Day 1, Moshi town:

Upon arrival at the Kilimanjaro International Airport (KIA), you will be greeted by our warm, friendly guide(s). After the long international flight, you will be transferred to a nearby hotel to rest and relax. During the daytime, on your way to a nearby hotel from the KIA-hotel, you may get the chance to view the mountain as it showed itself for some time before being shrouded in clouds. Overnight in the hotel in Moshi town, notice the sounds and smells of Moshi town all around you.

Accommodation: Lodge in Moshi Meal: Breakfast

Day 2: Materuni Waterfall & Coffee Tour (recommended for acclimatization)

After breakfast, you will meet your guides for a briefing and a gear check. From around 10:00 AM to 10:30 AM, we will depart from your lodge to Materuni Village. Enjoy a scenic drive through lush landscapes and local villages on the way to Materuni Waterfall.   Upon arrival in Materuni Village, you will meet your local guide and receive a brief introduction to Chagga culture. This tour is highly recommended before your Mt. Kilimanjaro climb, as the village is situated at about 1,300 meters (4,265 feet) above sea level. This elevation helps your body begin adjusting to higher altitudes and allows for mental preparation, relaxation, and stress relief before tackling Kilimanjaro, which reaches 5,895 meters

Activities

Day 3: Hotel-Lemosho Gate (2100 m) – Big Tree Camp (2780m)

After breakfast, you’ll be picked up from your hotel and driven to Lemosho Gate on a forest track that leads to the Lemosho starting point. After all park formalities and permit collection, you will enter the beautiful and undisturbed rainforest to begin your ascent up the mountain. The route offers a good chance to witness the forest through human activities with a splendid view of varieties of birds and black and white colobus monkeys. The hiking will take 3 to 4 hours to reach Mti Mkubwa Camp, also known as Big Tree Camp. The camp’s name is given to present the large conifer trees that provide shade over the campsite

• Distance: 6 km/3.7 miles
• Hiking time: 3-4hrs
• Habitat: Rainforest
• Altitude gained: 680m

Day 4: Big Tree Camp (2780m)-Shira Two Camp (3610m) via Shira One

On this day you’ll rise early for breakfast and begin climbing a slightly steeper gradient through various vegetation zones. This day we reach the west side of the Shira Plateau, hiking through montane forest, through a transition zone, and into the heather zone where the old lava flows are visible. At Shira One you will stop for lunch and recharge before proceeding with the train to Shira Two Camp, an easy-paced acclimatization day, enjoying a gentle walk across the Shira Plateau into the moorland of Kilimanjaro to Shira Two Camp for the overnight. So now you are on the west of Kibo Peak. Here you will start to get fantastic views of Kibo, the summit cone of Mt. Kilimanjaro.

• Distance: 16 km/9 miles
• Hiking time: 7-8hrs
• Habitat: Montana forest and moorland
• Altitude gained: 1030m

Day 5: Shira 2 Camp (3850 m)-Barranco Camp (3900m) via Lava Tower Camp (4600 m)

Today the route takes you into a semi-desert/alpine desert with rocky landscapes and a surrounding Lava Tower 300 feet high with rocky scree at its base. At Lava Tower camp you will have your hot lunch before descending to Barranco Camp. This day is an important day for acclimatization as you travel up to an elevation of 4600 m before spending the night at Barranco. Here we will apply the principle of Climb High Sleep Low. You will ascend through the moorlands to the alpine zone, where the only plant life is the heartiest of grasses and lichens. Hiking time is 5 to 6 hours.

• Distance: 10 km/6 miles
• Hiking time: 6-7hrs
• Habitat: Moorland and Alpine Desert
• Altitude gained: 500m

Day 6: Barranco Camp-Barafu Camp (4640m) via Karanga Camp

On this day, after breakfast, you will climb the Barranco wall (not a technical climb) and then follow the Kibo South Circuit. Then, you should arrive at your camp located just after the Karanga Valley set atop a ridge by lunchtime for lunch before you carry on your hike to Barafu camp. After lunch, we begin trekking to Barafu camp; the trail is steadily uphill. Barafu is a Swahili word that means “ice.” The camp is set on an exposed ridge and is the staging point for our push to the summit, which offers stunning views of Mt. Kilimanjaro’s summit from various angles. at the camp, you will get plenty of time to rest before the final summit attempt.  Hiking time is 7 to 8 hours.

• Distance: 10 km/ 6 miles
• Hiking time: 7-8hrs
• Habitat: Alpine Desert
• Altitude gained: 750m

Day 7: Barafu Camp – Uhuru Peak (5895m)-Mweka High Camp (3100m)

A long and hard day! Leaving your campsite between midnight and 1:00 am, the climb from Barafu to Stella Point is fairly steep. The trail heads northwest through the heavy stone, following multiple switchbacks between the Ratzel and Rebmann glaciers until you reach Stella Point (5,685m). You will reach Uhuru Peak, the summit of Kilimanjaro at 19,340 feet, around 8 a.m. At this early hour, before the clouds close in, we have spectacular views of Africa in all directions taking pictures and cheers for a few minutes. The hiking time is 7 to 8 hours. 

 You then head back down, via the Mweka route. The section from Uhuru down to Barafu (4 hours) is pebbled (as on the way up). Then at Barafu camp, you will have a 1-2-hour rest, and then you will be awakened for lunch and hot water. Then after lunch, you head down through the various vegetation zones, on a continual downhill, into Mweka camp which is located on the edge of the rainforest area (3-4 hours from Barafu Camp). It is a long descent and trekking poles are highly recommended. Congratulations, you made it to the Roof of Africa!

• Distance: 17 km/ 10.5 miles
• Hiking time: 10-14hrs
• Habitat: Arctic Zone to Rainforest zone
• Altitude gained: 1255m

Day 8, Mweka Camp – Moshi town

After a fantastic breakfast, you will begin the easiest part of your adventure on Mt. Kilimanjaro via a scenic path through the forest to Mweka Gate, our last hike will be of 3 to 4 hours. The hike is steep in some places and may be slippery if wet so again we recommend that you use trekking poles. Successful hikers who make it to Stella Point and Uhuru Peak will be awarded their certificates at the Mweka gate which is signed by a head guide. At the gate you will say goodbye to your mountain crew and enjoy a picnic lunch. The trip leaders will take you back to your hotel for a much-welcome hot shower and a celebration dinner.

Accommodation: Lodge or Hotel Meals: Breakfast

Moshi town/Departure:

For those returning home, you will be transferred to the Kilimanjaro International Airport to catch your flight. Those continuing on safari will be picked up at your hotel for the continuation of your Tanzania Unforgettable tour.