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: Full Board

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

We will embark on a 2-hour drive from Arusha to the Machame Route gate, where we will complete park formalities, meet our crew of porters and start to climb! The first section of the route is steady and passes through a magnificent, dense rainforest. This path is less traveled, so it can get somewhat overgrown and it is often wet and muddy.

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 route continues through the forest until we reach a steep ascent onto the Shira Plateau, where we experience extremely rewarding views of the mountain. Looking back, you will be able to see Mount Meru rising high above Arusha Town 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)

As we trek through high moorland, the entire landscape begins to change. We traverse the Southwest side of Mount Kilimanjaro, passing underneath the Lava Tower and the final section of the Western Breach, where we finally reach Camp. We spend the day at an an altitude of up to 4600m, following the mountaineering code of ‘walk high, sleep low’ to aid your body’s acclimatization to altitude.

Distance covered: 10.8 kilometers | 6.7 miles

Approximate time taken: 8 hours

Accommodations: Camping

Meals: Breakfast | Lunch | Dinner

Barranco Camp (3960m) to Karanga Camp (3963m)

Our day begins by descending into Great Barranco, a huge ravine. We then take a steep exit up the Great Barranco Wall, which divides us from the southeastern slopes of Kibo. We will climb over rock, which is not too technical of a trek, but can be quite long and tiring. Passing underneath the Heim and Kersten glaciers, we head towards Karanga valley. From here, we begin a steep climb up Karanga Valley to Karanga Camp, set at 3963m. For those feeling strong, we will go for a mid-afternoon acclimatization trek to around 4200m before descending back to camp for the night.

Distance covered: 5.5 kilometers | 3.4 miles

Approximate time taken: 5 hours

Accommodations: Camping

Meals: Breakfast | Lunch | Dinner

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

After a good night of rest and breakfast, we set off on our walk to Barafu camp at 4640m. The climb will take us across desolate scree slopes with no vegetation in sight. It’s a tough, steep trek made more difficult by the altitude. On arriving at Camp, we enjoy lunch and spend the afternoon resting as we prepare for the long night and day ahead. During this time, it is important to keep hydrated and stay warm. We will enjoy an early dinner and retire to sleep in the evening as we will be rising again between 11pm-12am to start the summit climb.

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) to Millennium Camp (3790m)

We begin our trek around midnight, and walk steeply upwards to the summit glaciers. We will be climbing screen for approximately 4-5 hours but we will gain incredible height over a short distance. The views in this area are absolutely gorgeous and worth the effort, as we aim to be on the crater rim at Stella Point (5739m) as the first rays of the sun appear. We will take in spectacular ice cliffs within the crater and the views of jagged Mawenzi Peak and beyond are breathtaking. After another hour of walking, we reach the summit, Uhuru Peak (5895m).

We begin our descent by returning to Stella Point through screen slope and eventually to Barafu Camp for breakfast, before heading back down to Mweka Camp for a long period of 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 downhill trek takes us through a rainforest to Mweka Gate, where we complete park formalities and receive our certificates, which you can hang up with pride! We will be met by our vehicles and return to the hotel in Arusha where you can treat yourself to a welcome shower (and a cold beer or two!) before our big celebration. We will stay overnight at Arusha Planet Lodge.

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!