9-Day Kilimanjaro Rongai Route Trek with Uhuru Peak Sunrise

• Pick up from Kilimanjaro International Airport and transfer to Moshi town, which is commonly known as the gateway to Mount Kilimanjaro.

• Meet your Tanzanian guide in the evening and review your equipment in preparation for the trek the following day.

(2850 m/9,300 feet), 7 km/4.5 miles (3 to 4 hours)

• After an early breakfast in Moshi, your climbing team will drive to Rongai Gate near the Kenya border. It will take a few hours to process climbing permits at the gate before you begin the half-day trek to the first camp, located in the transition zone between lowland forests and the moorland ecosystem.

(3450 m/11,300 feet), 6 km/4 miles (3 to 4 hours)

• Get an early start for a steady but gentle climb up to Second Cave. The open slopes offer excellent views of Kibo and the Eastern Ice Fields on the crater rim. It is a fairly short day, and an acclimatization hike up to Third Cave can be made in the afternoon.

(3600 m/11,800 feet), 3 km/2 miles (3 to 4 hours)

• It is another fairly short day of trekking as you gradually ascend through the beautiful open moorlands, dominated by giant heathers and a wide variety of endemic grasses and wildflowers.

• After lunch, continue towards the jagged pinnacles of Mawenzi to Kikelewa Camp, where you will find your campsite set up and enjoy dinner before retiring for the day.

(4300 m/14,100 feet), 6 km/4 miles (4 hours)

• It is a bit longer trek today, including a short but steep ascent to Mawenzi Tarn (4330 m).

• Exit the moorland vegetation zone and enter the alpine zone, dominated by almost barren volcanic plains.

(4700 m/15,400 feet), 4 km/2 miles (3 hours)

• Cross the lunar desert of the saddle between Mawenzi and Kibo Hut.

• Reach Kibo Hut early in the day and spend the remainder of the day resting in preparation for the final ascent, which will begin just before midnight.

(5895 m/19340 ft) 5.5 km/3.5 miles ascent + 15 km/9.5 miles descent (10-16 hours)

• Shortly after midnight, commence your climb to the summit of Kilimanjaro. It is easier to climb the scree slope to Gillman's Point (5,861 m) on the crater rim when it is frozen, and an early start for the six-hour hike improves your chances of reaching the summit in time for sunrise.

• From Gilman's Point, it is a further two-hour round trip along the crater's edge to Uhuru Peak, the highest point in Africa.

• From the summit, it is downhill all the way to Horombo Hut, where you will spend your last night on the mountain.

(6 to 7 hours trekking)

• Today's descent continues past the Mandara encampment to the bottom of the mountain, where each hiker will receive a well-earned certificate.

• From here, you will be transferred to your hotel in Moshi.

• Enjoy a farewell dinner with your guides.

• After breakfast, transfer back to Arusha town or Kilimanjaro Airport, as per your requirement.