Day 1
Moshi (915 m/3,000 ft) to Umbwe Gate (1,800 m/5,905 ft) to Umbwe Camp (2,800 m/9,190 ft) 8 km, 5-7 hours Montane Forest
Your day starts early with a briefing, followed by
breakfast and an hour drive from Moshi to Umbwe Village (1,490 m/4,890
ft) where your guides and porters pack your equipment and supplies, and
give you a lunch pack. You start your ascent at the small Umbwe Gate
just above the village and follow a gentle winding vehicle track for an
hour to a signboard that announces the small steep Umbwe trail. The
introduction is over, and you now climb up for several hours through a
dense forest of rubber trees and giant fig trees. In places, you must
scamper up steep sections of roots and rock. The Umbwe Camp is in the
forest, and there are some caves nearby. You will be greeted here with a
graciously served hot meal.
Day 2
Umbwe Camp (2,800 m/9,190 ft) to Barranco Camp (3,900 m/12,800 ft) 8 km, 4-5 hours Semi-Desert
Your day starts early with a steaming cup of tea or
coffee. After breakfast, you will climb steeply through thinning forest
glades to Giant Erica, Heather, and drier air. You continue up a ridge
that drops steeply on both sides, and hopefully, the clouds will part to
reward you with a view of Uhuru Peak looming overhead. After lunch, you
enter a zone of giant groundsels (Scenario Kilimanjaro) that seem to
guard the heights, and this garden is one of Kilimanjaros special
treasures.
Day 3
Barranco Camp (3,900 m/12,800 ft)
Extra Day for Acclimatization. Adding this day will ease your effort, and amplify your acclimatization.
Day 4
Barranco Camp (3,900 m/12,800 ft) to Karanga Camp (4,200 m/13,780 ft) 7 km, 4 hours Alpine Desert
After breakfast, we continue up a steep ridge to the
great Barranco Wall, and then you climb this imposing obstacle, which
turns out to be easier than it looks. Topping out just below the Heim
Glacier, you can now appreciate just how beautiful Kilimanjaro really
is. With Kibo's glaciers soaring overhead, you descend into the lush
Karanga Valley to the Karanga Valley campsite. From the camp, you can
look east and see the jagged peaks of Mawenzi jutting into the African
sky. After a hot lunch in camp, your afternoon is at leisure for resting
or exploring. This short day is very important for your
acclimatization, since your summit push is about to start. Scramble
easily to the top of the Great Barranco and then a traverse over screes
and ridges to the Karanga Valley campsite (3h, 4000m.), beneath the
icefalls of the Southern Glaciers.
Day 5
Karanga Camp (4,200 m/13,780 ft) to Barafu Camp (4,550 m/14,930 ft) 13 km, 8 hours Alpine Desert
In the morning, you hike east over intervening
ridges and valleys to join the Mweka Route, which will be your descent
route. Turn left toward the mountain and hike up the ridge through a
sparse landscape for another hour to the Barafu Hut where you will
receive a hot lunch. The last water on the route is in the Karanga
Valley; there is no water at Barafu Camp, even though Barafu is the
Swahili word for ice. The famous snows of Kilimanjaro are far above
Barafu Camp near the summit of the mountain. Your tent will be pitched
on a narrow, stony, wind-swept ridge, so make sure that you familiarize
yourself with the terrain before dark to avoid any accidents. Prepare
your equipment and warm clothing for your summit climb, and drink a lot
of fluids. After an early dinner, go to bed for a few hours of precious
sleep
Day 6
Summit Day! Barafu Camp (4,550 m/14,930
ft) to Uhuru Peak (5,895 m/19,340 ft) to Mweka Camp (3,100 m/10,170 ft) 7
km up, 23 km down 8 hours up, 7-8 hours down Scree and seasonal snow
You will rise around 11:30 PM, and after some
steaming tea and biscuits, you shuffle off into the night. Your 6-hour
climb northwest up through heavy scree between the Rebmann and Ratzel
glaciers to Stella Point on the crater rim is the most challenging part
of the route for most climbers. At Stella Point (5,685 m/18,650 ft) you
stop for a short rest and a chance to see a supremely sanguine sunrise.
At Stella Point you join the top part of the Marangu Route, but do not
stop here too long, as it will be extremely difficult to start again due
to cold and fatigue. Depending on the season and recent storms, you may
encounter snow on your remaining hike along the rim to Uhuru Peak. On
the summit, you can enjoy your accomplishment and know that you are
creating a day that you will remember for the rest of your life. After
your 3-hour descent from the summit back to Barafu Camp, you will have a
well-earned but short rest, collect your gear, and hike down a rock and
scree path into the moorland and eventually into the forest to Mweka
Camp (3,100 m/10,170 ft). This camp is in the upper forest, so you can
expect mist or rain in the late afternoon. Dinner, and washing water
will be prepared, and the camp office sells drinking water, soft drinks,
chocolates, and beer!
Day 7
Mweka Camp (3,100 m/10,170 ft) to Mweka Gate (1,980 m/6,500 ft) to Moshi (890 m/2,920 ft) 15 km, 3 hours Forest
After a well-deserved breakfast, it is a short,
scenic, 3-hour hike back to the park gate. Don't give your porters any
tips until you and all your gear have reached the gate safely, but do
remember to tip your staff at the gate. At Mweka Gate, you can sign your
name and add details in a register. This is also where successful
climbers receive their summit certificates. Climbers who reached Stella
Point are issued green certificates and those who reached Uhuru Peak
receive gold certificates. From the Mweka Gate, you will continue down
to the Mweka Village, possibly a muddy, 3 km, 1 hour hike if the road is
too muddy for vehicles. In the Mweka Village you will be served a
delicious hot lunch after which you are driven back to Moshi for an
overdue hot shower and comfortable night at your hotel in Moshi.
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