Departure from Moshi will be at around 7:30am for Londorossi gate, about 4 hours, where you will complete entry formalities. Then continue up by car to Morum Barrier Gate (another hour to reach the trailhead) Upon arrival at trail-head, eat lunch, then commence through heather and moorland which lead to the first camp, only about 1-2 hours of trekking. The view of Kibo from across the plateau is stunning.

Today we will trek across the Shira Plateau toward Kibo’s snow covered peak. Shira was the first of the three volcanoes that make up Mt. Kilimanjaro. Through reconstructive modeling and lava flow studies, it is believed that Shira once reached 5400 meters high. Eventually the Shira volcano collapsed leaving a caldera that was later filled with lava flows from Kibo. Today, we are left with many distinct landmarks including the Shira Ridge, the Shira Cathedral, and the Shira Plateau. As we approach Kibo, we will leave the busy southern circuit trail and head north to the Moir Camp.

The trail now takes us winding our way through the moorlands as we begin to approach the alpine desert. The vegetation begins to thin out, as the landscape becomes marked by many strange volcanic plugs. This area has a large number of lava tubes, which often go unnoticed as the larger formations, such as the lava tower called Shark’s Tooth dominate the landscape. Depending on the pace of the group we will either make camp at Buffalo Camp or at Pofu Camp.

We continue winding along the trail to the East through a forest of towering winding through a forest of towering Kilimanjaro Giant Groundsel. The trail continues climbing over vast ridgelines that lead up to the high alpine desert. We continue past massive volcanic formations scattered amongst the pitches of scree. We eventually join the Rongai route and gradually descend to Rongai Second Cave Camp where we will spend the night.

Today we set out in a north easterly direction cross the barren alpine desert, where amongst the clumps of grass you will find an array of flowers along the trail. We will take the opportunity to explore some of the rock overhangs, large bolder formations and even a smaller volcanic tower that are along the route. We will pitch camp at Kikelewa Campsite for a late lunch and then explore the cave during an afternoon hike.

Today we make significant altitude gains as we trek to the base of Mawenzi Tarn, the second volcano that makes up Mt. Kilimanjaro. Mawenzi is much different than Kibo in that it is a complex mass of several summits that are advanced technical climbs. The highest summit of Mawenzi is Hans Meyer Peak (5,149m/16,893ft) which is actually the fourth highest summit on the African Continent. We will spend the afternoon hiking to higher altitudes before return to camp on the shores of a small, yet permanent, lake.

We will leave our attractive campsite and start the trek across the lunar desert of the “Saddle” that sits between Mawenzi and Kibo. As we approach Kibo you will notice a considerable drop in temperature. We pass by Kibo Hut and continue to School Hut, also known as the Outward Bound Camp, so as to avoid the large crowds that will make their summit approach from Kibo. After an early dinner we will retire to our tents to get some rest so that you will be well rested for our exciting summit attempt.

After plodding along slowly in the darkness and cold, we merge with the more frequented Kibo Summit Route just above Hans Meyer Cave. At this point the trail steepens significantly switch backing to Gillman’s Point (5.680m/18,651ft) on the crater rim. Uhuru comes into view across the crater. We now follow the gently sloping path along the rim past Stella Point (5.795m/18,820ft) and onto Uhuru Peak (5.895/19,341ft). We will spend some time to enjoy the summit and to celebrate your success before we make a short descent to Crater Camp, located near the impressive ice walls of the Furtwangler Glacier. In the afternoon we will make a trek to the Ash Pit.

After breakfast it is time for a final celebration with the crew that has worked hard to make your journey a memorable one. We will then make our final hike down through the rainforest to the Mweka gate where your guide will complete a few final formalities and the park will present you with your Summit Certificate. You will then be driven back to your hotel in Moshi for a hot shower and a comfortable bed.