 15190feet/4600m From this point, some people might start to feel a mild headache due to the altitude change. (Emergency oxygen tanks provided) From lava tower, you will descend for about 2 hours through dust and rock trail to have overnight rest at Barranco Camp.

Today is a short day for 4 to 6 hours to cover the distance of 3.7miles/6km and you will start by scrambling up the great Barranco wall for about 1 to 2 hours. In this wall, some section will be steep forcing you to use hands to reach and maneuver yourself around rock boulders like rock climbing, though it is not as challenging as rock climbing. At the top of the wall, you can see Barranco valley and the campsite where you spent the night before. You will also walk up and down to Karanga valley which is the last water point on the mountain and on top of the ridge; it will be your campsite where you will have hot lunch and overnight stay.

Today, you will have another walking of 2.4 miles/4km for 3 to 5 hours in steep uphill with a lot of boulders and shattered rock crossing an upper Alpine desert. You will go through a steep ridge until you reach a rocky section which is more scrambling for about an hour and a half. Your next camp will be on a large rocky area with steep faces and you will have earlier dinner and sleep earlier because you will have to wake up in the middle of the night for the summit.

 At 12:00am we’ll start the climb to  the summit with steep rocks for 2-3 hours then zigzaging to the crater rim and finally Stella point (18800 feet) around 6:00am. At Stella point, our trail meets other routes heading to Uhuru peak, and you’ll see the sunrise on your way or at the summit. Once at the top, you will stay for 15 minutes for pictures and sightseeing then descend down via the same trail for 3 hours to Barafu Camp for rest, brunch, and descent to Mweka Hut. The base camp to the summit is a 6.2 miles/10km round trip.

Today after breakfast, you will meet your Kilimanjaro crew for group pictures and Kilimanjaro songs. Afterward, you will start descending down via rain forest for 4 hours to cover the distance of 6.2 miles/10km. At Mweka Gate, you will sign out in Kilimanjaro National Park log book and the guide will collect a certificate for those who managed a successful summit and then drive you to your hotel in Moshi for a hot shower and Kilimanjaro beer.

We will drive you back to Kilimanjaro International airport (JRO) for departures.