Itinerary

1. Day 1: Arusha

   • Meet the tour guide at the Airport.

   • Check into a hotel in Arusha (Lush Gardens Hotel) for dinner, bed, and breakfast.

2. Day 2: Montane Forest Trek

   • Have breakfast at the hotel.

   • Drive to Machame Park Gate.

   • Set off climbing gently through the south-western slopes of the mountain in through the original Montane Forest.

   • Savour the scenery carpeted with unique “busy lizzie” flowers, begonias, and ferns.

   • Camp amongst the giant heather at 3,000 m (a 1,200 m ascent and 6 hours walking).

3. Day 3: shira cave

   • Early morning breakfast.

   • Emerging from the forest into the giant heather zone and out onto fine open moorland to camp by the Shira Cave at 3,840 m.

   • Catch a view to behold of eland herds up here and there.

   • Fascinating geological features in the old volcanic caldera can be viewed during a half-hour optional walk in the afternoon.

   • Camp for the night having covered 840 m ascent and 4-5 hours walking.

4. Day 4: Peak Kibo

   • Early morning breakfast.

   • Climb towards the main peak Kibo while enjoying the clearly visible western glaciers across the rugged high-altitude desert of volcanic rocks and boulders.

   • Skirting around its base and under the imposing western Breach, descend into the sheltered Barranco Valley for mid-way and dropped back down assists acclimatisation.

   • Retire for the day with dinner and camping.

5. Day 5: Barranco Wall

   • Have breakfast early in the morning.

   • Hike up the steep Barranco wall with some sections of very easy scrambling and drop down again to the Karanga Valley

   • Optional acclimatisation hike in afternoon up onto the scree below the glaciers.

   • This is a short walking day, 3-4 hours.

   • Have dinner and camping for the night.

6. Day 6: Mawenzi Peak View

   • Have breakfast.

   • Climb up to about 150 m above Barafu Hut perched high on a rocky bluff at 4,750 m.

   • Enjoy fantastic views across to Mawenzi peak.

   • Prep for the hard summit day ascent to Stella Point.

   • Have dinner.

7. Day 7: Ascent to highest point in Africa

   • Early morning departure.

   • Start to climb the steep frozen scree towards Stella point. 

   • Being unavoidable on any route, the aim is to reach Stella Point on the crater rim for sunrise.

   • Only 40 minutes later and you are at the highest point on the continent, Uhuru Peak, usually under the warm sunshine.

8. Day 8: Departure

   • Morning departure towards Mweka Gate.

   • Pick-up and transfer to Arusha.