You will be picked up at Kilimanjaro International Airport and transferred to your hotel in Arusha. You will meet your guide who will brief you on your upcoming trek and perform an equipment check to make sure you have all the necessary mountain gear. Any missing gear will be recommended and provided on a rental basis. 

Accommodations: Arusha Planet Lodge

Meals: Bed & Breakfast

Machame Gate (1790m) to Machame Camp (3010m)

You will begin your day with a two-hour drive from Arusha to the gate of the Machame Route. Once we arrive, we will complete park formalities, introduce you to our dedicated crew of porters, prepare our gear and… start to climb!

The first section of the route consists of a steady incline and passes through a magnificent, dense rainforest. This area is less traveled so it tends to be lush with vegetation, wet and muddy. An unforgettable first day!

Distance covered: 10.8 kilometers | 6.7 miles

Approximate time taken: 6 hours

Accommodations: Camping

Meals: Breakfast | Lunch | Dinner

Machame Camp (3010m) to Shira Camp (3845m)

Our trek continues through the forest until we reach a steep ascent onto the Shira Plateau, where we are rewarded with magnificent views of the mountain. Looking back, you will be able to see Mount Meru rising high above Arusha in the distance.

Distance covered: 5.4 kilometers | 3.4 miles

Approximate time taken: 5 hours

Accommodations:  Camping

Meals: Breakfast | Lunch | Dinner

Shira Camp (3845m) Lava tower to Barranco Camp (3960m)

We continue our journey walking across high moorland, with a landscape that completely changes the scenery. We traverse the Southwest side of Kilimanjaro, passing underneath the Lava Tower and approach the final section of the Western Breach which leads us to camp. By this point, we have reached an altitude of approximately 4600m as we continue to follow the mountaineering code of ‘walk high, sleep low’ to aid in your body’s acclimatization to altitude.

Distance covered: 10.78 kilometers | 6.7 miles

Approximate time taken: 8 hours

Accommodations: Camping

Meals: Breakfast | Lunch | Dinner

Baranco Camp (3963) to Barafu Camp (4640m)

After a night of rest, we enjoy breakfast and set off to Barafu Camp, which rests at 4640m. The climb will take us across desolate scree slopes with absolutely no vegetation. It’s a tough, steep walk made a bit more difficult by the altitude. 

On arrival at camp, we will enjoy lunch and spend the afternoon resting as we prepare for the long night and day ahead. We will enjoy an early dinner and early night of sleep, rising again between 11pm-12am to start the climb to the summit.

Distance covered: 3 kilometers | 1.9 miles

Approximate time taken: 3 hours

Accommodations: Camping

Meals: Breakfast | Lunch | Dinner

Barafu Camp (4640m) to Uhuru Peak (5895m) and down to Millennium Camp (3790m)

We begin our trek around midnight, and walk steeply upwards to the summit glaciers. We will climb screen for approximately 4 to 5 hours, but we will gain incredible height over a short distance. The views you will witness along the way are absolutely spectacular.

Our goal is to reach the crater rim at Stella Point (5739m) as the first rays of the sun peak over the mountain. Spectacular ice cliffs within the crater surround us and the views to jagged Mawenzi Peak and beyond are absolutely breathtaking. We will then continue along our trek, taking us to the summit – Uhuru Peak (5895m).

We will begin our descent by returning to Stella Point and descending on screen slope for our trek back to Barafu Camp for breakfast, before finally heading down to Mweka Camp for some well-earned rest.

Distance covered: 13.4 kilometers | 8.3 miles

Approximate time taken: 12-15 hours

Accommodations: Camping

Meals: Breakfast | Lunch | Dinner

Trek Mweka Camp (3790m) to Mweka Gate (1630m)

This gentle trek takes us down through the rainforest to Mweka Gate, where we complete final park formalities and receive certificates, which you can hang up with pride! We will be met by our vehicles and will return to our hotel in Arusha where you can treat yourself to a welcome shower (and a cold beer or two!) before our big celebration.

Distance covered: 12.1 kilometers | 7.5 miles

Approximate time taken: 6 hours

Accommodations: Arusha Planet Lodge

Meals: Breakfast | Lunch

We will provide an airport transfer to Kilimanjaro International Airport for your flight home… or, better yet… you can continue your adventure with a Tanzanian safari!