Kilimanjaro Rongai Route

Touch down at Kilimanjaro Airport and transfer to the city of Arusha. Located close to the foot of Mount Meru, Arusha is surrounded by lush greenery and is known as the gateway to Tanzania’s excellent national parks. Once settled at the hotel, enjoy the remainder of the day at your leisure to explore the city and discover its excellent food and drinks scene. Overnight stay in Arusha, at Silver Palm Hotel. › Meal Plan; BB

After completing the necessary registration formalities at Marangu National Park gate, we transferred by Landrover to Rongai. The climb begins from the attractive wooden village of Nale Moru (1950m) on a small path that winds through fields of maize and potatoes before entering the pine forest. The track then starts to climb consistently, but gently through attractive forest that shelters a variety of wildlife, including the beautiful Kilimanjaro Colobus monkey. These monkeys are black with a long ‘cape’ of white hair and a flowing whitetail. The forest begins to thin out and our first camp is at the edge of the moorland zone (2600m) with extensive views over the Kenyan plains. › Meal; B,L,D

The morning walk is a steady ascent up to the ‘Second Cave’ (3450m) with superb views of Kibo and the Eastern ice fields on the crater rim. After lunch, we leave the main trail and strike out across the moorland on a smaller path towards the jagged peaks of Mawenzi. Our campsite is in a sheltered valley with giant senecios near Kikelewa Caves › Meal; B,L,D

An easy day to help acclimatize, and to explore the volcanic rock formations of Shira Plateau. We walk to the summit of Shira Cathedral before reaching the next camp at Shira Hut (3840m). This campsite has stunning views, close to the glaciated dome of Kibo and the jagged rim of Shira Plateau. The views from here of Mt. Meru floating on the clouds are simply unforgettable. [4-5 hours walking] › Meal; B,L,D

We cross the lunar desert of the ‘Saddle’ between Mawenzi and Kibo to reach Kibo campsite at (4700m) situated at the bottom of the Kibo crater wall. The remainder of the day is spent resting in preparation for the final ascent before a very early night. › Meal; B,L,D

We will start the final, and by far the steepest and most demanding, part of the climb by torchlight around 1am. We walk very slowly in the darkness on a switchback trail through loose volcanic scree to reach the crater rim at Gilman’s Point (5685m). We will rest here for a short time to enjoy the spectacular sunrise over Mawenzi. Those who are still feeling strong can make the three hour round trip to Uhuru Peak (5895m); passing close to the spectacular glaciers and ice cliffs that still occupy most of the summit area. The descent to Kibo (4700m) is surprisingly fast and, after some refreshment, we continue the descent to reach our final campsite at Horombo (3720m). Today’s trekking involves from 11 to 15 hours walking which is made to feel more strenuous by the effects of altitude and extreme cold. This section of the trek is one of the steepest and most demanding and should not be taken lightly. It is a great idea to have your own head torch so that your hands are free for balance. Most people are surprised by the extreme cold and the best advice is to follow the clothing list and pack your warm clothes. › Meal; B,L,D

A steady descent takes us down through moorland to Mandara Hut (2700m); we then continue descending through lovely lush forest on a steady path to the National Park gate at Marangu (1830 m). Overnight at hotel in Marangu. › Meal; B,L,D