Itinerary

1. Day 1: Marangu

   • Meet your representative at the airport, and get transferred to the hotel. 
   • Hang out at the hotel or go for a walk. The hotel is a short walk from the village’s bustling market and some excellent coffee shops. A 6 p.m. appointment with your tour leader is on the cards this evening. 
   • Afterwards, head out for a welcome dinner with your fellow travellers and tour leader.

2. Day 2: Mandara Hut (2720 meters)

   • Start your trek at the foothills of Mount Kilimanjaro-Marangu, then continue to Marangu Gate, the entrance to Mt Kilimanjaro National Park (1860 m), where you will meet your guides and porters. 
   • Heading through Marangu Gate toward the beautiful tropical rain forest ascending to Mandara hut for the night

3. Day 3: Horombo Hut (3720 meters)

   • Your second day on the mountain involves another long hike over a slightly steeper stretch. The total distance from Mandara to the Horombo huts is 12 kilometres (approximately 5–7 hours). Today you will see the rainforest give way to open and rolling alpine meadows dotted with giant heather trees. 
   • Once out of the forest canopy, the twin snow-tipped peaks of Kibo and Mawenzi lie directly ahead. These are two of the three great cones of Kilimanjaro (the other being Shira). During the day’s walk, we will traverse several ravines before reaching the hut, set in a rocky valley. There is time to enjoy a wide variety of vegetation and changing landscapes on the way to Horombo Hut (3780 metres). We will spend the next two nights here at the hut.

4. Day 4: Horombo Hut

   • After breakfast, walk towards Mawenzi Hut, passing through the unusual Zebra Rocks on the way. It’s a steep climb up a grassy slope, but the views over the area towards Kibo are second-to-none. 
   • Afterwards, return to Horombo for lunch. Spend the afternoon relaxing and acclimatising to the altitude, or ask your guides about the short walks in the area. Take advantage of the rest day here and drink plenty of water – the next couple of days will be pretty intense.

5. Day 5: Kibo Hut (4740meters)

   • Today you’ll walk 10 kilometres from Horombo Hut to Kibo Hut (approximately 5–7 hours). 
   • As the journey progresses, you will notice the landscape gradually becoming more rugged and rocky and the air noticeably thinner. We will have to soften our pace a little to accommodate these environmental changes. 
   • Marvel at giant groundsels and lobelias while you travel across the sparse moorland. Skirt Mawenzi Peak and the stark lunar landscape of the Saddle, reaching Kibo Hut in the afternoon (4740 m).

6. Day 6: Uhuru Peak (3720meters)

   • Your guides will wake you up at 11 p.m., and hot tea will be served. Prepare for the last leg of the trek – to the summit. The distance from Kibo Hut to Uhuru Peak is six kilometres (approximately 6–8 hours), and the descent to Horombo will be roughly the same amount of time. The trek begins beneath the stars as you zigzag your way up a large scree slope, guided only by torchlight, to reach Gilman's Point (5685 m). With some luck, arrive in time for breathtaking views of the sun rising while enjoying your champagne. 
   • Have breakfast at the peak of Mt Kilimanjaro. This is the stretch that most people find the hardest, and you should be prepared for a freezing morning. The dramatic spectacle of the sun rising over the ice fields of the crater will make the early start worthwhile.

7. Day 7: Horombo - Marangu (1879meters)

   • Continue your descent through alpine meadows and rain forests to the park gate. The distance from Horombo to Marangu Gate is 20 kilometres (approximately 5–6 hours). 
   • Return to the hotel for a relaxing shower – a real treat after the physical exertions of the last few days. Over a celebratory meal, we can relive and share our experiences of the past five days on the mountain.

8. Day 8: Marangu

   • It’s time now to bid farewell to your tour leader and new friends, but not without a backpack full of memories.