Kilimanjaro
8 Days | Tackle Tanzania’s mighty mountain on a trekking adventure to Kilimanjaro
Kilimanjaro
8 Day Tour
Embark on an eight-day trip trekking the challenging Machame Route to the summit of Mt Kilimanjaro – Africa’s highest point.
At high altitude, it’s an epic journey through varied terrain of lowland forest and dry mountain desert. With local guides and porters making your hike that much easier, set up camp at night and soak up all the incredible scenery along the way. Then at the very top of Uhuru Peak, rising 5896 m above sea level, feel the exhilaration and sense of achievement as you marvel at the incredible views and consider what you’ve just accomplished. Congratulations – you’ve hit the peak of Kilimanjaro!
Areas Visited
Moshi
Machame Camp
Shira Camp
Barranco Camp
Barafu Camp
Uhuru Peak / Millennium
Explore the Region
Key Inclusions
- Meals: 7 breakfasts, 6 lunches, 7 dinners
- Transport: Minibus
- Accommodation: Camping (with basic facilities) (5 nights), Hotel (2 nights)
- Activities
- Mount Kilimanjaro – Trek Briefing
- Mount Kilimanjaro – Complimentary equipment hire (sleeping bag and walking poles) – must be requested at time of booking
- Fully catered trek including National Park entrance fees, climbing fee, tented camps & rescue services
- Mount Kilimanjaro – Porterage of 1 bag (9kg/20lb max)
- Mount Kilimanjaro – Return transfers from hotel to park gate
- Mount Kilimanjaro – Emergency oxygen and comprehensive first aid kits
- Moshi – Kilimanjaro Porters Assistance Project
Click to view Detailed Itinerary
Itinerary
Embark on an eight-day trip trekking the challenging Machame Route to the summit of Mt Kilimanjaro – Africa’s highest point. At high altitude, it’s an epic journey through varied terrain of lowland forest and dry mountain desert. With local guides and porters making your hike that much easier, set up camp at night and soak up all the incredible scenery along the way. Then at the very top of Uhuru Peak, rising 5896 m above sea level, feel the exhilaration and sense of achievement as you marvel at the incredible views and consider what you’ve just accomplished. Congratulations – you’ve hit the peak of Kilimanjaro!
Day 1:
Moshi
Jambo! Welcome to Tanzania. Your hiking adventure begins in the foothills of Mount Kilimanjaro in Moshi. You’ll have a welcome meeting at 6 pm tonight for a full briefing and kit inspection by an experienced Kilimanjaro climber. If you arrive early, the hotel is just a short walk from the village’s bustling market and some excellent coffee shops, so you can head out and explore at your own pace. After the meeting, fuel up on a hearty dinner with your fellow trekkers and get a good night’s rest, ready to start your climb tomorrow!
Accommodation: Hotel (1 night)
Meals: Dinner
Included activities
- Mount Kilimanjaro – Trek Briefing
- Mount Kilimanjaro – Complimentary equipment hire (sleeping bag and walking poles) – must be requested at time of booking
Special information
It’s very important that you attend the welcome meeting as we will be collecting insurance details and next of kin information at this time. If you are going to be late please let your travel agent or hotel reception know. Ask reception or look for a note in the lobby for more information on where the meeting will take place.
This trip visits places that are at high altitude, and as a result some people can suffer from altitude sickness, regardless of age or physical health. Please see the ‘Health’ section of the Essential Trip Information for more important details.
Day 2
Machame Camp
Meet your guides and porters after breakfast this morning, then take the opportunity to organise your gear before setting off to the Machame Gate – the south-western entrance to the Mt Kilimanjaro National Park. On the way, stop into one of the clothes lending offices of Kilimanjaro Porters Assistance Projects and learn how their program, supported by the Intrepid Foundation, is assisting porters. Begin your hike around lunch time, starting with a stroll through the rainforest, looking out for some of the many brightly coloured birds here. Set up camp at Machame in the mid-afternoon, ready for your first night on Kilimanjaro! The huts fell into disrepair some years ago, so with the help of the porters, you’ll be setting up tents for the night. Tonight, enjoy a meal prepared by the porters and savour the first night of sleeping outdoors.
Accommodation: Camping (with basic facilities) (1 night)
Meals
- Breakfast
- Lunch
- Dinner
Included activities
- Fully catered trek including National Park entrance fees, climbing fee, tented camps & rescue services
- Mount Kilimanjaro – Porterage of 1 bag (9kg/20lb max)
- Mount Kilimanjaro – Return transfers from hotel to park gate
- Mount Kilimanjaro – Emergency oxygen and comprehensive first aid kits
- Moshi – Kilimanjaro Porters Assistance Project
Special information
Your travel time today will be approximately 1 hour. Your hiking time will be approximately 6 to 8 hours or 15 km. You will sleep on elevation of about 3000 m (9800 ft).
Intrepid is an official partner of IMEC’s Kilimanjaro Porters Assistance Project (KPAP). This means that all our climbs have been assessed and scored based on a number of criteria, all of which are designed to ensure the proper treatment of porters on the mountain.
Meals: B,D
Day 3:
Shira Camp
Your second day on the mountain takes you out of the rainforest and up a steep ridge into moor land. Watch as the vegetation grows sparser as you ascend along the path to the Shira Plateau – soon, several distinct species, including the giant groundsel and lobelia, will be the only plants dominating the harsh landscape. Spend the night camping on the edge of the plateau and be treated to a golden sunset over the snow-dusted peaks of Kibo.
Accommodation: Camping (with basic facilities) (1 night)
Meals
- Breakfast
- Lunch
- Dinner
Special information
Your hiking time will be approximately 5 to 7 hours or 12 km and you will sleep on elevation of about 3840 m (12600 ft).
Day 4:
Barranco Camp
YAfter breakfast today, enjoy a fantastic walk as you continue through the rolling landscape and deep river valleys, stopping for a packed lunch along the way. The undulating land here offers a great chance to acclimatise and as you ascend to the more rugged areas of the mountain, there are great views of the Kibo Massif and its scenic surroundings. Tonight, you’ll sleep at Barranco Camp.
Accommodation: Camping (with basic facilities) (1 night)
Meals
- Breakfast
- Lunch
- Dinner
Special information
Your hiking time will be approximately 5 to 7 hours or 12 km and you will sleep on elevation of about 3900 m (12800 ft).
Day 5:
Barafu Camp
Have breakfast together at Barranco Camp this morning, then begin today’s hike. From Karanga, head up to the intersection of the South Circuit and the Mweka route where you’ll start climbing up a ridge to Barafu Hut. Barafu is Swahili for ‘ice’ – as the name suggests, it can be very cold here at night! You should arrive at Barafu around lunchtime, allowing plenty of time to rest before the final summit attempt very early tomorrow morning.
Accommodation: Camping (with basic facilities) (1 night)
Meals
- Breakfast
- Lunch
- Dinner
Special information
Your hiking time will be approximately 7 hours or 10 km and you will sleep on elevation of about 4673m (15330 ft).
Day 6:
Uhuru Peak / Millennium
At around midnight, you’ll be woken by the guides with some hot tea and biscuits to give you energy before the long, difficult ascent up scree, and sometimes snow, to Stella Point (5780 m). Pass the giant Rebmann Glacier on the way, and hopefully arrive at Stella Point in time for sunrise and superb views of the crater and the glacier glistening in the morning sun. From Stella, it’s a further 1-hour hike along the rim of the crater to Uhuru Peak (5896 m) – the highest point in Africa! From the summit, take in unforgettable views of the crater, the ice fields and the vast East African plains below. After some photos and well deserved pats on the back, you’ll begin your descent. Back at Barafu Camp, enjoy a well-earned lunch and much thicker air. After, continue to Mweka Camp for the night for a well-deserved rest.
Accommodation: Camping (with basic facilities) (1 night)
Meals
- Breakfast
- Lunch
- Dinner
Special information
Your hiking time will be approximately 11 hours or 4 km with an elevation gain of about 1296m (4251 ft) to the summit. Total descent to Mweka camp is about 2800m (9190 ft),
Day 7:
Shira Moshi
Today, you’ll continue to descend the mountain, traversing alpine meadows and rainforest to the Mweka park gate. When you arrive, have some lunch after checking out of the park and then transport back to the hotel for a relaxing shower – a real treat after the physical exertions of the last few days! Tonight, gather with your trekking companions for dinner, sharing your experiences of the past six days on the mountain.
Accommodation: Hotel (1 night)
Meals
- Breakfast
- Lunch
- Dinner
Special information
Your hiking time will be approximately 4 hours or 10 km with an elevation loss of about 1430 m (4690 ft).
Day 8:
Moshi
With no activities or trekking planned for today, you’re free to depart at any time. Transfers to Kilimanjaro Airport or a shuttle to Nairobi can be arranged locally – please speak to your leader at your welcome meeting if you wish to organise this.
Meal: Breakfast
Pricing
Pricing Per Person From $5,245 AUD
We can also assist with international airfares, travel insurance and pre and post tour accommodation or trip extensions.
Inclusions
- Meals: 7 breakfasts, 6 lunches, 7 dinners
- Transport: Minibus
- Accommodation: Camping (with basic facilities) (5 nights), Hotel (2 nights)
- Activities
- Mount Kilimanjaro – Trek Briefing
- Mount Kilimanjaro – Complimentary equipment hire (sleeping bag and walking poles) – must be requested at time of booking
- Fully catered trek including National Park entrance fees, climbing fee, tented camps & rescue services
- Mount Kilimanjaro – Porterage of 1 bag (9kg/20lb max)
- Mount Kilimanjaro – Return transfers from hotel to park gate
- Mount Kilimanjaro – Emergency oxygen and comprehensive first aid kits
- Moshi – Kilimanjaro Porters Assistance Project
Overview
- Day 1: Moshi
- Day 2: Machame Camp
- Day 3: Shira Camp
- Day 4: Barranco Camp
- Day 5: Barafu Camp
- Day 6: Uhuru Peak / Millennium Camp or Mweka Camp
- Day 7: Moshi
- Day 8: Moshi
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