Tour highlights

• The gateway to Kilimanjaro, Moshi town, is picked up and transported from Kilimanjaro International Airport. In the evening, meet your guide and go through your gear in preparation for the trek the next day.

  Meal Plan: Dinner

• Day2
   
• To get to Londorossi Gate, where the climb begins, it takes 3 to 4 hours of driving. Keep a look out for wildlife as you go through some rural terrain; it’s an exciting drive. You must complete a few more procedures with the park officers at the gate before you can start the trail. Large Colobus monkeys, which are rather frequent, are likely to be seen on the trail as it passes through lowland forests.

  Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

• Day3
   
• As you ascend out of the rainforest and into the moorland ecosystem, which is dominated by Giant Heathers and a variety of grasses and wildflowers, the first portion of the day’s hike is very strenuous. Prior to continuing slightly downhill across the wide expanse of the Shira Plateau to Shira 1 Camp for rest and lunch, you will first reach Shira Ridge. The Western Breach can be seen if the skies are clear as we travel across the Shira Plateau to Shira 2 camp. The longer day today gives us more time before our major summit day to acclimatize at the higher camps with fewer days.

  Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

• Day4
   
• As you ascend from Shira 2 to the main peak, Kibo, you can see the western glaciers across the arid high-altitude desert of volcanic rocks and boulders. The trail climbs to the location of the Lava Tower (15000 feet/4600 meters), then drops back down into Barranco Valley. The “Garden of the Senecios,” which includes numerous enormous senecio plants as well as the shorter lobelia plants, is the area before the campsite. Even if the rise is only 110 meters and the overall walking time is 7 to 8 hours, acclimatization is aided by having previously climbed considerably higher and descended back down.

  Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

• Day5
   
• One of the trek’s highlights is today’s strenuous ascent up the Barranco wall, which requires some scrambling but is not technically demanding. Before descending into the Karanga Valley, where we will stop for lunch and spend the second half of the day relaxing and acclimatizing, you can take in the magnificent views from the peak.

  Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

• Day6
   
• We make our last push to Base Camp today, and we can already tell that the lengthier early days have paid off. We are able to spend the day relaxing and getting ready for the major push to the roof of Africa because we arrive at Barafu at lunchtime. You will retire to your tents after a filling meal so you may get some rest before we start our ascent at midnight.

  Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

• Day7
   
• The last push to the top kicks off the day around midnight. The six-hour climb up a rocky slope to the summit rim is chilly and exhausting. Though steep and full of switchbacks, the terrain is manageable. A reasonably simple trek takes you to Uhuru Peak, the ultimate top and highest point in Africa, which is reached soon before sunrise. On the way down, you’ll return to Barafu Hut for a quick sleep and some food before making your way to Mweka Camp (3068m/ 10,065ft). It takes so long to trek since one of the goals is to avoid acclimatization issues and get you back to a lower height as soon as possible.

  Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

• Day8
   
• It takes 4 to 5 hours to descend through the forest from Mweka campground to Mweka gate, where you may pick up your certificates and meet the van. Return to Moshi for the evening so you can have one more meal together as guides.

  Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

• Day9