Kilimanjaro Rongai Route 6 Day (trip)

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Kilimanjaro Rongai Route 6 Day

  • Dar Es Salaam International Airport, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
  • Active & Adventure
Tanzania, Africa

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contact Zara Tanzania Adventures:

Period offered: Year-round. The provider (view their profile) can provide you with specific departure dates, final prices, and other information.


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from $1,577* per person6 DaysYear-round
Comfort accommodations Exertion level: 3
Operator: Zara Tanzania Adventures 12 people max
Zara Tours leads treks up the unique Rongai Route known to be more scenic than the Marangu Route, easier than the Machame Route, and the success rate on the Rongai is very high. Unlike the Marangu Route where you sleep in huts, on the Rongai you sleep in tents (tents are included), and the porters will pitch your tent for you. Meals are served in a dinner tent or on a blanket outside. The Rongai starts on the north side of the mountain just south of the Kenyan border, and is one of the least traveled routes. The Rongai joins the Marangu for the summit climb, then you descend the Marangu Route on the mountain's southeast side, so you see Kilimanjaro from many view points. There are two versions of this trek - a direct 6-day itinerary, and a 7-day itinerary that takes a longer route. The more expedient 6-day itinerary is described below and the longer variation is described in the extra days section.

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Locations visited/nearby

Tanzania, Africa

0 testimonials about this trip.

3 testimonials about the provider, Zara Tanzania Adventures:

  • Reviewer: Pamela Brouillard
    Dear Zara Tours,

    I just wanted to compliment you on the outstanding service we had on our recent Kili climb on the Lemosho route (June 4th-10th). Our guides were outstanding. Yahoo! was an incredible leader who managed the day to day operation of the camp and climbing in a calm and thoughtful manner. I also want to compliment Jacob, Hamesi, and Soloman as well as all the others for their thoughtful and patient assistance on the climb. I couldn't have done it without their help and expert guidance. Thanks for making the TDS climb such a successful experience.
  • Reviewer: Ben
     Hi,

    I'm just back from a wonderful trip up Kilimanjaro, and would like to tell you what a wonderful job Gilbert and Jimmy did. Gilbert was my guide, and Jimmy was my assistant guide, as well as pitching my tent and serving me my food every night.

    I believe there were originally going to be two people in my group, but the other person must have canceled, so that meant that I had an incredible amount of one-on-one attention lavished on me. Gilbert was a very enjoyable hiking partner, and he did many extra things for me that he didn't have to do, such as taking me on a side trip one evening when I expressed an interest in exploring. His English is excellent, and he is a fountain of information, not just about the natural history of the mountain but also about politics, history, and culture. He was conservative at first about keeping me safe, but once he got to know me and was able to appraise my physical abilities and level of experience, he allowed me more latitude, which made the trip a lot more fun.

    Jimmy, however, was the one who really rose to the occasion on this trip. On summit day, Gilbert asked him to accompany us for safety, so that we would be a group of three rather than just two. Jimmy went in front and I went in the middle. We passed the other groups, and by the time we were nearing Stella Point we were about an hour and a half ahead of the next group back. At this point it was becoming more and more clear that Gilbert was seriously sick. He hadn't been on the mountain since before the rainy season, so he probably wasn't quite as acclimatized as he could have been -- and of course altitude sickness is notoriously fickle. Although I kept trying to convince him to head back down, he insisted on coming up as far as Stella Point, where he waited in the wind while Jimmy guided me to Uhuru. Jimmy was very confident, and obviously knew the mountain extremely well. In my opinion, Jimmy's performance in this difficult situation is the best possible indicator of his readiness to step up to being a guide.

    I was a little hesitant about whether to tell you the details of this summit day, since I didn't want to create any negative impression about Gilbert. But after all, we're all only human beings, and we work within our physical limitations. I think the way Gilbert persevered up to Stella Point showed an iron will. Furthermore, his decision to have Jimmy come up with us turned out to have been exactly the right decision for both everyone's safety and my own success in reaching the summit. His level of experience, maturity, and good judgment set up the situation so that everything turned out OK, even when something went wrong.

    Regards,

     
  • Reviewer: Lasse Frederiksen
     Dear Zara tours,

    I Just returned from a great trip to Kilimanjaro and two days safari. I just want to let you know that I am very happy about the way things went. I found that everything was very well organized. The guides were great. On kilimanjaro I went with Isack Samson who did a great job and made the trip a great succes. On the safari I went with Peter Minja who had great knowledge about all that we saw. He was very nice and polite and willing to make an ekstra effort to ensure a trip of of the ordinary. I will definitely recommend zara tours and the two guides, that I went with.

    All my best Zara and thanks again Thanks for an outstanding trip.

    Best Regards


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Special information

  • This is a custom departure, meaning this trip is offered on dates that you arrange privately with the provider. Additionally, you need to form your own private group for this trip. The itinerary and price here is just a sample. Contact the provider for detailed pricing, minimum group size, and scheduling information. For most providers, the larger the group you are traveling with, the lower the per-person cost will be.

Itinerary

 Day 1

Arrive at the Kilimanjaro or Dar es Salaam International Airport. You will be met at the airport and transferred to the Springlands Hotel or similar hotel in Moshi for your overnight.

Your day starts early with breakfast and a briefing. Transfer by Land Rover through many villages and coffee plantations for 4-5 hours to the attractive wooden village of Nale Muru (1,950 m/6,398 ft). After signing in and preparing the porters, you begin the hike on a wide path winding through fields of maize and potatoes, then enter pine forest. You then start to climb gently but consistently through attractive forest that shelters a variety of wildlife. The forest begins to thin and Simba Camp (2,600 m/8,530 ft) is near the “First Cave” at the edge of the moorland zone with extensive views over the Kenyan plains.

Day 2
Your morning walk is a steady ascent up to the Second Cave. En route, you will enjoy superb views of Kibo and the eastern ice fields on the crater rim.

Day 3
Your continuing steady ascent takes you up to the Third Cave. Closer now, the eastern ice fields on the crater rim continue to draw you upwards. On this day, be careful to notice any signs of altitude sickness.

Day 4
Today, you hike up to the Kibo Huts at the bottom of the Kibo crater wall, and this is where you join the popular Marangu Route. Plan on doing your hike early in the day, then resting in preparation for your final ascent. Prepare your equipment and warm clothing for your summit climb, then turn in early.

Day 5
Wake at midnight to a light breakfast, then prepare for your summit ascent. The goal is to climb before dawn so that you can reach Uhuru Peak shortly after sunrise. Leave at 1 AM, switchback up steep scree or possibly snow, and reach Gilman’s Point on the crater rim at 5,861 m/18,640 ft between 5 and 7 AM. Here, views of the fabled crater and its icecaps greet you. Another 2 hours of hiking along the crater rim near the celebrated snows takes you to Kilimanjaro’s true summit, Uhuru Peak, by 9 AM. This is Africa’s highest point, and you would have to travel more than 3,000 miles toward the Himalayas to find a higher peak! Be sure to have your picture taken at the summit to show your friends. After your summit stay, descend back to the Kibo Huts, have lunch, rest, collect your things, and re cross the saddle to the Horombo Huts. Eat dinner and get some well-deserved sleep!

You do the beginning of this climb in the dark with headlamps or flashlights. It will be very cold until you start descending, so you will need all of your warm layers. This is, by far, the most difficult part of the trek. Slowly slowly, or, “pole pole,” and an optimistic attitude will get you there!

Day 6

Wake as usual, pack, and descend through the moorland to the Mandara Huts. Have lunch there then continue your triumphant recessional down through lush forest to the park gate, which you should reach around 2 or 3 PM. Remember to tip your guides, cooks, and porters, since you will be leaving them here. A vehicle will take you back to the Springlands Hotel or similar hotel in Moshi, where it is definitely time for celebration!

Depart for the airport or other destinations in Tanzania or Kenya. A trip to the beaches at Zanzibar is a good way to recuperate. We can arrange many reasonably priced trips and safaris around Moshi and the Kilimanjaro region.

More information from Zara Tanzania Adventures: