Tour Itinerary
Day One: Arrive Moshi – Marangu
Accommodation: Kilimanjaro Mountain Resort
Meal Plan: Dinner
Optional Excursion Options: Take a walk
Depending on arrival details, clients will transfer to Marangu approximately 1.5 hours from Moshi town. We sleep tonight at around 1950 metres, a great bonus acclimatisation to the start of our trek. In the evening we will meet our guide who will have a briefing on the trek. After dinner make sure you pack the travelling bag with excess luggage which you will be leave at the hotel during the trek. Make sure you get a good night sleep because you have a very long adventure ahead.
Day Two: Marangu – Moorland Camp
Accommodation: Camping
Meal Plan: Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner
The Adventure begins.
Today’s walk is about three to four hours, beginning on a small path that winds its way through fields of maize and potatoes before entering pine forest. The walk is gradual ascent through attractive forest to the edge of the moorland zone at around 2600 metres. Extensive views over the Kenyan plains will be a highlight of today’s camp. Note that it can be wet in the rainforest. The night is spent camping at Moorland Camp.
Day Three: Kikelewa Cave
Accommodation: Camping
Meal Plan: Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner
After breakfast, we set off around 8am to head up to the Kikelewa Caves. Today our walking time will be about six to seven hours. From our overnight campsite a steady ascent is made up to ‘Second Cave’ at 3450 metres. Here we are rewarded with superb views of Kibo and the Eastern ice fields of the crater rim. Leaving the main trail after lunch we travel across the Moorland on smaller paths towards the jagged Mawenzi Peak. Tonight we camp near Kikelewa Caves at 3800 metres. Now you will really start feeling you are on a proper adventure.
Day Four: Mawenzi Tarn Camp
Accommodation: Camping
Meal Plan: Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner
Today’s walk is one of the shorter ones with the trek at three to four hours but involves some steeper sections. Leaving camp a short but steep climb up grassy slopes is rewarded by a real sense of wilderness and stunning all round views. The vegetation zone is left behind shortly before we reach our next campsite at Mawenzi Tarn at around 4330 metres. This is one of the most beautiful days on the trek.
After lunch and some time to relax and take in the beautiful, stark surroundings of the camp we will take an acclimatisation walk up to 4500 metres, to a rocky outcrop. On a clear afternoon, the views from this height across to Mawenzi Peak on one side and the saddle on the other, are quite breathtaking however the weather can be particularly unpredictable in this area. Sections of this walk are moderately steep and rocky.
Day Five: Kibo Campsite
Accommodation: Camping
Meal Plan: Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner
Today we will walk for four to five hours as we cross the lunar desert of the ‘Saddle’ between Mawenzi and Kibo. Our camp tonight is Kibo campsite at about 4730 metres. This campsite is spectacularly located at the bottom of the Kibo crater wall. The remainder of the day is spent resting in final preparation for the final summit ascent. Your head may have started pounding at this stage and appetite might not be the best take the opportunity and rest drinks as much as you can and eat because you will need it for the final ascent.
You’ll wake around 10pm to prepare for the final ascent. After a hot cup of tea and time to get all your gear ready, the group will push off for the overnight hike. Generally, the trek begins around 11.00pm or 11.30pm.
Day Six: Summit ROOF OF AFRICA – Horombo Camp
Accommodation: Camping
Meal Plan: Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner
D Day – 11 – 15 hours of walking! We will have already started the final, and by far the steepest and most demanding, part of the climb by torchlight around 11pm last night. We go very slowly in the darkness on a switchback trail through loose volcanic rock to reach the crater rim at Gilman’s Point at 5685 metres. Here there is a short rest and time to enjoy the spectacular sunrise over Mawenzi. From here, it’s a tough two hours further to reach the summit. A combination of exhaustion and altitude may make this feel like the longest hours of your life! But once you reach the summit Uhuru Peak at 5895 metres, the 360 degree view of glaciers and ice cliffs that still occupy most of the summit area, make it all worthwhile. ENJOY THE ROOF OF AFRICA. The descent down to Gilman’s Point will take around 90 minutes and you’ll reach Kibo Camp again within about 3 hours. After some rest we continue the descent to reach our final campsite at Horombo at 3720 metres. Towards the end of the descent your toes and legs are likely screaming, but once at Horombo it is forgotten again. You will fall asleep with a great sense of achievement.
Day Seven: Marangu – Moshi
Accommodation: Kilimanjaro Mountain Resort
Meal Plan: Breakfast / Lunch
A final day of five to seven hours walking precedes a well earned rest at the hotel. A steady descent takes us down through moorland to Mandara Hut at 2700 metres. The descent continues through lovely lush forest on a good path to the National Park gate at Marangu at 1700 metres. At the gate you can often buy beers (or from the villages on the way back), and there’s then a very short hike to the road head where you will be met by the vehicle and transferred back to the hotel for a swim, a beer, and a VERY welcome hot shower!! Celebrations at the hotel will, no doubt, continue into the evening
Day Eight: Marangu – Moshi
Accommodation: None
Meal Plan: Breakfast
After breakfast, your trek comes to an end. We can arrange transfers to Kilimanjaro Airport, Moshi & Nairobi at an extra cost.
Tour Preparation
Transport: Our mode of transport to starting points of Trek and at end of trek will vary depending on numbers it could either be a 4×4 Land Cruiser, Land rover, Minibus or larger costar bus.
Meals: Meals at hotel pre and after is only Bed and breakfast on the trek it is full board. All meals a prepared by the food team who is following you on the trek from start to finish, the chefs will prepare Breakfast, lunch and dinner that is suitable for the different stages of the trip so that you will the correct things in your body at the right time. You will be surprise along the way what amazing food they will be able to produce out of a small tent at 4500 meters.
Luggage: The luggage for that you carrying on the trek will be carried by a porter, please use a duffel bag which will be the easiest for them to carry in the trek bags. You will have to have a day pack that you will be carrying your personal belongings, water and clothes you are using for the day. You will be able to leave luggage behind at hotel a padlock is a good idea to have for that bag left behind. . We do provide a Packing List that can be used as a guide to help you decide what to bring and what to leave at home.
Visas: Depending on your Nationality you may require a visa to enter Kenya or Tanzania & in most cases this visa can be obtained on arrival at either Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (Nairobi) or Kilimanjaro International Airport (Moshi / Arusha). However, there can often be long queues to buy your visa and we therefore suggest you check the price of pre purchasing your visa in your home country vs. buying it on arrival and preferably buy your visa in advance to save any unnecessary hassle on arrival. If you are holding a valid visa you can proceed straight to the Immigration Officer for your passport to be stamped & avoid the visa queue.
Vaccinations: It is essential that you visit a Medical Practitioner at least 6 weeks prior to travel to discuss any vaccinations that you may require for your visit to Kenya or Tanzania. Please also be aware that both Kenya and Tanzania are malarial areas and we strongly suggest you discuss malaria prophylactic options with your Medical Practitioner to ensure you use the appropriate medication.
Insurance: It is a booking condition of Top Cream Tours & Safaris that you have full travel insurance valid for the duration of your tour to cover you for medical emergency and repatriation to your home country. It is also important that you leave a copy of your insurance with the person nominated as your emergency contact..
Personal Spending & Credit Cards: On the trek you only need money for tips and the odd beer on the way down see below for tipping. Before and after climb you will require extra money for your own personal spending on the tour for Activities and Excursions, snacks, drinks, souvenirs, tips and items of a personal nature. We suggest as a guideline you budget USD$20 – USD$30 per day for incidental expenditures whilst on Safari. ATM machines are readily available in both Arusha and Nairobi and it is possible to draw local currency for these incidental expenses on arrival.
If you are bringing USD$ cash with you please be aware that all notes need to be issued after 2006 as most places in East Africa will not accept notes dated pre 2006.
If you are purchasing visas on arrival we suggest you bring USD$ cash to cover these expenses
Tipping: This is always a matter for your own individual discretion but as in many areas where tourism is an important contributor to the economy, it has become customary to give a small gratuity to local staff, including your guides, porters, cooks, waiters at the end of a trek if services rendered have been to your satisfaction. As a guideline only we suggest USD$20 per person per day if you are happy with the services provided by your Guide. Tips are always paid end of trek at the gate. Tips are divided according between the of staff group. We are a member of the Kilimanjaro porters association which is a body that ensures porters and Mt Staff get good salaries and get a fair division of tips etc on Kilimanjaro.
In case of Emergency: We suggest for your own piece of mind, and that of your friends and family, that you leave the following emergency contact information at home: