• Day 1

  Arusha mandara hut

  This morning you drive about 2 hours through Kilimanjaros semi-tropical foothills to Marangu 1372m situated on the south-eastern side of the mountain. As you drive there are usually some excellent views of the snow-capped peak. From the cluster of buildings at the gate it is some four to five hours walk through patches of coffee plantation and dense rainforest to mandara hut.

  The forest teems with brightly coloured bird life colobus and other varieties of monkey. The flora includes numerous mosses lichens and flowers as well as delicate orchids.Mandara Hut is a collection of basic, A-frame mountain huts with bunk beds – quite adequate for your needs – where you inevitably meet up with fellow trekkers who are bent on the same goal.Overnight stay mandara Hut night brekfast, Lunch and dinner.

• Day 2

  Mandara to horombo

  Your second day on the mountain Start with a steep climb through the last swathe of rainforest, though this soon gives way to rolling alpine meadow dotted with giant heather. Once you leave the forest canopy, Kilimanjaro’s twin peaks – snowcovered Kibo and rocky Mawenzi – lie directly ahead, dominating the skyline.

  Further on you cross a zone of open heath with stunted vegetation, before emerging onto bleak moorland. Today you gain roughly 1,000m in altitude, and your walk can take anything from five to seven hours – depending on your pace. Tonight you stay at Horombo Huts – another collection of buildings similar in style to those at Mandara – which offer shelter and basic accommodation to those on the mountain.Overnight stay at Horombo Hut (Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner).

• Day 3

  Horombo hut

  A day here provides an opportunity for you to acclimatise gradually to the altitude. Statistics show that an acclimatisation day like this effectively doubles the chance of making it to the summit, so this time is well spent!

  The day is not exactly wasted as there are a few walks you can make in the vicinity of the hut – the most popular of which is to the base of Mawenzi Peak, the dramatic eastern summit of Kili. This walk takes four to five hours (round trip), and will get you to an altitude of 4,600m before you return to the hut – this will stand you in good stead later on.Overnight stay at Horombo Hut (Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner).

• Day 4

  Horombo to kibo hut

  The landscape becomes progressively more rocky and rugged as you leave the everlasting flowers and other bizarre alpine plants behind. Giant groundsels and lobelias appear in the sparse moorland. Today’s trail up to kibo will again take anything between five and seven hours skirting Mawenzi peak you pass last water then cross a stark, almost lunar landscape onto the saddle a broad tundra desert between the two peaks of mawenzi and kibo.

  From here you start to get fantastic views of the upper reaches of the mountain before arriving at kibo hut 4705m a dry stone walled hut with dormitories and limited facilities. Tonight you prepare for tomorrow final assault the summit.

  An early night is imperative as you must make a midnight start in order to reach the summit in the morning before the cloud cover settles and then have time to get back down to the hut Overnight stay at kibo hut for night breakfast, lunch and dinner.

• Day 5

  Kibo to Uhuru peak

  This is a long and demanding day the guides wake you soon after midnight and you start out in darkness zigzagging up a long scree slope by the light of your torch in the extreme cold. At this time of day the scree is still frozen which makes it easier to walk on after roughly two hours you should reach Hans Meyers Cave. The gradient gets steeper and three hours on you should reach the crater rim at Johannes Notch. From here it’s a short scramble to Gillmans point 5,685m in time for dawn.

  Your reward is the dramatic spectacle of the sun rising over the ice fields and craggy peaks of Mawenzi the profusion of colors and shapes make all the suffering seem worthwhile! For those who still have the energy and drive, it takes another couple of hours along the crater rim to reach Uhuru freedom Peak 5896m. Your descent approx 3 hours retraces the route back down past kibo hut to horombo Hut for a well deserved rest.

• Day 6

  Horombo to arusha

  The pace quickens as you continue your triumphant way back down across alpine meadow and past Mandara Hut through the rainforest to Marangu Gate where you board the vehicle for the journey back to Arusha. Breakfast and Lunch are included in this day.

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