Day 1
Kilimanjaro Airport to Moshi (February 17, 2024)
The hikers will be picked up from Kilimanjaro International Airport and transferred to Moshi town, which is known as the gateway to Kilimanjaro. Here, they will meet their guide and review their equipment that evening in preparation for the trek the following day.
Day 2
Mt. Mkubwa Camp (February 19, 2024)
2900 m/9500 feet, 6 km/4 miles (3-4 hours)
It is between 3 and 4 hours of driving to reach Londorossi Gate the starting point for the climb. It's an interesting drive through some remote country so keep your eye out for wildlife. Another few hours of formalities with the park rangers at the gate and they will be on the trail. The trail goes through the lowland forests where they’ll likely to spot the large Colobus monkeys which are fairly common.
Day 3
Shira 2 (February 20, 2024)
3875 m/12,715 feet, 16 km/9 miles (7 to 8 hours)
The first part of the days trek is fairly steep as they climb up out of the jungle and into the moorland ecosystem dominated by Giant Heathers and a variety of grasses and wildflowers. They will first reach Shira Ridge before the trail continues slightly downhill across the broad expanse of the Shira Plateau to Shira 1 Camp for rest and lunch. They then continue on to Shira 2 camp across the Shira Plateau, and are able to admire the Western Breach if the skies are clear. Today's long day allows them more time to acclimatize at the higher camps with shorter days before their big summit day.
Day 4
Barranco Camp (February 21, 2024)
3,983 m/13,066 feet, 10km/6 miles (5 to 8 hours)
Leaving Shira 2 in the morning they climb towards the main peak Kibo, with the western glaciers clearly visible across the rugged high-altitude desert of volcanic rocks and boulders. The trail ascends to the Lava Tower site (15000 feet / 4600m) before descending back down into Barranco Valley. The area before the campsite is known as the "Garden of the Senecios", which features many huge senecio plants as well as the shorter lobelia plants. Its 7 to 8 hours walking and the total ascent is only 110m total but having climbed much higher and dropped back down assists acclimatization.
Day 5
Katanga Camp (February 22, 2024)
13,066 feet/3,983 m, 5 km/3 miles (4 to 5 hours)
Today consists of a challenging climb up the steep Barranco wall (some scrambling but not technically difficult), easily one of the highlights of the trek. They’ll be able to admire the majestic views at the top before dropping into the Karanga Valley where they will break for lunch and spend the second half of the day resting and acclimatizing.
Day 6
Barafu High Camp (February 23, 2024)
15,239 feet/4,645 m, 5 km/3 miles (4 to 5 hours)
Today they make their final push to Base Camp, and they see their longer early days paying off on this day. Arriving to Barafu at lunch time allows them to spend the day resting our legs and preparing for the big push to the roof of Africa. After a hearty dinner they will retire to their tents for a little shut eye before they begin their climb at midnight.
Day 7
Uhuru Peak Altitude (February 24, 2024 “Full Moon”)
5895 m/19341 ft Walking Distance: 5 km/3 miles ascent + 12 km/7 miles descent (10-16 hours)
The day starts at midnight with the final push to the summit. It's a cold and grueling six hour hike to summit rim up a steep slope. The trail is doable but steep with many switchbacks. The summit rim is reached just about sunrise and it's a fairly level hike around the rim to Uhuru Peak the ultimate summit and highest point in Africa. Going down they will head back to Barafu Hut for a short nap and snacks before continuing down to Mweka camp (3068m / 10,065feet). One of the reasons for such a long day of trekking is to avoid problems with acclimatization and get them back down to a lower elevation quickly.
Day 8
Mweka Campsite to Moshi (February 25, 2024)
(3068m/10,065 feet) Walking Distance: 10 km/6 miles (3 to 4 hours)
From Mweka campsite it is a 4 to 5 hours descent through the forest to Mweka gate to collect certificates and meet the vehicle. Return to Moshi for the night and to have a final farewell dinner with their guides.
Day 9
Moshi – off to Kenya to help with a water tank project that empowers women!
After breakfast, according to their flight times, hikers will be dropped at the airport or assisted in catching the shuttle to Nairobi.