When you land at the Kilimanjaro International Airport (JRO), the trip towards Kilimanjaro starts. After you have completed the immigration check and picked up your bags, one of our professional guides will be positioned to assist you in the arrivals area. As is our prerogative, we have arranged for you to have the most comfortable experience possible, and as such, we will escort you to a private vehicle, which will take you to your hotel in Arusha. Apart from the hotel transfer, there are no planned activities. This way, you will be able to check into your room with ease and recover from the long flight.

Activities: Airport reception, direct private transfer to Arusha.
Accommodation: Hotel in Arusha.
Meals: Dinner.

After breakfast, we will briefly divide and head to individual meeting points, where you will enjoy a comprehensive and private hour-long briefing with the head guide. He will tackle every critical area with you: safety and health alti-protocols, each day’s trek plan, proper management during the brief illness, and day by day, the Rongai Route itself. Then the guide will do a comprehensive gear check, and if you need to rent certain pieces to complete the set, the guide will assist you. The rest of the day is for you to rest and prepare. This day is symbolic of our dedication to your safety and success.

Activities: In-depth trek briefing, full equipment check, and relaxation.
Accommodation: Hotel in Arusha.
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner.

Day 3 begins with breakfast, after which you will go on a 3 to 4-hour drive from Arusha to the Rongai Gate, which is in the Rongai direction, compass northeast. After registration, the first trail is a wide path that crosses villages of maize and farming potatoes, then moves into a pine forest. During the climb, which is gentle, you can encounter many kinds of wildlife, such as the black and white colobus monkey. During the first segment of the trip, specific aspects of the hike will correlate with the ease and nature of the terrain, adjusting the tracker to the pace or 'rhythm' of the walk. Around Simba Camp, which you will reach in the late afternoon, you have a potential view of the plains in Kenya that are located below you.

Hiking Time: 3-4 hours.
Distance: 7 km / 4 miles.
Altitude Gain: 630m / 2,067ft.
Zone: Rainforest / Moorland.
Accommodation: Tents at Simba Camp.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner.

Today, as you walk upwards, there’s a gradual ascent that starts to shed the last portions of the forest and hops straight into the heath and moorland zone. You’re still remembering the lunch you had previously, you can see ‘Second Cave’ as you trek across open grounds with a sprinkling of ‘giant’ heather. The higher you go, the more the horizon expands. To the left, the sharp ‘Mawenzi’ Peaks can be seen, and behind, you will see the distant endlessness of the Kenyan plains. As you go on the path, you will Kikelewa Camp, nestled in a scenic ‘sheltered’ valley by the Kikelewa River. The Kikelewa Camp offers a spectacular view that shields the area from winds, so it is a perfect camp to spend the night.

Hiking Time: 6-7 hours.
Distance: 12 km / 7.5 miles.
Altitude Gain: 1,053m / 3,455ft.
Zone: Moorland.
Accommodation: Tents at Kikelewa Camp.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner.

With that in mind, the day starts easily; however, it is also short and steep, as well as being one of the most important days for acclimatization. If you follow the trail, you will leave the valley and ascend a grassy hill, where you will be rewarded with breathtaking, open views of the region. The area shifts to the edge of the alpine climate, where there are resilient grasses and rocky outcrops. Your goal for the day is Mawenzi Tarn camp, laid in a majestically stunning cirque directly below the rise of sharp, jagged spires of Mawenzi Peak. Caught off guard, you will reach there well in time for lunch. In the following hours, you will either rest, as many do, or undertake a short acclimatization walk, where you will go to a higher altitude to speed up the acclimatization processes for your body.

Hiking Time: 3-4 hours.
Distance: 4 km / 2.5 miles.
Altitude Gain: 624m / 2,047ft.
Zone: Low Alpine Zone.
Accommodation: Tents at Mawenzi Tarn.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner.

Enjoy breakfast and then depart Mawenzi Tarn for the majestic and stark Saddle, which is an alpine desert. This lifeless and lunar-like expanse is situated between the peaks of Mawenzi and Kibo. Although there is an elevation in the altitude, the climb is enduring and gentle. This segment offers glorious and expansive views of the mountain. After trekking for four to five hours, Kibo Hut, which is also the base camp for the summit, will be reached. In preparation for the brutal and treacherous night that follows, the rest of the afternoon will be spent in rest, hydration, and an early dinner in Kibo Hut.

Hiking Time: 4-5 hours.
Distance: 9 km / 5.5 miles.
Altitude Gain: 397m / 1,302ft.
Zone: Alpine Desert.
Accommodation: Tents at Kibo Hut.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner.

You will start the summit attempt at 12 am. You will have a light snack and then go straight up the Kibo crater wall and the slope that's steep. This, during this entire trek, is the most mentally and physically challenging part. This is where the temperature is the most cold, and it is dark. You can reach Gilman's point (5,685m) and have a sight awaiting you at Mawenzi and Gilman's point. You will slowly trek for 5-7 hours. Then, trek for 1-2 hours and you will reach the Uhuru point (5,895m), the topmost point, and the true summit, which is snow-covered. For the Uhuru Peak, the trek is much easier. You will enjoy the amazing acachievementNow, you will head back for the long descent to Kibo Hut for a short rest. Then, you will go back to Horombo Huts for the night, and the rest on the Marangu Route.

Hiking Time: 11-15 hours.
Distance: 22 km / 13.5 miles (6 km ascent, 16 km descent).
Altitude Gain/Loss: +1,195m ascent, -2,175m descent.
Zone: Arctic (Summit) and Alpine Desert.
Accommodation: Tents at Horombo Huts.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner.

Your last day climbing the mountain begins with breakfast, followed by the Marangu trail and a gathering with the crew for a short ceremony. The 5-6 hour walk leads down the mountain through the striped heath and moors, and eventually down into the bushy rainforest. At Marangu Gate, you will sign out and mark the end of the day by being awarded the climbing certificate. At the end of the day, you will be transported to a hotel in Arusha with a sprinkler and dinner waiting.

Hiking Time: 5-6 hours.
Distance: 20 km / 12.5 miles.
Altitude Loss: 1,860m / 6,102ft.
Zone: Moorland and Rainforest.
Accommodation: Hotel in Arusha.
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner.