Day 1: Airport pick-up- Drop off at Hotel

You will be met and picked up by our staff at Kilimanjaro International Airport (JRO)
before driving to a hotel in Moshi. While here, you will be given a short briefing about
your climb while necessary equipment for the climb will be checked as well.

Meals: Dinner and Breakfast
Accommodation: Keys Hotel Moshi

Day 2: Marangu Gate (1860m) – Mandara hut (2715m)

Hiking time: 5hrs •Distance: Approximately 8.1 km • Habitat: Montane forest
The drive from Moshi to the Kilimanjaro National Park at Marangu gate takes about 50 minutes. The journey passes through the village of Marangu, which is located on the
lower slopes of the mountain. Once you reach the park gate, all hikers are requested to
sign in at the Park office and make their final preparations for the climb. Porters will be
seen arranging and loading their packs, containing the food, water, cooking gas as well
as most of your equipment.
From the park gate, we ascend on a cleared ridge trail through the rain forest where you
will see most of Kilimanjaro’s animals. An alternative and more scenic parallel forest trail branches off to the left a few minutes after the gate. This trail follows the edge of a
stream through the undergrowth and offers you the option to rejoin the main trail either
after 1 ½ hours hiking, or 1 hour before Mandara hut where you will spend the night.
Mandara hut consists of a group of wooden A-framed huts in a forest clearing. Each hut
features 6-8 sleeping bunks with solar generated lighting. The total capacity of the camp is 60 climbers. Water is piped into the camp from springs above and there are flush toilets behind the main hut.

Meals: Dinner, Breakfast and Lunch
Accommodation: Mandara hut

Day 3: Mandara hut (2715m) – Horombo hut (3705m)
Hiking time: 6hours •Distance: Approximately 11.6 km •Habitat: Moorland From Mandara hut, the trail passes through a short stretch of forest, skirts the base of the Maundi Crater and then emerges into a transition from a rain forest to moorland. It
is well worth a short detour to scramble up the rim of the Maundi Crater for your first
impressive view of the Kibo Crater. On a clear day, Kibo will glimmer in the distance, with sightings of majestic glaciers in the morning sun.Once you are in the open moorland, you will get the chance to see some of Kilimanjaro’s most spectacular plants – the endemic giant lobelia which grows up to 3 m in height and the giant groundsel (Senecia Kilimanjari) which can reach heights of up to 5m. After about 6 hours of trekking, you arrive at the Horombo hut for your dinner and overnight.

Meals: Dinner
Accommodation: Horombo Hut

Day 4: Horombo hut (3705m) – Acclimatization day

Horombo hut is a village of huts perched on a small plateau, with buildings similar to
Mandara with a capacity of 120 climbers! Horombo is normally bustling with hikers,
guides and porters, with an atmosphere of adventure and excitement. You will meet
both ascending and descending hikers here. This extra day and night at Horombo is for
additional acclimatization. A hike towards the Mawenzi hut, passing the Zebra Rocks on the way (about 3 hours up and 1 ½ hours down) is strongly recommended.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Accommodation: Horombo Hut

Day 5: Horombo hut (3705m) – Kibo hut (4730m)

Hiking time: 6hours •Distance: Approximately 9.6 km •Habitat: Alpine desert
After breakfast, we continue us ascend into the Alpine desert habitat. From Horombo,
there are two trails to the “Saddle” (which refers to the area located between the peaks
of Mawenzi and Kibo). There is an upper route (right hand fork) and lower route (left
hand fork) to choose from. The upper route should be very familiar, as you will have
climbed most of it the previous day towards Mawenzi hut. This section is very stony and eroded.The recommended lower route (left hand fork) is much easier and nearly an hour shorter and it also passes the last watering point at 4130m. Situated in the barren Alpine desert is Kibo hut, a stone build block house which has bunk beds for 60 climbers, but no streams with water nearby. It is however possible to buy mineral water and soft drinks at the camp office. There are platform toilets behind the hut.
The summit is now a further 1195m up and you will make your final ascend the same
night. Prepare your equipment, ski-stick and thermal clothing for your summit bid. 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.

Meals: Dinner, Breakfast and Lunch
Accommodation: Kibo Hut

Day 6: Kibo hut (4730m) – Uhuru Peak (5895m) – Horombo hut (3705m)

Hiking time: 7 to 8 hours to reach Uhuru Peak | 6 to 8 hours to descend to Horombo
Distance: Approximately 5.4km ascent and 15 km descent •Habitat: Stone scree and ice-capped summit.You will rise around 23h20, and after some tea and biscuits you shuffle off into the night,and this is where the going really gets tough. The first section of the trail consists of a rocky path to the Hans Meyer Cave (5150m) and also offers a good resting spot. The path then zigzags up to Gillman’s point (5 681m), which is located on the crater rim. This section is very steep with a lot of stone scree, requiring great physical and mental effort.

This is probably the most demanding section of the entire route. Do the Kili shuffle and
move slowly.From Gillman’s Point, you will normally encounter snow all the way up to Uhuru peak (5895m), the highest point in Africa. Weather conditions on the summit will determine how long you will be able to spend, taking photographs, before the 3-hour descent back to Kibo hut. After a short rest, you gather all your gear you left behind for the ascent and head down to Horombo hut (3 hours) for your overnight. The return to Horombo hut will seem surprisingly fast compared to the ascent. The total time spent walking on this day is around 14 hours, so be prepared for a very tough day. Later in the evening, you will have your last dinner on the mountain and have your well-earned sleep.

Meals: Dinner and Breakfast
Accommodation: Horombo Hut

Day 7: Horombo hut (3705m) – Marangu Gate (1860m)

Hiking time: 6 hours •Distance: Approximately 19.7 km
After breakfast, you continue your descent (6 hours), passing the Mandara hut, down to
the Marangu gate. At Marangu gate, you will receive your summit certificates. Those
climbers who reached Gillman’s Point (5685m) are issued with green certificates and
those who reached Uhuru Peak (5895m), receive gold certificates. You now drive back to Moshi/ Arusha for a long overdue hot shower, dinner and celebration.

Meals: Lunch, Dinner and Breakfast
Accommodation: Keys Hotel Moshi

End of Trip