mellivora

Our driver will pick you up from the airport and transfer you to the hotel. The next day, after the briefing and breakfast, proceed on a 45-minute drive from Moshi (910 m) to Machame village (1,490 m). The guides and porters prepare and pack the supplies and your equipment. Depending on the condition of the road, it is possible to drive from the village to Machame gate, but if not, the muddy 3 km walk will take about 1 hour to complete.

After registering at the gate office, you start your ascent and enter the rainforest. You will receive a lunch pack at the gate and you can also drink the bottled water you bought at Springlands Hotel in Moshi. There is a possibility of rain in the forest, which will transform the trail into a very soggy, muddy, and slippery experience. In the evening, the porters will boil drinking and washing water and the cook will prepare dinner before you retire to your tent for the night. Night temperatures can already drop to freezing point at Machame campsite.

Main Destination:

Mount Kilimanjaro

Accommodation:

Budget Camping

• Budget bush camp located in or near Mt Kilimanjaro

Meals & Drinks:

• All meals included
• Drinking water (Other drinks not included)

Get up early and after breakfast at Machame Camp, climb an hour or so to the top of the forest. Continue for 2 hours at a gentler gradient through the moorland zone. After a short lunch and rest, you continue up a rocky ridge onto the Shira Plateau. By now, you will be able to see the Western Breach with its stunning glaciers in an easterly direction. You are now due west of Kibo and after a short hike, you will reach the Shira campsite at 3,840 m. The porters will boil drinking and washing water before serving dinner. The night at this exposed camp will be even colder than the previous night, with temperatures dropping to well below freezing point.

Main Destination:

Mount Kilimanjaro

Accommodation:

Budget Camping

• Budget bush camp located in or near Mt Kilimanjaro

Meals & Drinks:

• All meals included
• Drinking water (Other drinks not included)

Today, the route will turn east into a semi-desert and rocky landscape surrounding Lava Tower. You reach an altitude of 4,630 m after about a 5-hour walk. Lunch is served in a designated area before ascending the rocky scree path to Lava Tower (4,630 m). This is definitely the toughest day so far. It is normally at this point where, for the first time, some climbers will start to feel symptoms of breathlessness, irritability, and headaches. After lunch, you descent again by almost 680 m to the Barranco camping area.

After reaching the high altitude of 4,600 m at Lava Tower, the true acclimatization benefit of this day becomes clear. This descent to Barranco camp takes about 2 hours and offers great opportunities to take some beautiful photographs of the Western Breach and Breach Wall. The camp is situated in a valley below the Breach and Great Barranco Wall, which should provide you with a memorable sunset while you wait for the preparation of your dinner and overnight.

Main Destination:

Mount Kilimanjaro

Accommodation:

Budget Camp

• Budget bush camp located in or near Mt Kilimanjaro

Meals & Drinks:

• All meals included
• Drinking water (Other drinks not included)

Totally exposed to the ever-present gales, the tents are pitched on a narrow, stony, and dangerous ridge. Make sure that you familiarize yourself with the terrain before dark to avoid any accidents. The summit is now a further 1,345 m up and you will make the final ascent the same night. Prepare your equipment, ski stick, and thermal clothing for your summit attempt. This should include the replacement of your headlamp and camera batteries, and make sure you have a spare set available as well. To prevent freezing, it will be wise to carry your water in a thermal flask. Go to bed at around about 19h00 and try to get some precious rest and sleep for not more than 5 hours.

Main Destination:

Mount Kilimanjaro

Accommodation:

Budget Camp

• Budget bush camp located in or near Mt Kilimanjaro

Meals & Drinks:

• All meals included
• Drinking water (Other drinks not included)

You will get up around 23h30, and after some tea and biscuits, you shuffle off into the night. You will head in a northwesterly direction and ascend through heavy scree toward Stella Point on the crater rim. This 6-hour walk to Stella point is for many climbers, mentally and physically, the most challenging on the route. At Stella Point (5,685 m), you will stop for a short rest and will be rewarded with the most magnificent sunrise you are ever likely to see (weather permitting). From Stella Point, you will normally encounter snow all the way on your 2-hour ascent to Uhuru Peak. The time you will spend on the summit will depend on the weather conditions. Enjoy your accomplishment and a day to remember for the rest of your life. The walk back to Barafu from the summit takes about 3 hours. Here, you will have a well-earned but short rest. Collect the rest of your gear before heading down to Mweka Camp (3,100 m) for dinner and overnight.

Main Destination:

Mount Kilimanjaro

Accommodation:

Budget Camping

• Budget bush camp located in or near Mt Kilimanjaro

Meals & Drinks:

• All meals included
• Drinking water (Other drinks not included)

After breakfast, you will continue down to the Mweka village, normally a muddy, long 1-hour walk. In Mweka village, drive to the Springlands Hotel where you will be served a delicious, hot lunch! You now drive back to Moshi for a long overdue hot shower, and overnight in the Springlands Hotel. Tips are recommended and highly appreciated at the end of your trip. Tips can be given to the guide at the Springlands Hotel. This is also where successful climbers receive their summit certificates. Those climbers who reached Stella Point (5,685 m) are issued with green certificates and those who reached Uhuru Peak (5,895 m) receive gold certificates. Return to the hotel and have a rest. The next day, our driver will drive you back to the airport and that will be the end of our nice work of climbing Mount Kilimanjaro.

Main Destination:

Moshi (Town)

Accommodation:

No accommodation (End of tour)

Meals & Drinks:

• All meals included
• Drinking water (Other drinks not included)