Duration
10 Days
Trip season
High Season
Safari Type
Mid-Range
Meal Plan
Full Board
Tour Overview
Tour Overview
This expedition, lasting eight days, is an incredible mountaineering feat on the Umbwe Route. As the hardest, fastest, and most vertical route on Mount Kilimanjaro, this is also the most challenging. This is not a simple walk, and is instead an undertaking reserved for the most skilled and perfectly fit climbers, due to the sharp changes in altitude and gaining altitude right after. The Umbwe Route is known for its rugged steepness, beginning with a steep hands-on ascent ordeal in the dense and abundant rainforest, then with a moorland and heath zone. This itinerary includes the Umbwe ascent for both the challenge and the most potential for success. The southern route converges with the main Southern Circle trail in Barranco Camp. Follows the acclimatization and altitude route to the summit, sleeping low and climbing high. Route attempts to evade, with the Western Breach being more aggressive and complex. The main guide is the most senior and certified. This is an expedition requiring both spirit and endurance, and for the small number that can manage to do this, extraordinary solitude and fulfillment.
Why This Itinerary
This itinerary takes a scholarly and prudent approach to tackle what is arguably the most difficult route on the mountain. We do not hide the astonishing difficulty of the Umbwe Route and have designed this package to put your well-being and safety first. While other companies may encourage more reckless options, we strategically choose to use the steep, Umbwe adventurous ascent of the Umbwe trail for the first two days and the Southern Circuit for superior acclimatization and safety. This is a well-grounded, experienced understanding of the mountain. This 8-day package with a 6-day trek is the minimum attempt in which this route should be taken, with all responsibility. The two specially designed pre-trek days in Arusha are a requisite for any expedition of this nature. They are designed to counter the painstaking rest to facilitate recovery, as well as a briefing session with your guide for them to get a specialist understanding of your expectations. We have removed all acclimatization days on the route from Barranco to Karanga and on to Barafu so that the body is able to recover from the brutal climb. This route is designed for the serious mountaineer. This mountain is no place for a novice.
Included / Excluded
- • Airport transfers to and from Kilimanjaro International Airport (JRO).
- • Three nights of hotel accommodation in Arusha (two before and one after the trek).
- • All Kilimanjaro National Park entry, camping, and rescue fees.
- • Certified, professional, English-speaking specialist mountain guides with advanced wilderness first aid training.
- • A dedicated team of porters and a professional cook.
- • All meals on the mountain (breakfast, lunch, and dinner).
- • Purified drinking water throughout the trek.
- • High-quality four-season mountain tents and sleeping mats.
- • All shared camping equipment (dining tent, tables, chairs).
- • Safety equipment, including emergency oxygen cylinders, a pulse oximeter, and a comprehensive first-aid kit.
- • All ground transfers as per the itinerary.
- • International and domestic airfare.
- • Tanzanian visa fees.
- • Comprehensive travel and medical insurance (with high-altitude trekking coverage mandatory).
- • Personal trekking and climbing gear (sleeping bag, boots, specialized clothing, etc. - can be rented).
- • Tips for the guiding crew (guides, porters, and cook).
- • Lunches, dinners, and drinks at the hotel in Arusha.
- • Personal expenses (souvenirs, alcoholic beverages, etc.).
Day Trip
Your Kilimanjaro journey begins at the Kilimanjaro International Airport (JRO) the moment you arrive. Our professional guides will be waiting for you at the arrivals hall after you finish immigration and pick up your bags. You've got the rest of the day planned as you go along. Step into a private vehicle and head towards your hotel in Arusha. There are no scheduled activities for the day. This ensures that you will recover as much as possible after your international journey.
Activities: Airport reception, direct private transfer to Arusha.
Accommodation: Hotel in Arusha.
Meals: Dinner.
This part of the trip is very important, and the day's activities prepare you for the climb. After breakfast, you will participate in an extensive private briefing with the lead guide for the climb. All of the steps duration of the altitude plan will be reviewed in detail, including health management for rapid altitude gain and safety procedures about the Umbwe Route. After the talk, the guide will check and make sure that the rest of the equipment is in suitable condition to be used for the rest of the day. You will rest and prepare mentally for the rest of the day. Given the complexity of the task, these steps are appropriate for the level of professional consideration that is needed.
Activities: In-depth trek briefing, full equipment check, and relaxation.
Accommodation: Hotel in Arusha.
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner.
After having an early breakfast, you will be transferred from Arusha to the Umbwe Gate. After the registration, your trek begins. The trail is daunting, with the difficulty inherent in the exceptional. You will ascend sharply along a narrow, twisting path that the dense, misty rainforest tightly grips. The path is frequently slick and clings to the narrow spine and apex of a steeply rising pine-covered ridge. In many portions of the route, you are literally pulling using your hands and arms, negotiating a maze of clambering tree roots. It is a very tiring climb, that is steep and has no breaks for approximately 5-6 hours. By the end of the day, you will make it to the Umbwe Cave Camp, where you will rest after a long day of walking, all the while having already gained considerable altitude.
Hiking Time: 5-6 hours.
Distance: 11 km / 7 miles.
Altitude Gain: 1,340m / 4,396ft.
Zone: Rainforest.
Accommodation: Tents at Umbwe Cave Camp.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner.
The second day involves exercises that continue to test your endurance. By the second day, you will have left the camp, crossed the rainforest, and now are in the heath and moorland zone. You will still be following the Umbwe ridge. As you continue, the vegetation will become thinner. You will get to see the amazing southern glaciers and the Great Barranco Valley. The path is tough and steep, so be prepared. After 4-5 hours of hiking, the ridge will flatten, and you will be at Barranco Camp. Here, you will join the Southern Circuit trail. The worst part of your ascent is now over.
Hiking Time: 4-5 hours.
Distance: 6 km / 4 miles.
Altitude Gain: 1,020m / 3,346ft.
Zone: Moorland.
Accommodation: Tents at Barranco Camp.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner.
With all the effort that has gone into the first two days, today has to be much easier. The day starts with the exciting climb, which is the Great Barranco Wall. It’s a climb that is non-technical but a lot of fun, and your guides will make sure that you are safe while they lead you. Getting to the top affords breathtaking views. The rest of the day consists of going over a series of scenic ridges and valleys, which is fondly termed the ‘roller coaster’ and comes with uninterrupted views of Kibo’s southern glaciers. You drop into Karanga Valley and then go back up to Karanga Camp in time for a steaming lunch and a peaceful afternoon afterwards.
Hiking Time: 3-4 hours.
Distance: 5 km / 3 miles.
Altitude Gain: 75m / 246ft.
Zone: Alpine Desert.
Accommodation: Tents at Karanga Camp.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner.
On today's trek, you will complete the southern circuit to the summit base camp. This trek is relatively easy, but it does involve some elevation gain. Much of the scenery is a w impling, almost lifeless, alpine desert, but there are some redeeming features. This 4,500 stretching kilometers trek connects to the mwake descent trail and then up a rocky ridge to Barafu Camp. You will have neared the stark and windy Barafu Camp by the early afternoon. While you are trekking the last bit of the way, you will notice the wind conditions for the first time and probably begin to inhale. After the trek, you are to hydrate, rest, and even meditate to prepare for a sleep cycle. You are to wear your summit gear for a quick summit dinner, then try to sleep to prepare for a goal attempt. The rest of the day, you are not suited to and will be like the wind, like blurring around.
Hiking Time: 3-4 hours.
Distance: 4 km / 2.5 miles.
Altitude Gain: 605m / 1,985ft.
Zone: Alpine Desert.
Accommodation: Tents at Barafu Camp.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner.
Around midnight, the attempt on the peak begins. After countless tests to furnish the herd, unused to crossing the cold, loose rock, steeply wouldn’t be the most demanding part. Saying that, the first 5 and a half hours of crossing a meteor that has been named Kibo and subsequent “rinches” might be one hell of a trek. Stella Point up on the north rim, which we will be crossing when the sun comes up, is what I'm crossing. Reaching Uhuru Peak, the most “bright” of the breakfasts, is an uphill and the last leg of a 561b. After enjoying such an award-winning breakfast, followed by several heavy layers of beaten Barafu, there will be no coffee rest. This final stop, on the mountain in the upper for rest, is on the way to Mweka Camp
Hiking Time: 11-15 hours.
Distance: 17 km / 10.5 miles (5 km ascent, 12 km descent).
Altitude Gain/Loss: +1,255m ascent, -2,795m descent.
Zone: Arctic (Summit) and Rainforest.
Accommodation: Tents at Mweka Camp.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner.
On this last morning of climbing, you eat an early breakfast, and you have a last meeting with your staff who have been climbing with you. After this meeting, you will take the last step of the journey. This last step comprises a 3 to 4-hour easy walk through a rain forest to Mweka Gate. After finishing your walk, you will have to register, leave the park, and collect your climbing certificate. Your private car will help you travel to your hotel in Arusha, where you can take a shower, enjoy some relaxing time, and sleep to your heart's Content.
Hiking Time: 3-4 hours.
Distance: 10 km / 6 miles.
Altitude Loss: 1,460m / 4,790ft.
Zone: Rainforest.
Accommodation: Hotel in Arusha.
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner.
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