Itinerary

1. Day 1: Marangu Gate to Mandara Hut

   • Drive to Marangu gate, enjoying the excellent view of the mountains, as you meet your team of guides and porters at the gate.

   • Venture into the forest and come across bright coloured birds, colobus monkeys and other species of monkeys, as well as mosses, lichens and flowers and delicate orchids, alongside a view of the town of Moshi.

   • Start ascending post-registration for a walk which is 4-5 hours through areas of coffee plantations and thick rainforest, to Mandara Hut.

   Head out for dinner and overnight stay.

2. Day 2: Mandara Hut to Horombo Hut

   • Start your day with a steep climb through the last swathe of the rainforest, giving way to a rolling alpine meadow dotted with giant heather.

   • Walk on further to catch a glimpse of Kilimanjaro’s two peaks- snow covered Kibo and rocky Mawenzi, lying straight ahead overlooking the skyline.

   • Cross a zone of open moorland with diminutive vegetation, gaining roughly 1,000 m altitudes; the walk can take five to seven hours, depending on your pace.

   Get regaled with stories and anecdotes during your dinner and stay at Horombo Huts.

3. Day 3: Horombo Hut

   • Get an opportunity for you to acclimatise to the altitude as you surge on for various walks.

   • Take the most famous walk opted for acclimatisation, which leads you to the base of Mawenzi Peak, the dramatic eastern summit of o- the Kilimanjaro-this walk will take up to 4-5 hours a round trip, rising to an altitude of 4,600 m.

   Work out an appetite as you head back to Horombo Hut for dinner and an overnight stay.

4. Day 4: Horombo Hut to Kibo Hut

   • Watch as the scenery turns out to be more rocky and rough as you leave for Kibo, as Everlasting Flower, Massive Groundsels, and Lobelias appear in the sparse moorland; this will take between five and seven hours of rigorous walking.

   • Skirt the perimeter of Mawenzi Peak as you pass the Last Waterpoint, crossing a stark, almost lunar landscape to the Saddle- a wide tundra desert between the two peaks of Mawenzi and Kibo.

   • Take in the awe-inspiring views of the upper ranges before arriving at Kibo Hut (4,705 m), a dry-stone-walled hut with dorms and limited facilities.

   • Prepare for tomorrow’s final assault – The Summit, re-packing to leave any non-essential items with the porters.

   • Call in an early night at the Kibo hut as you must make a midnight start to reach the summit before the cloud cover settles.

5. Day 5: Uhuru Peak

   • Start out in the darkness, zigzagging up a long scree slope by the light of your torch for roughly two hours before you reach Hans Meyer’s Cave – named after the German geologist who made the first successful ascent in 1889 – where he found the remains of a frozen leopard.

   • Remember- the gradient gets steeper and three hours on (this is the hardest stretch of the climb) you would reach the crater rim at Johanne’s Notch.

   • Make a short scramble to Gillman’s Point (5,685m) to witness the beauty of dawn.

   • Stand mesmerized to the profusion of colours and shapes melding together as the sun rises over the ice fields and craggy peaks of Mawenzi.

   • Walk further for another couple of hours along the crater rim to reach Uhuru (Freedom) Peak (5,896 m).

   • Retrace the route back down past Kibo Hut to Horombo Hut for a well-deserved rest, throughout the day.

6. Day 6: Back to Moshi

   • Quicken your pace as you continue your triumphant way back down across alpine meadow and past Mandara Hut through the rainforest to Marangu Gate.

   • Board the vehicle for the journey back to Moshi for a day room or overnight stay, depending on your plans in Tanzania.