Itinerary

Day 1: Nairobi

Activities:

    On arrival in Nairobi, you will be met by our local representative and transferred to your hotel by our driver. You’ll get the details of tomorrow's private transfer to Moshi as well as any additional tours or activities that you may wish to enjoy while you’re there.
    The rest of the day is at your leisure. As this is an arrival day, you can arrive at any time.

Day 2: Machame Village - Moshi

Travel time: Approx 6-7 hours driving

Meals included: 1 breakfast

Activities:

    This morning you will depart on your private transfer from Nairobi through to Macheme, exiting Kenya and entering Tanzania at the Namanga border post. The drive today covers approximately 420 kilometres and should take about six to seven hours. The final stretch of travel from Arusha should offer views of this magnificent snow-capped mountain, should offer views of the magnificent snow-capped mountain, to whet your appetite for the forthcoming ascent!
    The Aishi lodge is beautifully located in the village of Machame, at the foot of Mt Kilimanjaro. The lodge features large gardens, comfortable rooms and a peaceful setting amidst local banana plantations, and is a perfect place from which to start and end your Kilimanjaro climb!
    In the evening there’ll be a briefing on the trek when you’ll receive your own personal trek pack containing a kit bag that your porter will carry, a sleeping bag, sleep sheet, down jacket and sleeping mat. You’ll need to transfer your other personal possessions into your trek pack.
    You’ll be able to leave your travel bag and any excess luggage at our Machame hotel to be collected upon your return.

Day 3: Machame Hut

Travel time: Approx 5-6 hours walking

Meals included: 1 breakfast, 1 lunch, 1 dinner

Activities:

    Today you’ll meet up with your porters and guides after breakfast, and transfer the short distance to the Machame Gate, situated at the entrance to the forest at around 1800 metres. After completing registration procedures at Machame, you should be on your way by late morning.
    Today’s walk is about five to six hours, gradually ascending through the forest to a ridge between two streams, before eventually emerging into heather at around 3000 metres. Please note that it can be wet in the rainforest.
    The night is spent camping near Machame Hut, at much the same altitude. The porters will carry your trek bag with all of your kit, while you’ll carry a day bag with your wet weather gear, camera, lunch and water. Generally speaking, the porters will walk ahead so they can reach camp first and put up your tents prior to your arrival.

Day 4: Shira Hut

Travel time: Approx 4-5 hours walking

Meals included: 1 breakfast, 1 lunch, 1 dinner

Activities:

    After breakfast, you set off around 8.00am to head up to the Shira Plateau. From your overnight campsite you cross a small valley and continue up along a steep ridge, through open moorland, to about 3600 metres. The peak of Kilamanjaro lays straight ahead, an inspiring site on what can be a challenging day’s walk!
    After around three to four hours the route veers left before flattening out into a gorge, and from here you’ll gradually ascend towards the Shira Plateau, and your overnight camp, Shira Hut, at 3850 metres, to the west of Kibo.

Day 5: Barranco Hut

Travel time: Approx 4-5 hours walking

Meals included: 1 breakfast, 1 lunch, 1 dinner

Activities:

    Today is an important acclimatisation day as you travel up to 4250 metres before spending the night at Barranco (3950m). The path continues directly up the ridge towards Kibo. This is a high altitude desert, offering glorious views of the Western Breach of Kibo.
    After about four hours the path forks to the right and descends into a gorge (‘barranco’ in Swahili). There’s a fair amount of ‘up and down’ walking today. Turning south-east towards the lava tower known as Shark’s Tooth, you reach Barranco Hut and your overnight campsite at 3950 metres. With any luck you’ll be treated to a great sunset tonight!

Day 6: Karanga Valley

Meals included: 1 breakfast, 1 lunch, 1 dinner

Activities:

    This morning you’ll climb the Barranco Wall (not a technical climb) and then follow the Kibo South Circuit. Expect brilliant views of Kibo's southern glaciers if the weather is clear. There's a pleasant lunch stop by the river in the Karanga Valley.
    This is a relatively short day, and you should arrive at your camp around lunchtime, located just after the Karanga Valley set atop a ridge. Today is a valuable acclimatisation day as you’ll be walking for the morning only, ascending and descending various ridges and valleys during your walk.

Day 7: Barafu Hut

Meals included: 1 breakfast, 1 lunch, 1 dinner

Activities:

    From Karanga you head up to the intersection of the South Circuit and the Mweka route where you’ll start climbing up a ridge for a further two hours to Barrafu Hut, at 4600 metres.
    You should arrive at Barrafu around late lunchtime, allowing plenty of time to rest before the final summit attempt.
    Barrafu is Swahili for ‘ice’ – it can be very cold here at night!

Day 8: Summit day

Meals included: 1 breakfast, 1 lunch, 1 dinner

Activities:

    Today will be the longest and most challenging climbing day! Leaving your campsite between midnight and 2am, the climb from Barafu to Stella Point will be fairly steep.
    At Rebmann Glacier (4870m) you head north between Rebmann and Ratzel Glacier, which will bring you up to the crater rim just west of Stella Point (about six to seven hours), where you’ll join the main trail for the last leg (about an hour) to the summit at Uhuru (5895m).
    You’ll then head back down, via the Mweka route, where your tents will be pitched for the last time. The section from Uhuru down to Barafu (four hours) is scree (as on the way up), then you’ll head down through the various vegetation zones, on a continual downhill, into Mweka which is located on the edge of the rainforest area (three to four hours).
    At an altitude of approx 3100 metres, it will be nice to have some 'air' to breathe!

Day 9: Machame Village - Moshi

Meals included: 1 breakfast, 1 lunch

Activities:

    From Mweka down to the park gate, is a three to four hour walk, through the rainforest, which may be slippery in patches. At the gate you can often buy beers (or from the villages on the way back). There’s then just a very short hike to the road head where you’ll 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 Aishi lodge will, no doubt, continue into the evening!

Day 10: Arusha or Nairobi

Meals included: 1 breakfast

Activities:

    In the morning you’ll be picked up by your private transfer vehicle and driven from Moshi to Arusha. After a brief lunch stop (you’ll need to cover the cost of this), those continuing back to Nairobi will re-board the transfer vehicle to continue onto Nairobi. You will cross back into Kenya at Namanga, and should expect to arrive into Nairobi at about 6.00pm, where your tour ends on arrival.
    Any flights out of Nairobi should not be booked prior to 8.30pm. The private transfer service from Arusha to Nairobi can drop you at Nairobi’s international airport on the way to our Nairobi hotel. If you wish to be dropped off at the airport please let us know in advance.
    The seven hour drive from Moshi to Nairobi can be replaced by a flight between Kilimanjaro Airport and Nairobi which would need to be pre-booked (at additional cost).

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