• After an early breakfast at your hotel, you will be picked up from Arusha (1400 m) and driven to Machame Village. In the village, you can buy mineral water and will receive a packed lunch. From the village, depending on the road conditions, you will either continue to drive from the village to the Machame gate, but if not, the muddy 3 km walk will take about 1 hour to complete.

• After registering at the gate office, you start your ascent and enter the rain forest almost immediately. There is a strong possibility of rain in the forest, transforming the trail into a very soggy, muddy and slippery experience.

• Have a welcome lunch stop about halfway and will reach the Machame camping area in the late afternoon. Your porters (arriving at the campsite long before you) will have erected your tent on your arrival.

• In the evening, the porters will boil drinking and washing water, and the cook will prepare dinner before you retire to your tent for the night. Night temperatures can already drop to freezing point at this campsite.

Hiking time: 7 hours

Distance: Approximately 18 km

Habitat: Montane forest

• Rise early at Machame camp, and after breakfast, you climb an hour or so to the top of the forest and then for 2 hours at a gentler gradient through the moorland zone.

• After a short lunch and rest, you continue up a rocky ridge onto the Shira plateau. By now, you will be able to see in an easterly direction the Western Breach with its stunning glaciers.

• You are now due west of Kibo, and after a short hike, you will reach the Shira campsite at 3840 m. The porters will boil drinking and washing water before serving dinner. The night at this exposed camp will even be colder than the previous night, with temperatures dropping to well below freezing.

Hiking time: 6 hours

Distance: Approximately 9 km

Habitat: Moorland

• The route now turns east into a semi-desert and rocky landscape surrounding Lava Tower, where you reach an altitude of 4630 m after about a 5 hours walk. Lunch is served in a designated area before ascending the rocky scree path to Lava Tower (4630 m). This is definitely the toughest day so far. It is normally around this point, where for the first time, some climbers will start to feel symptoms of breathlessness, irritability and headaches.

• After lunch, you descent again by almost 680 m to the Barranco camping area. After reaching the high altitude of 4600 m at Lava Tower, the true acclimatisation benefit of this day becomes clear. This descent to Barranco camp takes about 2 hours and offers great opportunities to take beautiful photographs of the Western Breach and Breach Wall. The camp is situated in a valley below the Breach and Great Barranco Wall, which should provide you with a memorable sunset while you wait to prepare your dinner.

Hiking time: 7 hours

Distance: Approximately 15 km

Habitat: Semi-desert

• After spending a night at the Great Barranco Wall (a very imposing sight at first), you make your way up this awesome looking obstacle, which in the end normally turns out easier than what you anticipated. Topping out just below the Heim Glacier, you now appreciate just how beautiful Kilimanjaro really is.

• The route then heads down through the Karanga Valley over intervening ridges and valleys and joins up with the Mweka route. This is the preferred route down from the summit, so remember it.

• Turn left up the ridge, and after another hour or so, you reach Barafu Hut. The last water stop is the Karanga Valley, as there is no water at Barafu camp. Barafu is the Swahili word for “ice”, and it is a bleak and inhospitable camping area to spend the night. Totally exposed to the ever-present gales, the tents are pitched on a narrow, stony, and dangerous ridge. Make sure that you familiarise yourself with the terrain before dark to avoid any accidents. The summit is now a further 1345 m up, and you will make the final ascent the same night.

• Prepare your equipment, ski stick and thermal clothing for your summit attempt. This should include replacing your headlamp and camera batteries and make sure you have a spare set available. To prevent freezing, it will be wise to carry your water in a thermal flask.

• Go to bed at around about 19:00 and try to get some precious rest and sleep.

Hiking time: 7 hours

Distance: Approximately 13 km

Habitat: Alpine desert

• Rise around 23:30, and after some tea and biscuits, you shuffle off into the night.

• Head in a north-westerly direction and ascend through heavy scree towards Stella Point on the crater rim. For many climbers, this 6-hour walk to Stella point is mentally and physically the most challenging on the route.

• At Stella Point (5685 m), you will stop for a short rest and will be rewarded with the most magnificent sunrise you are ever likely to see (weather permitting).

• From Stella Point, you will normally encounter snow all the way on your 2-hour ascent to Uhuru Peak. The time you will spend on the summit will depend on the weather conditions. Do not stop here for too long, as it will be extremely difficult to start again due to cold and fatigue. Enjoy your accomplishment and a day to remember for the rest of your life.

• Walk back to Barafu from the summit, which takes about 3 hours. Here, you will have a well earned but short rest and collect the rest of your gear. The route is not difficult and will take you down the rock and scree path into the moorland and eventually into the forest. The camp is situated in the upper forest, and mist or rain can be expected in the late afternoon. Dinner and washing water will be prepared.

Hiking time: 8 hours to reach Uhuru Peak, 7 – 8 hours to descend to Mweka

Distance: Approximately 7 km ascent – 23 km descent

Habitat: Stone scree and ice-capped summit

• Following a well-deserved breakfast, your staff will have a big celebration full of dancing and singing. It is here on the mountain that you will present your tips to the guide, assistant guides, chef(s), and porters.

• After celebrating, you will descend for three hours back to Mweka Gate. The National Park requires all hikers to sign their names to receive certificates of completion. Hikers who reached Stella Point (5685 m) receive green certificates, and hikers who reached Uhuru Peak (5895 m) receive gold certificates. 

• After receiving certificates, hikers will descend into the Mweka village for 1 hour (3 kilometres).

• Be served a hot lunch and then be driven back to Moshi for long overdue showers and more celebrations.

Hiking time: 3 hours

Distance: Approximately 15 km

Habitat: Forest