5-Day Marangu Route Kilimanjaro Trek to Uhuru Peak from Moshi

• Depart from Moshi through the village of Machame to the Kilimanjaro National Park gate. We will patiently wait for our permits to be issued while watching the hustle and bustle of operations as many crews prepare for the journey ahead.
• Enjoy the beautiful rainforest scenery and winding trails while your guide tells you about the local flora, fauna, and natural wildlife. At these lower elevations, the trail can be muddy and quite slippery. We highly recommend gaiters and trekking poles here.

• After a good night's sleep and a hearty breakfast, we emerge from the rainforest and continue on an ascending path through heathland, looking for giant lobelias and groundsels.
• Continue up into open moorlands, where small shrubs are the main vegetation.
• Stop halfway for lunch to enjoy amazing views of Mawenzi.
• Arrive at the Horombo Huts in the late afternoon beneath the spectacular Kibo Summit viewpoint. Temperatures begin to drop.

• After breakfast, we continue through the dwindling heathland that blends into a moonscape as you enter the sweeping saddle connecting Mawenzi and Kibo.
• Here, we stop for lunch, and later, as you cross this surprisingly large saddle, you can examine the summit climb up Kibo that you will be starting in just a few hours.

Excitement builds as morning comes with an early start between midnight and 2 a.m. This is the most mentally and physically challenging portion of the trek.

• We continue our way to the summit in a switchback formation, trying to stay warm and focused on the amazing sense of accomplishment that lies ahead. With this switchback ascent, we climb through heavy scree and possibly snow toward Gillman's Point on the crater rim. You will be rewarded with the most magnificent sunrise during your short rest here. Faster hikers may view the sunrise from the summit. From here, on your remaining 1-hour ascent to Uhuru Peak, you are likely to encounter snow all the way.
• Congratulations - one step at a time, you have now reached Uhuru Peak, the highest point on Mount Kilimanjaro and the entire continent of Africa.
• After photos, celebrations, and maybe a few tears of joy, we take a few moments to enjoy this incredible accomplishment. We then begin our steep descent down to Horombo Huts, stopping at Kibo for lunch and a very brief rest. We strongly recommend gaiters and trekking poles for the uncooperative loose gravel and volcanic ash terrain. A well-deserved rest awaits you to enjoy your last evening on the mountain.

Overnight at Horombo Huts.

• After breakfast and a heartfelt ceremony of appreciation and team bonding with your crew, it's time to say goodbye. We continue the descent, stopping at the Mandara Huts for lunch. Remember to tip your guides, cooks, and porters, since you will be leaving them here. You return to the Marangu Park Gate and receive your summit certificates. As the weather is drastically warmer, the terrain is wet, muddy, and steep, and we highly recommend gaiters and trekking poles.
• From the gate, a vehicle will meet you and drive you back to your hotel in Moshi, about 45 minutes away. Enjoy a long-overdue hot shower, dinner, and celebrations.
• Overnight at a hotel in Moshi on a bed-and-breakfast basis before being transferred for your journey home, safari, or a relaxing trip to Zanzibar.