Itinerary

1. Day 1: Londorossi Gate to Mti Mkubwa Camp

   After a 1 1/2-hour drive from Moshi, check-in is at the Londorossi Gate. Day 1 is fairly easy, with a 3/4-hour climb to Mti Mkubwa Camp.

2. Day 2: Mti Mkubwa Camp to Shira One Camp

   A few hours' walk will see the end of the forest and the beginning of a climb through the heather forest to the edge of the Shira Caldera. The destination is the scenic Shira One Camp.

3. Day 3: Shira One Camp to Shira Two Camp:

   Today is spent on a gentle hike across the Shira Plateau with possible side trips to Shira Cathedral. Camp is at the first high camp of Shira Two. 

   NOTE: From Shira Two Camp, the trail links with the Machame Route.

4. Day 4: Shira Two Camp to Barranco Camp

   The real work of climbing Kilimanjaro begins here. Today's main feature is a slow climb to Lava Camp and a descent to the beautiful Barranco Camp. This follows the Climb-High-Sleep-Low principle of altitude adjustment.

5. Day 5: Barranco Camp to Karanga Valley

   After a climb of the Great Barranco Wall, we continue around the southern circuit trail until we reach another scenic location, Karanga Camp.

6. Day 6: Karanga Valley to Barafu Hut

   The trail from Karanga to Barafu reaches the bleak high desert of Kilimanjaro. Barafu Camp is a basic camp geared towards reaching the summit.

7. Day 7: Barafu Hut Camp to the Summit (5,896 m) and then to Mweka Camp (3,100 m) Summit time

   This is a midnight 'Alpine Summit' to ensure we reach the summit by dawn, in time to return to Mweka Camp for the sake of improved altitude acclimatization.

8. Day 8: Uhuru Peak to Mweka Gate

   This is a midnight 'Alpine Summit' to ensure we reach the summit by dawn, in time to return to Mweka Camp for the sake of improved altitude acclimatization.