When you arrive at Kilimanjaro International Airport, a member of the Ihana safaris hospitality team will greet you. He’ll take you to Panama Garden Resort, where you’ll find everything you need for a relaxing stay after a long flight, including comfortable rooms with hot showers, a delicious restaurant, a friendly service team, and Internet access. At the appointed time, your briefing will take place, during which your guides will go over all the details of the upcoming trek. They’ll answer your questions and make sure you’re prepared for the journey. They will let you rent it if you don’t have everything you need.

Accommodation: Panama Garden Resort
Journey time and Distance: 1 hour’s drive, 40 km from Kilimanjaro International Airport to Moshi

After an early breakfast (07.00 hrs), you depart the hotel one hour later to arrive at the Londorosi Gate in time for your picnic lunch at around 11.00 hrs. You have a short drive from Londorosi to the start of today’s walk. Today’s walk is 7 kilometers (4 miles) long, with a walking time of 3.5 to 4 hours.

You begin at a height of 2,100 meters and end at a height of 2,650 meters. The Lemosho Route approaches Kilimanjaro from the west, and some claim that this provides the best views of the mountain. You might see some colobus or blue monkeys at the start of your walk, but encounters with buffalo, elephants, or leopards, while still possible, are rare nowadays. Your steady ascent is a wonderful experience, with beautiful forest and brightly colored flowers. Dinner is served at 19.30 hours at Mti Mkubwa Camp (‘Big Tree Camp’).

Accommodation: In tents at Mti Mkubwa Camp
Hiking time and elevation: 4 hours, from Starting Point (2,100 m) to Mti Mkubwa (2,650 m).

You’ll get used to the early breakfast (07.00 hrs), and your departure time is 08.00 hrs. Your walking distance has increased compared to yesterday. You’ll be walking from 2,650 meters to 3,850 meters today, and it’ll take you between 7.5 and 8 hours. As you ascend through the forest, you will notice how the vegetation changes gradually; the trees thin out and more shrubs appear. You’ll pass through Shira Ridge and see lobelias and Ericas. After about five hours of hiking, you’ll arrive at Shira 1 Camp for a hot lunch. This location offers spectacular views of Mt. Meru, the sister mountain, and the Rift Valley below. The afternoon stretch will take about three hours and gain you 240 meters of elevation. Even so, the landscape changes as you pass through an area that was once molten lava. You should be close to Shira 2 Camp because strange plants dot the landscape—giant senecios. This is where you’ll be spending the night. If the weather permits, you should visit the summit, which offers a spectacular sunset view.

Accommodation: In tents at Shira 2 Camp
Hiking time and elevation: 7.5–8 hours’ walking, from Mti Mkubwa at 2,650 m to Shira 2 Camp at 3,850 m.

Today you’ll wake up at 7:00 a.m. for breakfast, in preparation for an 08.30 a.m. departure. You have about 10 km/6 miles to cover, but even though you’ll end the day only 50 meters higher than you started, you’ll have to climb to the foot of the Lava Tower (4,600 meters) before descending to Baranco Camp (3,900 meters) for the night.

You can expect to walk for about 6.5 to 7 hours total, after which you will leave the Shira Ridge. The Lemosho Route connects to the more popular Machame Trail, making it even busier! The landscape today is predominantly Alpine desert. Your picnic lunch will be served at 13.00 hours, followed by your arrival at Baranco around 16.00 hours and dinner around 19.00 hours.

Accommodation: In tents at Baranco Camp
Hiking time and elevation: 6.5–7 hours’ walking, from Shira 2 Camp at 3,850 m to Baranco Camp at 3,900 m.

Breakfast will be served slightly later (07.30 hrs), and you will depart camp at 08.30 hrs. Despite the fact that today’s walk is only 4 km/2 miles long, it will take between 3.5 and 4 hours to complete. When you reach Karanga, 3,995 meters, you’ll stop for a cooked lunch around 13.00 hours and have the afternoon to enjoy the views before dinner at 18.00 hours.

The hardest part of today’s stage is scrambling up the near-vertical face of the Baranco Wall (also known as the “Breakfast Wall” because you tackle it right after breakfast!). You will be rewarded with views of the Heim Glacier at the summit of this climb. The rest of today’s walk becomes a little easier after that, as you descend to the gully below and then into the cold but beautiful Karanga Valley. After that, you continue up a steep series of zig-zags until you reach the Karanga Camp at 3,995 meters. Today’s total altitude gain is only 95 meters.

Accommodation: in tents at Karanga Camp
Hiking time and elevation: 3.5–4 hours’ walking, from Baranco Camp at 3,900 m to Karanga Camp at 3,995 m.

Another short-distance day begins with breakfast at the camp at 07.30 a.m. and another departure at 08.30 a.m. Today you’ll gain about 670 meters over a distance of about 5 kilometers (3 miles), with a walking time of between 3.5 and 4 hours.

By 13.00 hrs, you should be at the Barafu Camp at 4,673 meters, where you will be rewarded with a cooked lunch. (With tomorrow’s summit day approaching, it will be critical to unwind and prepare for the arduous task ahead.) Dinner will be served at 17.30 hrs tonight, giving you plenty of time to get ready for bed. The stage climbs steadily after leaving Karanga, passing through a barren, rocky landscape with the Decken and Kersten glaciers visible to your left. As you descend into a valley at the top of the climb, the landscape remains desolate until you see Rebmann, another glacier. The Barafu Camp, which you reach after a short, steep scramble and a walk, is at the end of this valley.

Accommodation: In Tents At Barafu Camp
Hiking time and elevation: 3.5–4 hours’ walking, from Karanga Camp at 3,995 m to Barafu Camp at 4,673 m.

Today is the most difficult day, but it will hopefully end with a sense of accomplishment as you reach your goal – the summit of Kilimanjaro! Your “Summit Day” schedule will be drastically different from the rest of your mountain days. You have your tea and biscuits (23.30hrs) before a midnight departure at 23.00hrs.

The day begins with a long, difficult climb from Barafu at 4,673 meters to Stella Point at 5,756 meters; you will be walking on scree for part of the way, making the trek more difficult. There is still a 139-meter climb and 45-minute walk to the summit from Stella Point. Your objective is to reach the summit by 07.00 hrs. Then celebrate your achievement, snap some photos, and take in this once-in-a-lifetime experience. You return to Barafu (4,673 meters) after summiting (5,895 meters), rest for a few hours, eat brunch, and then leave at 13.30 hrs to continue descending to Mweka Camp (3,100 meters), where you spend the night. You should plan on arriving at 17.00 hrs and eating dinner at 19.00 hrs. (Today, you walk about 11–14 hours and cover about 17 km (10 miles)—it’s tough going, but hopefully you’ll reach your goal!)

Accommodation: In tents at Mweka Camp
Hiking time and elevation: 11–14 hours’ walking, from 4,673 m at Barafu Camp to the summit at 5,895 m, then down to 3,100 m at Mweka Camp.

Breakfast will be served at 7:00 a.m., and you will have the opportunity to reward your trekking team at the ‘Tipping Celebration’ at 8:00 a.m.

Despite the fact that you still have 10 kilometers/miles to walk, you start at a leisurely 09.00 hrs and descend to the Mweka Gate, which is located at an altitude of 1,640 meters. At midday, you will be served a cooked lunch and presented with your well-deserved certificate. Your transportation will be waiting to transport you back to your hotel in Moshi, where you can choose to relax or celebrate if you still have energy!

Accommodation: Panama Garden Resort
Hiking time and elevation: 3 hours’ walking, from Mweka Camp to Mweka Gate, descending from 3,100 m to 1,640 m, then returning by vehicle from Mweka Gate to your hotel, 0.8 hours’ drive.

After a good night’s sleep in your hotel, you’ll have breakfast ready for your 11 a.m. check-out. (If you want to stay in the hotel during the day, let us know when you book your trip and we’ll give you a quote for a ‘day room,’ which allows you to stay until 18:00 hrs., and then make the reservation for you.)

Because this package includes an airport transfer, you will be picked up from your hotel and dropped off at the airport. Our Ihana safaris guide will meet you in the late afternoon to provide you with a briefing for those who have booked to go on safari.