Mount Kilimanjaro Trekking Adventure

Are you ready for the journey of a lifetime? Welcome to Arusha, Tanzania. Before you embark on this long journey, take some time to relax and unwind. Two hours away from the airport, you’ll start your trip in the Chemka Hot Springs campsite. This gorgeous geothermal oasis will help you relax, unwind, and prepare your body for the hike. Enjoy a picnic and camp out for the night.

For this journey, you will be taking the Shire route. This route combines with the Machame route around day three giving you two different experiences: a more scenic and peaceful one along with the most popular route. This area will give you a wildlife experience where you’ll get to see some of Tanzania’s famous fauna. Talk a walk along the rainforest and the Ngara Nairobi River. You’ll camp out on the moorland and heather zone for the night.

Today you’ll make your way towards the Morum Hill and barrier. You’ll walk along a flat plateau for a portion of today’s journey, then you’ll stumble upon the Simba river. You can choose to take a detour to explore the Shira Cathedral where you’ll experience the wilderness experience you’ve been craving! Camp out in the Shira huts for the night and rest up for tomorrow.

You are now entering the alpine desert. Today, your trail meets with the busy Machame Route. Instead of following this route along to Barranco Valley, take a detour to the marvelous lava tower. Back in the day, Kilimanjaro was a volcano, and now, the tower is all that remains. After you enjoy the view and let your body acclimatize, gather your things and head down to the Barranco Valley. Cliffs and greenery will envelop you as you get a glimpse of the Barranco Wall, one of the most challenging parts of the climb, which you will face tomorrow. Camp out at Barranco camp, surrounded by the southern glaciers and one of Kilimanjaro’s volcanic cones, Kibo watching over you.

Follow along this great valley, which will lead you with views of the plains. Today, you’ll get to climb the Barranco Wall you marveled at yesterday. The climb takes you right to the southeast side of Kibo and will leave you breathless as you look over the icefields. Enjoy the unique volcanic terrain in the mountain wilderness. You’ll spend the night in Karanga camp, take this time to stock up on water as this is the last water point before reaching the summit.

Today is one of the easiest days for the trail. With only a couple more days to go, the scree trail will help you acclimatize before reaching the summit. Enjoy the southeastern valley and take some time to reflect on the wilderness, your journey, and our treatment of nature within and outside of this trip. This will be a much-needed day of rest in preparation for tomorrow’s big day.

The day has finally arrived! It’s a very early start for the day, so make sure you’ve prepared well the previous night. Following the volcanic trail, your early journey’s destination is the crater rim at Stella Point. Enjoy the perfect sunrise and a bit of respite before continuing your journey. From here, you’ll follow along to Uhuru Peak to get an awe-inspiring view of the glaciers and ice cliffs at the summit. Then you’ll descend back to Barafu and continue on until you reach Millenium Camp.

You’ll finish your trip following along the tropical forest and head back to the park’s gate. Sign out from the park and journey through the coffee and banana plantations that abound in the Mweka village. You’ll travel back to Arusha and stop at the Maasai Women’s Fair Trade Center. Purchase handmade crafts from local women who use the money they make at the center for their education and health.

Take some time today to meet with someone to learn about poaching and deforestation. Ask what you can do to help, make a donation, volunteer with an organization, or take time to plant some native flora. You can take some time to relax and rest your feet before heading back home after this adventure of a lifetime.