Itinerary

1. Day 1: Arusha to Machame Hut Camp (10,000 ft)

   • Meet up with your guide in Arusha and begin the tour.

   • Drive for about 1 to 2 hours from your lodge in Arusha to Machame gate (8000ft) for registrations, and meet the rest of the crew (Cooks and Porters) ready for the climb. '

   • Start the climb through the rainforest and the giant heathers for 6 hrs to our first overnight camp.

2. Day 2: Shira Camp (12,480 ft)

   • Short climbing day but a rather steep rocky and dusty trail. 

   • Hike slowly with plenty of breaks and enough time to acclimatise. Most of the route is rather bare of vegetation, providing little shade from the heat.

   • Cross many ridges and see the first of many Senecas on the mountain.

3. Day 3: Barranco Camp (13,000 ft)

   • Start with climbing over boulders and very few rocks, then steady uphill climb to Lava tower (a 300 ft high volcanic lava plug that juts out of the side of the mountain).

   • Stop for lunch around noon and climb to the top of Lava Tower, which is 14850 ft for the acclimatisation process.

   • From Lava Tower, go down for about 2 hrs through dusty and rocky trails to our next overnight camp Barranco Camp at 13000 ft.

4. Day 4: Karanga Valley Camp (13,450 ft)

   • Start by scrambling up the Great Barranco Wall for about an hour and a half. Some spots will be steep, forcing you to use your hands to reach and manoeuvre yourself around rock boulders like rock climbing, although it's not as challenging as rock climbing. 

   • See the Barranco valley and the campsite you spent the night before.

   • Walk up and down the greener valley, which is the last water point to the mountain, and on top of the ridge will be our camp for the night.

5. Day 5: Barafu Hut Camp (14,200 ft)

   • Climb steep uphill across the barren landscape with lots of boulders and shattered rocks. See the Decken glaciers on your left. 

   • Keep going through a very steep ridge until you reach a rocky section for more scrambling for about an hour and a half. Our next camp will be on large rocks with very steep cliff faces.

   Go to bed very early because you will have to wake up at 11 pm for the summit.

6. Day 6: Summit Day And Mweka Hut (10,500 ft)

   • Wake up to around 11 pm, have some food, dress up for the summit, and start your climb around midnight. Start with very steep rocks for about 2 to 3 hours, and then enter a snow-covered area where you can see glaciers above. If it's a moonlight night, you may turn off your headlamp and walk in the moonlight. Take a break every 15 minutes as a struggle gets more mentally and physically challenging.

   • Get to Stella Point, where the Lava fields are like loose sand. 

   • Climb to Uhuru Peak for about 1 hour just as the sun appears over the Mawenzi peaks. Be at Uhuru Peak (19370ft) around 6.00 am or 7.00 am, ready for pictures, big hugs, and cheers!

   • Start your descent which is steep and rigorous, via Stella Point to Barafu hut Camp.

   • Stop for lunch at Barafu Camp and a good rest before proceeding down to Mweka camp, a very comfortable hike but very dusty and long.  

7. Day 7: Departure

   • Hike down from the Mweka Camp.

   • Drive back to Arusha.