"Mountain Kilimanjaro the roof of Africa."
You will be picked up at the Kilimanjaro International Airport and reassigned to your hotel in Moshi town; you will meet your guide who will provide the brief on your upcoming trek and have an equipment check to make sure you have all the necessary mountain gear.
Our schedule will begin around 08:00am where you will be picked up at your hotel and reassigned to the Lemosho gate located on the western side of Mount Kilimanjaro where your journey will begin after the registration process. We will start our climb steadily through the forests of the Lemosho glades to reach Big Tree camp where you will spend the night.
We continue on the trail leading out of the forest and into a savannah of tall grasses, heather, and volcanic rock swathed with lichen beards. As we ascend through the lush undulating hills and cross several streams, we reach the Shira Ridge before dropping gently down to Shira 1 camp. The view of Kibo from across the plateau is astounding.
This spectacular camp we will be going to today is located beneath the Northern Ice Fields of Kilimanjaro. It is a gentle walk east toward Kibo’s glaciered peak, across the plateau which leads to Shira 2 camp on moorland meadows by a stream, this will help us with acclimatization and we will take pleasure in great panoramic views and our destination for the day is the Shira 2 Camp. In the afternoon we will have an acclimatization walk then head back to camp for dinner and overnight sleep.
Our trek commences with an ascent with far-reaching panoramic views, walking in to the climatic zone of the upland desert and on the lava ridges beneath the glaciers of the Western Breach. You will reach the distinct pinnacle of the Lava Tower (4640 m), our high point for the day and a great place to enjoy your lunch. In the afternoon we make a steep descent to our camp for the night, located in the base of the Great Barranco Valley (3960 m) with an altitude of 13,000ft, sheltered by towering cliffs but with extensive views of the plains below.
Our day starts by descending into the start of the Great Barranco, a huge ravine. We then exit steeply, up the Great Barranco Wall. Although it may look intimating at first glance.The wall divides us from the south-eastern slopes of Kibo. It’s a climb over rock, not technical but long and tiring. Passing underneath the Heim and Kersten glaciers, we head towards the Karanga valley. The trail then winds up and down in the Karanga Valley. You will spend the night at Karanga Camp (3950m) and enjoy dinner and washing at the site.
After breakfast, you will begin your ascent. The trail intersects with the Mweka Route, which is the trail used to descend on the final two days. As you continue hiking for an hour, you will reach Barafu Hut. This is the last water stop for the porters because there is no accessible water at Barafu Camp (4550m). The word “barafu” in Swahili means “ice” and this camp is located on a rocky, exposed ridge. Tents will be exposed to wind and rocks so it is important for hikers to familiarize themselves with the campsite before dark. An early dinner will be served so hikers can rest before attempting the summit the same night. Your guide will brief you in detail on how to prepare for summit night.
We take off at around midnight, and walk steeply upwards to the summit glaciers. We will be climbing scree for 4 to 5 hours but gain incredible height over a short distance. The views are magnificent. We should be on the crater rim at Stella Point (5739m) as the first rays of the sun hit us. Impressive ice cliffs within the crater surround us and the views to serrated Mawenzi peak and bey. Another hour’s walking takes us to the summit, Uhuru Peak (5895m). We begin our descent by returning to Stella Point and then descending on scree slope and track back to Barafu Camp for breakfast, before finally heading down to Millennium Camp for a long well-earned respite.
A gentle trek takes us down through the rainforest to Mweka Gate, where we complete park formalities and receive certificates, which you can hang up with pleasure! We are then board our vehicles and come back to the hotel in Moshi, where you can treat yourself to a hot welcome shower.
Depending on tour preference and time you can either ask us on what to do or visit nect or go back home.
