$1,518 to $1,562 pp (USD)
2 travelers on Start dateArrival
Arrival
Day 1
Hotel/Moshi
Hotel/Moshi
After pick-up from your hotel, we drive to the Taveta border via Voi town. We continue to the Taita Wildlife Sanctuary with a chance to see elephants, antelopes, and buffaloes on the way. At the border change, we change the vehicles/driver and then cross to Tanzania. We transfer to the Keys Hotel. In the afternoon, we relax at the hotel, getting ready for the climbing trails.
- Main Destination:
- Moshi (Town, Tanzania)
- Accommodation:
- Keys Hotel
- Meals & Drinks:
Day 2
Moshi/Marangu Gate
Moshi/Marangu Gate
You start with an early breakfast at the hotel. After your gear has been loaded onto the vehicles, you'll be driven to the park's gate. Springwater is available and should be purchased before you head into the rainforest. You'll be introduced to your guides. Depending on the size of your group, assistant guides and porters will be waiting at the park's gate to sort out the food and bags to be carried up the mountain. The journey from Moshi (900m) to the Marangu Park gate (1,800m) takes about 45 minutes.
At this stage, you could also take time to get to know your porter who will carry your baggage on the climb. You can also buy maps, books, postcards, camera film, snacks and drinks from the curio shop. You'll be given a lunch pack and then you will start your trek to the first camp on the route, Mandara Hut (2,727m). Walking through the rainforest can be very wet if weather conditions are less than pleasant. Arrive at Mandara Hut for your overnight stay.
Day 3
Marandara Hut/Horombo Hut
Marandara Hut/Horombo Hut
After breakfast, you start with a short walk to the border of the forest where, on a clear day, you can get the first gorgeous views of Mawenzi (5,149m) and the south-eastern slopes of Kilimanjaro. The footpath heads into the moorland. It is in fairly good condition and at a gradual gradient. Grass, shrubs, bush and a few flowers dominate the landscape on this section of the climb. The halfway mark between the camps is a designated area for resting and lunch.
By now, the south-eastern slopes of Kilimanjaro and the south-western slopes of Mawenzi (5,149m) are in full view for most of the route. You'll arrive at Horombo Hut (3,720m) during the early afternoon. Report to the camp office for accommodation arrangements. Although becoming increasingly expensive, springwater, beer, soft drinks and snacks are available at the camp. This is one of those afternoons that you can use to explore the area, rest, or climb the ridge obscuring the breathtaking views of Mawenzi (5,149m).
Day 4
Horombo/Kibo Hut
Horombo/Kibo Hut
The walk to Kibo Hut (4,703m) heads up a footpath into the semi-desert landscape of the Saddle. When walking through the Saddle, you get to see the Middle Red Hill, West Lava Hill and East Lava Hill to the east. To the west, you'll see the Barafu Hut (4,600m) camp. Halfway through the Saddle, you stop for lunch and then continue to Kibo Hut (4,703m). Here, you are required to report to the camp office for accommodation arrangements.
Please note that drinking water is not available at this camp, but some can be bought from the office, along with beer and soft drinks. A sense of energy and calm always prevails among climbers - they are true playmates of nature when climbing. Whether they have expert skills or not, they are filled with desire and that is the driving force. Gambling with life at every step, the human spirit illustrates the resplendence of creation through risk and danger.
- Main Destination:
- Mount Kilimanjaro (Tanzania)
- Accommodation:
- Kibo Hut
- Meals & Drinks:
Day 5
Kibo/Uhuru Peak
Kibo/Uhuru Peak
The team size will determine how many assistant guides are needed. Ensure that the batteries in your headlamp and camera are replaced with a new set and carry adequate spares. The first section of the ascent follows a winding, rocky footpath to the Hans Meyer Cave (5,150m). This is when the going gets really tough - you're tired, maybe even slightly nauseous, and suffering from headaches due to the extreme changes in altitude.
The temperature on the summit can be as low as minus 30 degrees Celsius with wind-chill taken into account. About an hour past Stella Point, you'll be rewarded with the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro, Uhuru Peak (5,895m), the highest point on the African continent. Summit night on Kilimanjaro is slow, arduous and cold, but it is also refreshing, invigorating and simply awe-inspiring. On the summit, you'll be rewarded with the stunning aerial views of the spectacular glaciers, illuminated by a hypnotic sunrise experienced only on the roof of Africa.
- Main Destination:
- Mount Kilimanjaro (Tanzania)
- Accommodation:
- Budget camping
- Meals & Drinks:
Day 6
Marangu/Mombasa
Marangu/Mombasa
When you finally drag your weary body from the sleeping bag, you'll have breakfast in the dining hall, and then walk to Mandara Hut (2,727m) for lunch. Thereafter, you'll head through the forest to the Marangu Park gate (1,800m). On arrival, you have to enter your particulars in the register. Now, for the "awards ceremony". Those climbers who reached Gillman's Point (5,685m) are issued with green certificates and those who reached Uhuru Peak (5,895m) receive gold certificates. Unfortunately, there is no documented recognition for those who did not make it to the crater rim at all. Transport will be ready and waiting at the gate to take you to your hotel.
The hunt to reach the tip of the frosty pinnacle by any means necessary, is arguably the most hazardous, yet at times also the most strangely pleasant, climbing pursuit. But whatever you may have experienced atop Mount Kilimanjaro will, in time, leave behind precious memories, which you'll thumbtack to your life as a badge of courage.
- Main Destination:
- Mombasa Beaches (Kenya)
- Accommodation:
- No accommodation (End of tour)
- Meals & Drinks:
