Main Info
Itinerary
Upon arrival at Kilimanjaro International Airport you will be met by our representative who will welcome you and you start your journey to Arusha, arrive at the hotel for check-in, relaxation, dinner and overnight.
Today you will be spending the day in Arusha where you will head out for a safari in Arusha National Park. You will be able to spot wildlife and also go for a walking safari. This will help you to acclimatize with the weather. Arusha National Park is located between Mount Meru and Mount Kilimanjaro and which provides scenic views. In the evening our representative will meet you at the hotel for a briefing regarding your hike to Mount Kilimanjaro.
After breakfast, you will be picked by our team and transferred to Machame gate on the west side of Kilimanjaro from where you will start your hike. You will hike for about six hours through forest to your first camp. Your first camp will be located at an altitude of 10,000 feet. Dinner and overnight at the camp.
After a filling breakfast, you will depart for your second day on the mountain and head off towards Shira Camp. Today you will be leaving the forest and trek through the savanna of tall grasses and haunting volcanic lava landscapes. After a six-hour hike, you will arrive at the Shira Plateau Camp. At 12,500 feet, it boasts sweeping views across the Masai Steppe and in the distant Mount Meru. Dinner and overnight at the camp.
Today you will skirt the Shira Plateau toward the Kibo Massif, continuing upward to the pass at Lava Tower (15,000 feet). Descend toward Barranco Camp through the immense, waterfall-punctuated Grand Barranco canyon, which is fed by streams from the Umbwe River. Today’s camp is situated at an elevation of 13,000 feet. Dinner and overnight at the camp.
Today you will spend time acclimatizing. You will depart for a 5-hour hike along the Barranco Cliff with no increase in elevation. This allows you time to rest and adjust to the increasingly higher altitudes. In the afternoon, you may hike in the Karanga Valley set beneath the icefalls. Set up camp for dinner and overnight.
As you are heading to the basecamp of Kilimanjaro, you will trek for about 4 to 5-hours, stopping at Barafu Camp (15,200 feet) where you will enjoy majestic views of Mawenzi Peak to the right and Kibo Peak overhead. The surrounding, scenic alpine desert terrain is largely mineral. You will arrive at the camp early so you will enjoy an early dinner and get enough sleep as you will depart for the summit around midnight.
At midnight, you will wake up to a hot cup of coffee or tea before setting out on approximately 13 hours of trekking today. Should all go as planned, you will stand at the highest point in Africa in about seven hours’ time. Make your way up a winding path flanked by the towering Ratzel and Rebmann glaciers to soaring Stella Point, at 18,630 feet on the rim of Kibo Crater. As the sun rises, continue around the rim to Uhuru Peak (19,341 feet), the highest point in Africa. You will spend approximately 30 minutes at the summit before descending down to Mweka Camp at 10,200 ft.
Continue your descent to the base of the mountain, where your driver and team celebrate your summit and transport you back to Arusha. You will spend enough time relaxing in the hotel and resting after your great accomplishment.
Today you will be transferred to the airport for your departure flight.
