Itinerary

1. ARRIVAL DAY

   Upon arrival at Kilimanjaro International Airport or your advisory point of pick-up, you will be met and greeted by a representative and transferred to your booked hotel for briefing, dinner, and overnight. Your head mountain guide will meet you for your briefing and gear checking.

2. DAY 1: LONDROSSI GATE – MTI MKUBWA CAMP: 4.8km / 3-4 hrs | Rainforest

   Departing from Moshi or Arusha, and drive will take you through welcoming mountainside villages to the Kilimanjaro National Park Gate. We will patiently wait for our permits to be issued while watching the hustle and bustle of operations as many crews prepare for the journey ahead. Enjoy the beautiful rainforest scenery and windy trails while your guide tells you about the local flora and fauna and natural wildlife. At these lower elevations, the trail can be muddy and quite slippery. We highly recommend gaiters and trekking poles here.

   Elevation: 2780m

   Distance: 5km 

   Hiking Time: 3-4 hours
   Habitat: Forest

3. DAY 2: MTI MKUBWA CAMP – SHIRA I CAMP: 17km Moorland

   After having a good night's sleep and a hearty breakfast, we emerge from the rainforest and continue on an ascending path. We leave the forest behind now, and the trail climbs steadily with wide views to reach the rim of the Shira Plateau. Temperatures begin to drop.

   Elevation: 3610m

   Distance: 5km 

   Hiking Time: 5-6 hours
   Habitat: Moorland

4. DAY 3: SHIRA I CAMP – SHIRA 2 CAMP (10km Moorland)

   You will wake up early in the morning and have breakfast; continue on an ascending path. We leave the camp behind now, and the trail climbs steadily with wide views to reach the rim of the Shira Plateau. Temperatures begin to drop. On arrival at Shira 2 camp, you will be served with hot lunch, followed by dinner and overnight. 

   Elevation: 3900m

   Distance: 10km 

   Hiking Time: 4 hours
   Habitat: Moorland

5. DAY 4: SHIRA 2 CAMP – LAVA TOWER – BARRANCO CAMP (10.1km)

   Although you end the day around the same elevation as when you began, this day is very important for acclimatization. From Shira Plateau, we continue east up a ridge, passing the junction towards the Kibo peak before continuing South East towards the Lava Tower, called the “Shark’s Tooth” (elevation. 4600m). Shortly after the tower, we come to a second junction, which leads to the Arrow Glacier. We then continued to descend to overnight at Barranco Camp. Dinner and overnight.

   Elevation: 3950m

   Distance: 5km 

   Hiking Time: 5-6 hours
   Habitat: Moorland

6. DAY 5: BARRANCO CAMP – KARANGA CAMP | 5.2km - Alpine Desert

   After breakfast, we continue on a steep ridge up to the adventurous Barranco Wall to the Karanga Valley and the junction, which connects with the Mweka Trail. This is one of the most impressive days to see the power, agility, and strength of your crew zip over this wall with what appears to be such ease.  Dinner and overnight at Karanga Camp.

   Elevation: 3930m

   Distance: 5km 

   Hiking Time: 3-4 hours
   Habitat: Alpine desert

7. DAY 6: HIKE KARANGA CAMP – BARAFU CAMP | 3.3km - Alpine Desert

   We continue up toward Barafu Camp and once reached, you have now completed the South Circuit, which offers a variety of breathtaking views of the summit from many different angles. We have an early dinner and rest as we prepare for summit night. Overnight at Barafu Camp.

   Elevation: 4672m

   Distance: 5km 

   Hiking Time: 3 hours
   Habitat: Alpine desert

8. DAY 7: BARAFU CAMP – SUMMIT | 25km – MWEKA CAMP | Glaciers, Snow Capped Summit

   Excitement is building as morning comes with an early start between midnight and 2 a.m. This is the most mentally and physically challenging portion of the trek.

   We continue our way to the summit between the Rebmann and Ratzel glaciers, trying to stay warm and focused on the amazing sense of accomplishment that lies ahead. With a switchback motion in a northwesterly direction, ascend through heavy scree towards Stella Point on the crater rim. You will be rewarded with the most magnificent sunrise during your short rest here. Faster hikers may view the sunrise from the summit. From here, on your remaining 1-hour ascent to Uhuru Peak, you are likely to encounter snow all the way.

   Congratulations, one step at a time; you have now reached Uhuru Peak, the highest point on Mount Kilimanjaro and the entire continent of Africa!

   After photos, celebrations, and maybe a few tears of joy, we take a few moments to enjoy this incredible accomplishment. We begin our steep descent down to Mweka Camp, stopping at Barafu for lunch and a very brief rest. We strongly recommend gaiters and trekking poles for uncooperative loose gravel and volcano ash terrain. Well-deserved rest awaits you to enjoy your last evening on the mountain. Dinner and overnight Mweka Camp.

   Elevation: 5895m

   Distance: 5km 

   Hiking Time: 15 hours
   Habitat: Alpine desert

9. DAY 8: MWEKA CAMP – MWEKA GATE – MOSHI or ARUSHA

   After breakfast and a heartfelt ceremony of appreciation and team bonding with your crew, it’s time to say goodbye through tipping. We continue the descent down to the Mweka Park Gate to receive your summit certificates. As the weather is drastically warmer, the terrain is wet, muddy, and steep, and we highly recommend gaiters and trekking poles.

   From the gate, a vehicle will meet you and drive to Mweka village for lunch and continue with the to drive your booked hotel in Moshi or Arusha. Enjoy a long overdue hot shower, dinner, and overnight.

   Elevation: 1850m