Itinerary

1. Day 1: Umbwe Gate to Umbwe Camp

   Breakfast will be provided early, and you will have a briefing from your guide at 9 am. Our staff will take you on the hour-long drive from your hotel in Moshi to the Umbwe village, where your guides and porters will prepare your equipment and supplies. When registration to enter Kilimanjaro Park is completed, you will also receive your lunch pack. After registration, you will begin your ascent from the Umbwe gate and continue on a small vehicle until you reach the signage notifying you that you have reached the Umbwe Trail. You will then climb for 5-6 hours through a dense rainforest. It is impossible to miss the giant fig trees and rubber trees as, in some places, their roots have overtaken the path. Although sometimes slippery themselves, they can make for good footholds when the path becomes sloppy with mud after rain. Inside the forest, you will first stop at Umbwe camp. When you arrive, you will find your camp and tents are already set by the porters who ran ahead. They will bring you boiled drinking and washing water to prepare for dinner.

   Rising (ft): 5,905ft /1,800m to 9,190ft /2,800m
   Stretch: 8 km
   Hiking time: 5-7 hours
   Climatic Habitat: Rainforest

2. Day 2: Umbwe Camp to Barranco Camp

   Rise early for coffee or tea. After breakfast, pack up for the day’s trek. Your trek will begin steeply through the disappearing rainforest glades before ascending into the drier air of Giant Erica and heat land terrain, where the vegetation is sparse with small shrubs. If the clouds have parted enough, you will continue on an exposed ridge that offers you your first view of Uhuru Peak. After lunch, you enter the semi-desert terrain and trek through a Senecio plant garden. These odd-looking groundsels resemble something like a pre-historic cactus. Once you reach Barranco Camp, your porters boil drinking and washing water before serving dinner. While waiting for your dinner, you will have a chance to experience one of the most memorable sunsets you have ever seen as the sun drops through the valley. Pay attention to your body and inform your guide of any signs of altitude sickness.

   Rising (ft): 9,190ft /2,800m to 12,800ft /3,900m

   Stretch: 8 km

   Hiking time: 4-5 hours

   Climatic Habitat: Moorland

3. Day 3: Barranco Camp Acclimatization

   You will spend Day 3 exploring near Barranco Camp for much-needed acclimatization. Keep your camera handy to capture the scenery of the groundsel-clad campsite. Many trekkers rank this as their favourite camp on this trail, another reason this is the perfect spot for your acclimatization day. If you are highly confident in your body’s ability to acclimatize well, you can choose the 6-Day Umbwe itinerary.

   Stretch:10 km

   Hiking time: 7 hrs

   Climatic Habitat: Moorland

4. Day 4: Barranco Camp to Karanga Camp

   After sleeping below the Great Barranco Wall, you get your chance to tackle this hurdle. Don’t worry; it’s much easier than it looks. Continue until you reach just below the glacier. Then, head down through the Karanga Valley. This is the last place for your porters to gather water. They will collect all the water for the remainder of the ascent here. You will settle in here at the Karanga Camp. After lunch, you can spend the afternoon exploring or resting while enjoying the views of Mawenzi’s towering spires.

   Stretch: 7 km

   Hiking time: 4 hours

   Climatic Habitat: Moorland

5. Day 5: Karanga Camp to Barafu Camp

   After breakfast, you’ll head east, crossing multiple ridges and valleys until you join the Mweka Route and turn left to continue up the ridge for an hour to reach the Barafu Hut. You will arrive at the camp to find your tent pitched on a rocky ridge with high winds. Be sure to familiarize yourself with the camp before dark to be safe. Also, have your headlamp/flashlight handy if you need to leave the tent after dark. You will prepare your equipment (replace batteries for headlamp and camera) before bed by 7 PM and try to catch a few hours of shuteye before your summit attempt.

   Rising (ft): 13,780ft/4,200m to 14,930ft/4,550m
   Stretch: 5 km
   Hiking time: 3-4 hours
   Climatic Habitat: Alpine desert

6. Day 6: Summit Day - Barafu Camp to Uhuru Peak to Mweka Camp

   Wake at 11:30 p.m. Have tea or coffee and biscuits, then depart Barafu on your bid for the peak. You will climb for 6 hours through thick scree, following multiple switchbacks between the Ratzel and Rebmann glaciers until you reach Stella Point (18,650 ft/5,685 m). You have just completed what most climbers consider the most challenging part of the trek. Depending on your pace to this point, you may get the chance to enjoy the majestic sunrise during your short rest here. Although you will be fatigued, it is essential to keep moving due to the extreme cold. At Stella Point, you have joined up with the last bit of the Marangu Route. You will hike along the rim for another 1-2 hours until you reach your ultimate goal of Uhuru Peak. Congratulations, you are now standing on the Roof of Africa! You will have time to take pictures with the world-famous Uhuru Peak sign, but it is essential to begin your descent soon to allow yourself enough time to rest at the Barafu Camp. After a 3-hour descent down sliding scree, you will reach Barafu for a short rest while you collect your gear and then continue down the path back into the forest camp of Mweka. You might experience a little rain in the afternoon, so have your rain gear in your daypack. Enjoy some dinner and some well-deserved sleep. At Mweka Camp, the office sells bottled water, soft drinks, candy bars and beer.

   Rising (ft): 14,930ft/4,550m to 19,340ft/5,895m to 10,170ft/3,100m

   Stretch: 7 km up and 22 km down

   Hiking time: 8 hours up, 9-10 hours down

   Climatic habitat: Arctic

7. Day 7: Departure

   As usual, wake up for breakfast, pack, and descend through a short, scenic 3-hour hike to Mweka Gate. Wait until you and your gear have reached the gate before you tip your staff. After registering at the gate, you will wait to receive your summit certificates (green for those who reached Stella Point and gold for those who reached Uhuru Peak). From the gate, if the road is too muddy for vehicles, you will continue your hike for 1 hour to the Mweka Village, 3km away. You will enjoy a hot lunch there before being driven back to Moshi, where you can have your first hot shower in days. Later, you would be transferred to the Kilimanjaro Airport.

   Rising (ft): 10,170ft/3,100m to 6,500ft/1,980m

   Stretch: 10 km

   Hiking time: 3-4 hours

   Climatic Habitat: Rainforest