7-Day Mount Kilimanjaro Trek via Rongai Route to Uhuru Peak

• In the morning, transfer from your hotel toward the park gate for registration.
• Complete the park registration on arrival, then continue to Nalemoru Gate. The drive to the gate is filled with astonishing scenery and passes through a native village.
• Enjoy an appetizing hot lunch at the gate and meet the crew members.
• Begin the Rongai Route ascent to the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro. The winding path through golden maize fields leads to the entrance of the oak-brown forest.
• Look out for striking black-and-white colobus monkeys or the adorable bush baby.
• Arrive at Simba Camp and spend the night.

(2650 m / 3-4 hours of hiking).

• After a delicious breakfast, continue trekking toward the looming peak of Kibo and on to Second Cave.
• Walk on a gentle incline through the fuscous-brown moorland and heather vegetation zones. The arid plains are scattered with hoary desert plants, and the heather is dominated by whimsical vegetation and enormous trees.
• Enjoy a hot lunch at Second Cave Camp (3150 m / 3-4 hours).
• Take a short excursion toward Third Cave to aid the acclimatization process, or simply relax. This outing increases the chances of witnessing marvellous sights, including the distinct crown of Mawenzi's serrated dark peak speckled with snow.
• Keep an eye out for wildlife such as buffaloes or jackals.
• See the spectacular form of Kibo Peak, best observed from this angle.

The tents will be assembled at Second Cave.

• Start the trek toward Kibo after breakfast.
• Travel through an exposed area of moorland and heather foliage to reach Kikelewa Caves Camp. Chances of viewing Kibo, shrouded in ghost-grey mist, are high.
• Spot great buffalo with winding horns and more jackals.
• Enjoy a tantalizing lunch that will be served at the campsite.

• Travel to Mawenzi Tarn Hut (4,330 m) after breakfast.
• Traverse a malachite-green slope as birdsong breaks the quiet and clouds shaped like tufty pillows drift slowly across the sky. The parched fauna and flora of the moorland are temporarily banished as you pass through a wild and dramatic region.
• Continue through a low desert area. The comforting aromas of a delicious hot lunch will drift through the entrance of Mawenzi Tarn Hut (3-4 hours of trekking).
• Brief acclimatization excursions may take place, but the rest of the afternoon will be spent relaxing around the campsite.

• Start the trek from Mawenzi Tarn Hut on a route that gradually becomes a steeper, rockier trail.
• Cross the quiet landscape of the ashen Saddle, an expansive lava-stone ridge between Mawenzi and Kibo, with stunning views of Kilimanjaro's lofty peak.
• Enjoy an appetizing warm meal after arriving at Kibo Hut (4703 m).
• Spend a relaxing evening and head to bed early in preparation for the midnight summit trek.

• Depart from the huts shortly after midnight and undertake the most demanding day of the entire trek.
• Reach the beautiful Hans Meyer Cave, then continue up an extended scree incline that becomes a single-file zigzag. A rocky path, with wildflowers bursting from the earth, leads to Gillman's Point (5685 m). This is the most challenging section of the route.
• From Gillman's Point, continue for the final two hours to Uhuru Peak (5895 m). On Africa's rooftop, the gleaming landscape is veiled in wispy clouds as the sun begins to rise, washing the ice fields with a golden radiance.
• Marvel at the view and celebrate your accomplishment before beginning the descent to Kibo Hut.
• Continue to Horombo Hut, the final destination for the day.
• Enjoy a well-deserved rest.

• Enjoy an appetizing breakfast, then pass Mandara Hut and walk through the magnificent rainforest before reaching Marangu Gate.
• Receive your summit certificate for completing the 7-day Rongai Route, followed by short festivities with the porters.
• Transfer to the hotel, where a steaming shower and plush bedding await.
• Drive to Kilimanjaro Airport, where it is time to say goodbye to Tanzania and its friendly people.