Climb Mt Kilimanjaro via Rongai route

Hiking time: 3 ½ hours. Distance: Approximately 5.4 km. Habitat: Montane Forest. Your day starts early with a briefing, followed by breakfast and a 2-hour drive from Moshi (910m) to the Londorossi Park Gate (2100m). The guides and porters prepare and pack the supplies and your equipment in the village. Following registration, we continue by vehicle, a further 12km on a forest track that leads to the Lemosho starting point (2244m). This can take anywhere from 45 minutes to 1 ½ hours, depending on road conditions. The road to the Lemosho starting point is particularly inaccessible during the wet season, and climbers should be prepared to walk the final 2-5 kilometers of the road, following heavy rains. The journey time to reach the start point is quite long, and joined with the possibility of not reaching the end of the road by vehicle, head torches may well be needed to reach Forest camp on day 1. Trek from the Lemosho start point (2424m) to the Forest camp (2821m), where you spend your first night in the mountain. You are advised to stop regularly today and to move quietly in the hope of sighting wildlife near the trail. Sightings of small antelope are virtually unique to the Lemosho and Rongai routes. Your porters (arriving at the campsite long before you) will have your tent set up on your arrival. In the evening, the porters will bring a small bowl of washing water to your tent, and the cook will prepare dinner before you retire to your tent for the night. Night temperatures can already drop to freezing point at this campsite.

Hiking time: 8 hours. Distance: 15.6 km. Habitat: Moorland You rise early at Forest camp and, after breakfast, you trek an hour or so to the end of the forest, and then the trail gradually steepens and enters the giant heather moorland zone. Several streams are crossed. After 8.1 km, we reach Shira 1 camp (3504m) located on the Western edge of the Shira Plateau, where we stop for lunch. After lunch, we hike across the Shira plateau for another 7.5km to the Shira 2 Camp, situated on the moorland meadows (3875m). By now, you will be able to see, in an easterly direction, the Western Breach with its stunning glaciers. The porters will provide a small bowl of washing water to each hiker before the cook serves dinner. The night at this exposed camp will even be colder than the previous night, with temperatures dropping to well below freezing.

Hiking time: 8 hours. Distance: Approximately 10.3 km. Habitat: Semi-desert. Trek from Shira 2 Camp east towards Lava Tower (4642m). As the hike progress the surrounding area turns into a semi-desert and rocky landscape. Shortly before reaching Lava Tower, the Lemosho route links up with the Machame route. The last part of the hike (just before reaching Lava Tower) is definitely the toughest part of your hike so far. It is normally around this point, for the first time, that some hikers will start to experience the symptoms of breathlessness, irritability, and headaches. You will arrive in time for lunch at Lava Tower (4 642m) after hiking a distance of about 6.6 km. After lunch, you descend again by almost 680m to the Barranco camping area, and after reaching the high altitude of 4600m at Lava Tower, the true acclimatisation benefit of this day becomes clear. This descent to Barranco camp takes about 2 hours (3.3 km) and offers great opportunities to take some beautiful photographs of the Western Breach and Breach Wall. The descent is tiring and should not be underestimated. The camp is situated in a valley below the Breach and Great Barranco Wall, which should provide you with a memorable sunset while you get some much-needed relaxation before dinner.

Hiking Time: 8 km, taking 8 hours Terrain: Heather, moorland, and alpine desert zone. Today is a day full of breathtaking views. In the morning, you will ascend the Barranco Wall before trekking across rock and ridges to the Karanga Valley. Here you will be met with breathtaking views of the Western Breach and the southern glacier. From there, having completed the Southern Circuit and seen every angle of the summit, you will continue to your next campsite, the Barafu Camp. Some choose to spend an extra day in the Karanga valley area to further acclimatize.

Hiking Time: 19 km, taking 13-15 hours Terrain: Alpine desert, snow, heather, and moorland. Today is the day! You’ll awake before midnight to start your 6-hour ascent. The climb will take you past the final waypoint, Hans Meyer point (5,888 m/19,318 ft), after which you will reach the summit of Uhuru Peak. You have finally done it! You have reached the highest point in Africa at 5,895m/19,341 ft. This achievement will be tough to top, that’s for sure. After a moment of basking in your triumph, you will start your descent down past Barafu Camp to Mweka Camp. Here you will enjoy your last dinner on the mountain and some well-earned sleep.

Hiking Time: 10 km, taking 3-4 hours Terrain: Heather, moorland, and montane forest. After breakfast, we continue the descent down to the Mweka Park Gate. At lower elevations, it can be wet and muddy. Gaiters and trekking poles will help. Shorts and t-shirts will probably be plenty to wear (keep rain gear and warmer clothing handy). A vehicle will meet you at Mweka village to drive you back to the hotel in Moshi.