MT KILIMANJARO HIKE

What’s included

• 3-night accommodation at Panama Garden Resort.
• All park fees and taxes.
• Services of professional guides and porters.
• Accommodation on the mountain (Three-man mountain tents used for two people only on all routes except for Marangu Route as accommodation is in huts.) Stools, a mess tent and hot water for washing are provided on the mountain.
• All meals on the mountain.
• All transfers as indicated. 

What’s not included

• Visa application fees
• International flight fare
• Travel insurance and medical coverage
• Items of personal nature including climbing gear
• Tips and gifts

 
MT KILIMANJARO CLIMB VIA LEMOSHO ROUTE
 

Day 1-4
Day 1: Welcome to Arusha, Tanzania! 
 
You will arrive at the Kilimanjaro International Airport where you’ll be met at the airport by one of our drivers and transferred to Panama Garden Resort. This will be your base for the next few days. 

 Day 2: This your acclimatization day. You’ll take the morning to rest and then head to the mountain for a short climb, then head back to the hotel.
 
Day 3: You will rise up early at 5am and drive to the Londorossi Park Gate. From here, you will follow a forest track in a 4WD vehicle for 11 km/7 mi (45 minutes) to Lemosho Glades and a possible campsite. From the Glades, you will hike for 3 hours along beautiful forest trails to the Mti Mkubwa (big tree) campsite.

Day 4: Today the hiking trail will gradually steepen as you enter the giant heather moorland zone, then cross the Shira Ridge at 3,600 m/11,810 ft and drop gently to Shira Camp 1 located by a stream on the Shira Plateau.
A gentle walk across the plateau leads to Shira Camp 2 on moorland meadows by a stream. A variety of walks are available on the plateau making this an excellent acclimatization day.

Day 5-6
Day 5: After breakfast, you will hike east up a steepening path above the highest vegetation toward Kilimanjaro’s looming mass. After several hours, you will walk through a rocky landscape to reach the prominent landmark called Lava Tower at 4,630 m/15,190 ft. This chunky remnant of Kilimanjaro’s earlier volcanic activity is several hundred feet high, and the trail passes right below it. For extra credit, the sure-footed can scramble to the top of the tower 🙂
 
After a lunch stop near Lava Tower, you will descend for 2 hours below the lower cliffs of the Western Breach and Breach Wall to Barranco Camp at 3,950 m/12,960 ft. There are numerous photo opportunities on this hike, especially if the walls are festooned with snow!
 
Barranco Camp is in a valley below the Breach and Great Barranco Walls, which should provide you with a memorable sunset while you wait for your dinner. On this day, be careful to notice any signs of altitude sickness. 

Day 6: After breakfast, you will continue up a steep ridge to the great Barranco Wall, 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. 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 point 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 before you awake later in the night to summit the mountain. 

Day 7-9

Day 7: Summit Day!

You will rise around 11:30pm, 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 bathing water will be prepared for you, and the camp office sells drinking water, soft drinks, chocolates, and beer!

Day 8: After a well-deserved breakfast, it is a short, scenic, 3-hour hike back to the park 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 Panama Hotel.

Day 9: Kwaheri! (Swahili for good-bye). We’re grateful and proud of you for climbing to the roof of Africa. We hope it was a journey worth your time and efforts. 
 
After breakfast, your driver will drop you off at the airport. 
 
OR, if you’re not ready yet to leave Africa, you can speak to us about visiting other beautiful destinations, including Zanzibar which is a short 2-hour flight from Arusha. The splendid white-sand beaches are a great way to rest and reward yourself 🙂
 
 

ITINERARY

Day 1-4

Day 5 – 6

Day 7-9