Itinerary

1. Day 1: Moshi – Londorossi gate to Mti mkubwa camp

   • After breakfast, you will be picked up at the lodge and taken to the Londorossi Gate at a height of 2,250 m. After completing the necessary registration, a bumpy drive will take you into the dense rainforest, from where your adventure commences. The moderately steep track goes through an unspoilt natural forest to the Big Tree Camp (2,780 m). An armed ranger will accompany you for the first two days of your trek, as the wild game can be found in the area. You will spend the night in tents at Big Tree Camp.

   Elevation (ft): 7,800ft to 9,500ft

   Distance: 6 km

   Hiking Time: 3-4 hours

   Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

   Accommodation: Mti Mkubwa Camp

   Habitat: Rain Forest

2. Day 2 : Mti Mkubwa camp to Shira 1 camp

   • We continue on the trail leading out of the rainforest and into a savannah of tall grasses, heather and volcanic rock draped with lichen beards. As we ascend through the lush rolling hills and cross several streams, we reach the Shira Ridge before dropping gently down to Shira 1 Camp. Here we catch our first glimpse of Kibo across the plateau.

   Elevation (ft): 9,498ft to 11,500ft

   Distance: 8 km/ 5miles

   Hiking Time: 5-6 hours

   Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

   Accommodation: Shira 1 Camp

   Habitat: Health

3. Day 3: Shira 1 Camp to Lava Tower - Moir hut

   • A long trek heading east passes through the ‘Garden of the Senecios’ and then enters the high alpine desert zone. The morning is spent trekking up to Lava Tower and the iconic Shark’s Tooth rock formation at 4,600 meters, where you will have lunch. After lunch, you will join the northern circuit heading down to Moir Camp at 4,161 meters (see map above). This is an important day in your trek as you will get to experience high altitude and then sleep low, which is good for the acclimatization process.

   Elevation: 3504M/11296ft to 4161M/1365ft

   Distance: 9.8 km/6.1 miles

   Hiking Time: 5-7hours

   Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

   Accommodation: Moir Hut Camp

   Habitat: Alpine Zone

4. Day 4: Moir Hut to Buffalo Camp

   • You climb out of the Moir Valley and take a short detour to reach the summit of Lent Hills (4,375 m).

   Elevation: 13,580 ft to 13,200 ft

   Distance: 12 km/7 miles

   Hiking Time: 5-7 hours

   Habitat: Alpine Desert

   Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

   Accommodation: Buffalo Camp

5. Day 5: Buffalo camp to Third cave camp

   • From Buffalo Camp, you climb to ‘Buffalo Ridge’ and cross numerous ridges and gullies. The trail continues eastwards through a landscape with increasingly sparse vegetation to reach Third Cave Camp (3,800 m) eventually—Buffalo Camp to Third Cave.

   Elevation: 13,200 ft to 12,700 ft

   Distance: 8 km/5 miles

   Hiking Time: 5-7 hours

   Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

   Accommodation: Third Cave Camp

   Habitat: Heath

6. Day 6: Third cave camp to School hut

   • On a relatively easy path, today’s leg takes you over the so-called “saddle”. This piece of rock is a lava flow formed when Mount Kilimanjaro erupted. It has now solidified and connects two of Mount Kilimanjaro’s three peaks, Mawenzi and Kibo. You will arrive at the School Hut in about 4.5 to 5 hours and go to bed after dinner as the summit calls for an early start at approximately 11 p.m.

   Third Cave to School Hut

   Elevation: 12,700 ft to 15,600 ft

   Distance: 5 km/3 miles

   Hiking Time: 4-5 hours 

   Habitat: Alpine Desert

   Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

7. Day 7: School hut camp to Uhuru Peak to Horombo hut

   • After very early in the morning (around midnight), we begin our push to the summit. This is the most mentally and physically challenging portion of the trek. The wind and cold at this elevation and time of day can be extreme. We ascend in the darkness for several hours while taking frequent, but short, breaks. At Gilman’s point (18,600 ft), you will be rewarded with the most magnificent sunrise you are ever likely to see coming over Mawenzi Peak. Finally, we arrive at Uhuru Peak- the highest point on Mount Kilimanjaro and the continent of Africa.From the summit, we descend, stopping for lunch and a rest at Kibo before continuing on to the Horombo encampment. You will want gaiters and trekking poles for the loose gravel going down. Later in the evening, we enjoy our last dinner on the mountain and a well-earned sleep at Horombo Hut.

   Barafu Camp to Uhuru Peak

   Uhuru Peak to Horombo Hut

   Elevation: 15,331 ft to 19,341 ft

   Altitude: 5895 ft to 3700 ft

   Distance: 5 km/3 miles

   Distance: 14 km down Altitude: 4,640 m to 5,895 m

   Habitat: Arctic | Alpine desert

   Hiking Time: 7-8 hours

   Hiking Time: 4-6 hours

   Habitat: Arctic

   Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

8. Day 8: Mweka camp - Mweka gate -back to Moshi

   • The final leg of your amazing adventure begins after breakfast with a traditional farewell ceremony from the mountain crew. Then a gentle 2 to 3 hours descent through the rainforest continues to Mweka Gate, where your driver will be waiting for you. He will take you back and after a warm shower, the rest of the day is free to relax, relax at the pool or celebrate your achievement. Don’t forget to tip your guides and porters. It is time for celebration.

   Altitude: 3,080 m to 1,630m

   Distance Covered: 9.3km down

   Time to be used: 2 - 3 hrs

   Meals: Breakfast & Lunch

   Habitat: Rain Forest