6-Day Kilimanjaro Rongai Route Climb with Uhuru Peak Sunrise

Time: 3-4 hours / Distance: 6.5 km / Altitude gain: 700 m

• Pick up from your hotel and drive to Marangu Gate. On arrival at Marangu Gate (1843 m), complete park registration and continue by road to Nalemoru Gate (1950 m), where you will meet your crew and begin your 6-day ascent of Mount Kilimanjaro.
• Enjoy a hot lunch at Nalemoru Gate.
• You will start the trek along a winding path crossing maize fields before entering a dense, mist-covered forest, where blue monkeys, black-and-white colobus monkeys, and bush babies can sometimes be spotted.
• The trek takes about 3-4 hours to reach Simba Camp (2650 m), where you will spend the night.

Time: 6-7 hours / Distance: 9 km / Altitude gain: 950 m

• After breakfast, the trek continues upward toward Kibo, passing Second Cave, where you will stop for a hot lunch, before continuing to Kikelewa Caves Camp (3600 m) through more open moorland and heather vegetation.
• There will be greater chances of seeing Kibo Peak, the summit peak, along the way.
• If you are lucky, you may also spot jackals and sometimes buffaloes. You will spend the night at Kikelewa Cave.

Time: 3-4 hours / Distance: 6 km / Altitude gain: 370 m

• After breakfast, begin the trek to Mawenzi Tarn Hut at 4,330 m.
• A short incline through grassy slopes leads to a tangible sense of wilderness. You will leave the shorter vegetation behind and enter a low desert area before reaching your camp at Mawenzi Tarn Hut, where you will have a hot lunch.
• You will spend the rest of the day resting, or you may take a short excursion for acclimatization.
• This is approximately a 3-4 hour trek covering a distance of 6 km.

Time: 4-5 hours / Distance: 9 km / Altitude gain: 370 m

• The route becomes gradually steeper and rockier as you leave Mawenzi Tarn Hut behind.
• You will head across the stark landscape of The Saddle, the broad lava-stone ridge between Mawenzi and Kibo.
• Stunning views of the upper reaches of Kilimanjaro unfold before you arrive at Kibo Hut (4703 m), where you will have a hot meal in the afternoon, enjoy a relaxing evening, and go to bed early so you are well rested for the midnight start of your final ascent to the summit.

Time: 6-8 hours ascent, 5-6 hours descent / Distance: 5 km ascent, 15 km descent / Altitude gain: 1195 m / Altitude loss: 2195 m

• Setting off at midnight for the summit, this is the longest and most demanding day of the entire trek. The trail follows a long scree slope past Hans Meyer Cave before turning into a single-file zigzag.
• A short rocky path requiring some scrambling leads to Gillman's Point on the crater rim at 5685 m. This part of the hike is very steep and is the most challenging section of the route.
• Once you reach Gillman's Point, it is another two hours to Uhuru Peak (5895 m), the highest point in Africa.
• Once there, all your hard work will feel more than worth it as you are rewarded with a spectacular sunrise over the ice fields and the Mawenzi peaks.
• After spending a short time at Uhuru Peak, begin the descent to Kibo Hut for a break and a short rest. You will then continue to Horombo Hut for your last night on Kilimanjaro and a very well-earned sleep.

Time: 5-6 hours / Distance: 20 km / Altitude loss: 1900 m

• After breakfast, descend to Marangu Gate, retracing your steps past Mandara Hut, back through the magnificent rainforest, and finally reaching the gate.
• Once at the gate, you will receive your summit certificates, celebrate briefly with your porters, and be driven back to your hotel, where you can enjoy a hot shower, rest, and maybe even a Kilimanjaro beer or two.