Scaling Mt. Kilimanjaro – Africa’s Tallest

Day 0: Arrive in Tanzania – Travel Day

Day 1: Kilimanjaro International Airport – Moshi
Welcome to Tanzania! Upon your arrival at the Kilimanjaro International Airport, you will be met by a driver and transferred to your hotel in Moshi town. Depending on your arrival time, you will have a pre-trek briefing today or tomorrow morning with your Kilimanjaro guide.
Overnight: Kilimanjaro Wonders Hotel
Transfer Time: 1 hour
Meals: None

Day 2: Moshi – Lemosho Glades – Big Tree Camp
After breakfast, please be ready in the lobby for an 8:30 am pick-up. You will pass by the Pristine Trails office and then begin the two-hour drive from Moshi to Londrossi Park Gate for registration. Once formalities are completed, you will get back into the car, pass through village communities and arrive at the trailhead at Lemosho Glades to start hiking. You will spend this day in some of the most beautiful forest found on the mountain, with wildlife sightings possible. After a short 2-3 hours you will arrive at Mti Mkubwa (Big Tree) campsite. Here, like all days, you’ll have an afternoon snack and delicious hot dinner.
Trekking Time: 2-3 hours; Distance: 5 km / 3.1 mi; Altitude Change: +396 m / +1,299 ft
Overnight: Big Tree Camp
Transfer Time: 2 hours
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 3: Big Tree Camp – Shira Hut 1
Leaving the forest early in the day, the trail gets steeper as it enters the grasses and wildflowers of the heath and moorland zone towards the valley. A gentle grade walk takes you across the high altitude Shira Caldera past Shira Cave (views of Arrow glacier) and then gently downwards to Shira Hut 1 located near a stream on the Shira Plateau.
Trekking Time: 4-5 hours; Distance: 7 km / 4.3 mi; Altitude Change: +719 m / +2,359 ft
Overnight: Shira Hut 1
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 4: Shira Hut 1 – Shira Hut 2
A gentle hike across the plateau within the moorland meadow takes you to Shira Hut 2 for the afternoon and overnight. Many short hikes are available on the Plateau, making this a great day for acclimatization.
Trekking Time: 3 hours; Distance: 7 km / 4.3 mi; Altitude Change: +391 m / +1,283 ft
Overnight: Shira Hut 2
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 5: Shira Hut 2 – Lava Tower – Barranco Camp
Walking now on high moorland, the landscape changes the entire character of the trek. Traverse the southwest side of Kilimanjaro, passing underneath the Lava Tower and the final section of the Western Breach to reach Barranco camp. The day has been spent at altitude, but you will have followed the mountaineering code of ‘walk high, sleep low’ to avoid altitude sickness by aiding your bodies in acclimatization.
Trekking Time: 6-7 hours; Distance: 10 km / 6.2 mi; Altitude Change: +732 m / +2,401 ft; -641 m / -2,103 ft
Overnight: Barranco Camp
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 6: Barranco Camp – Karanga Valley
Start the day by descending into the start of the Great Barranco, a huge ravine. Then exit steeply, up what has been termed the Breakfast Wall, which divides you from the southeastern slopes of Kibo. It is a climb over rocks, although not technical. Passing underneath the Heim and Kersten glaciers, head towards the Karanga Valley for overnight.
Trekking Time: 4-5 hours; Distance: 5 km / 3.1 mi; Altitude Change: +48 m / +158 ft
Overnight: Karanga Valley
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 7: Karanga Valley – Barafu Camp
The day is characterized by a short hike on terrain formed by scree. Walk through arid, lunar land towards Barafu Camp where you have the entire afternoon to rest before your assault on the summit begins at midnight.
Trekking Time: 2-4 hours; Distance: 3.5 km / 2.2 mi; Altitude Change: +628 m / +2,060 ft
Overnight: Barafu Camp
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 8: Barafu Camp – Uhuru Peak – Mweka Hut
We avoid walking too long in the heat of the sun today by starting around midnight, walking steeply upwards to the summit glaciers. You will be climbing scree for 5 to 6 hours but you gain incredible height over a short distance. The views are spectacular. You should be on the crater rim at Stella Point as the first rays of the sun emerge. Spectacular ice cliffs within the crater surround you and the views to Mawenzi peak and beyond are breathtaking. Another hour’s walk takes you to your goal, the summit of Uhuru, the highest point in Africa. You made it!
Trekking Time: 6-8 hours; Distance: 5 km / 3.1 mi; Altitude Change: +1233 m / +4,046 ft
After a quick celebration and photos at the top, you will begin the descent by returning to Stella Point and then descending on scree slope back to Barafu Camp for breakfast and a short rest before finally heading down to Mweka Hut for a well-earned rest. On the descent, you will have fabulous views of the plains and Mawenzi peak.
Trekking Time: 6-8 hours; Distance: 11.5 km / 7.1 mi; Altitude Change: -2789 m / -9,151 ft
Overnight: Mweka Hut
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 9: Mweka Hut – Mweka Gate – Moshi
A gentle trek takes you down through the rainforest to the Mweka Gate, where park formalities will be completed and you will be met by our vehicles to return you to the Pristine Trails office. Here you will receive your certificate of ascent courtesy of the Kilimanjaro National Park Authority, have the tipping ceremony for your mountain crew and collect any luggage you stored. Thereafter, you will be driven back to your hotel where you can treat yourself to a well-earned shower and a good night’s sleep.
Trekking Time: 2-4 hours; Distance: 9 km / 5.6 mi; Altitude Change: -1473 m / -4,832 ft
Overnight: Kilimanjaro Wonders Hotel
Transfer Time: 45 mins
Meals: Breakfast

Day 10: Moshi – Lake Manyara National Park
In the early morning you will meet your guide and pile into your very own 4×4 safari vehicle, departing from Moshi at 7:30 am for the drive to Lake Manyara. Arrive by late morning for a halfday’s game drive in Lake Manyara National Park, a jewel known for its primates, hippos and infamous tree-climbing lions. The park is full of forest creatures like the bushbuck and has a large baboon count in addition to other animals like giraffe and elephant. You can also see large flamingo populations on the lakeshore. In the late afternoon, you will depart the park and drive up the escarpment to your lodge for the night.
Overnight: Lodge to be confirmed
Transfer Time: 4 hours
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 11: Ngorongoro Crater
Wake and depart before sunrise for the Ngorongoro Crater entrance, descending 900 meters onto the crater floor for a day’s game drive. The Ngorongoro Crater, a small haven of 300 km², is bestowed with wildlife, an estimated 35,000 in number, comprising zebra, buffalo, lions, old bull elephants and so much more. It is also one of the best places to spot the rare black rhino. In the afternoon you will head back to your lodge for the night.
Overnight: Lodge to be confirmed
Transfer Time: 1 hour each way
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 12 (06/02/20): Manyara Escarpment – Kilimanjaro International Airport
You will be transferred to the Kilimanjaro International Airport for your departure flight.
Transfer Time: 3 hours
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch