Itinerary

1. Day 1 : Drive to Kilimanjaro National Park

   • Drive from Moshi to the Mount Kilimanjaro National Park Gate, which takes about 45 minutes. The journey passes through the village of Machame which is located on the lower slopes of the mountain.

   • Depart from the park gate and walk through the rainforest on a winding trail up a ridge. At lower elevations, the trail can be muddy and slippery. Gaiters and trekking poles are a good idea here.

   • Continue to Machame Camp.

   Elevation: 1830m/6000ft to 3050m/9950ft.

   Distance: 11km/7mi

   Hiking Time: 5-6 hours.

   Habitat: Montane Forest.

   Meals: Lunch, Dinner.

   Budget Lodging: Machame Camp.

2. Day 2 : Machame Camp to Shira Camp

   • After breakfast, leave the glades of the rain forest and continue on an ascending path.

   • Cross the valley along a steep rocky ridge. The route now turns west onto a river gorge until you arrive at the Shira campsite.

   Elevation: 3050m/9950ft to 3850m/12,600ft

   Distance: 5km/3mi

   Walking Time: 4-5 hours.

   Habitat: Moorland

   Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner.

   Budget Lodging: Shira Camp.

3. Day 3 : Shira Camp to Lava Tower to Barranco Camp

   • From the Shira Plateau, continue east up the ridge, passing the junction towards the peak of Kibo.

   • Change the direction South East towards the Lava Tower, called the “Shark’s Tooth” (Elev: 4650m/15,250ft).

   • Shortly after the tower, come to the second junction which goes to the Arrow Glacier.

   • Now, continue down to the Barranco Camp.

   Elevation: 3850m/12,600ft to 4000m/13,000ft.

   Distance: 10km/6mi.

   Walking Time: 5-6 hours.

   Habitat: Semi-desert.

   Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner.

   Budget Lodging: Barranco Camp.

4. Day 4 : Barranco Camp to Barafu Camp

   • After breakfast, leave Barranco and continue on a steep ridge up the Barranco Wall (Elev 4250m/13,900ft), through the Karanga Valley (Elev 4050m/13,250ft) to the junction which connects with the Mweka Trail.

   • Continue up to the Barafu Camp. Complete the South Circuit, which offers views of the summit from many different angles.

   • At this point, make camp with views of the summit in the distance.

   Elevation: 4000m/13,000ft to 4700m/15,350ft

   Distance: 9km/6mi

   Hiking Time: 6-8 hours

   Habitat: Alpine Desert

   Meals: BLD

   Budget Lodging: Barafu Camp

5. Day 5 : Barafu Camp to Summit, down to Mweka

   • Wake up early in the morning (midnight to 2 am), and continue to the summit between the Rebmann and Ratzel glaciers.

   • Head in a northwesterly direction and ascend through heavy scree towards Stella Point on the crater rim. This is the most mentally and physically challenging portion of the trek.

   • At Stella Point, stop for a short rest and will be rewarded with the most magnificent sunrise. Faster hikers may view the sunrise from the summit. From Stella Point, encounter snow all the way on the 1-hour ascent to the summit.

   • Reach Uhuru Peak, the highest point on Mount Kilimanjaro and the continent of Africa!

   • From the summit, descent straight down to the Mweka Camp, stopping at Barafu for lunch.

   • Arrive at Mweka Camp and enjoy the last evening on the mountain.

   Elevation: 4700m/15,350ft to 5895m/19,340ft.

   Down to 3090m/10,150ft.

   Distance: 5km/3mi up / 13km/8mi down.

   Hiking Time: 5-7 hours up / 5-6 hours down.

   Habitat: Stone scree and ice-capped summit.

   Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner.

   Budget Lodging: Mweka Camp.

6. Day 6 : Mweka Camp to Mweka Gate

   • After breakfast, descent down to the Mweka Park Gate to receive the summit certificates.

   • From the gate, continue another hour to Mweka Village.

   • Board a vehicle at Mweka village and drive back to the hotel in Moshi (about 30 minutes). Don’t forget to tip the Kilimanjaro trekking guides and porters.

   Elevation: 3090m/10,150ft to 1680m/5500ft.

   Distance: 10km/6mi

   Hiking Time: 3-4 hours

   Habitat: Forest

   Meals: Breakfast