A Mahiri African Tours representative will pick you up and greet you at the Kilimanjaro Airport on arrival. You will be transferred to your accommodations for the night in Moshi, where you will have a briefing about the trek and a review of your equipment and trekking gear.

After breakfast, you will be transported to Marangu gate, and after your guide finalizes registration you will start the trek through the dense tropical rainforest. In the rainforest, there is a good chance to see the black and white colobus monkeys swinging from the trees. After arrival at Mandara Hut you can decide to rest or trek to the Maundi Crater, where you can see Mawenzi Peak if it is a clear day, and then back trek back to Mandara Hut for dinner. This will be your accommodation for the night.

Elevation: approx 1,800m- 2,700m Hiking time: 4-5hrs
Hiking distance: 7km

Today you will trek to Horombo Hut. Once you set out on the trek you soon will leave the rainforest behind and be in the moorland zone. The landscape here is a rocky desert plain with giant heather trees. At Horombo Hut if weather permits you can have spectacular views of both Kibo and Mawenzi peaks. After arriving you can have a rest and lunch. We recommend doing a small acclimatization hike towards Kibo Hut, then back to Horombo Hut for dinner and the night.

Due to this route being short, participating in extra acclimatization hikes can be important to allow your body to acclimatize better to the significant altitude differences and increase your chances of summiting to Uhuru peak.

Elevation: approx. 2,700m - 3,720m Hiking time: 5-6hrs
Hiking distance: 11km

Today is a very important day to help you acclimatize to the elevation gains you have had, and by adding this extra day to your trek you will increase your chances of summiting Uhuru Peak safely and successfully.

Today we will start and end at Horombo Hut, will hike towards Mawenzi Peak passing the zebra rocks along the way. We will increase in elevation at Mawenzi Hut before descending back to Horombo Hut, and by doing so helps your body adjust to the significant attitude changes you have had. After hiking to Mawenzi Hut and back the rest of the day is spent relaxing and enjoying the views.

● If you plan on completing the trek in 5 days, this acclimatization day is omitted from the itinerary

Elevation: approx. 3,720m - 4,600m (Mawenzi Hut) - 3,720m Hiking time: 4-5 hrs
Hiking distance: 8km

The trek to Kibo Hut is not very difficult, but you must keep your pace slow as they say “pole pole”, doing this with help with your body's ability to acclimatize. As you increase in elevation you will notice the vegetation starts to diminish, and views of Mount Kilimanjaro summit can be seen. Kibo Hut is located at the bottom of the Kibo Crater wall. You will arrive at Kibo Hut in the afternoon, to rest and prepare. Shortly after dinner, you will sleep, as tonight at midnight you will start your midnight climb towards the summit.

Elevation: approx. 3,720m - 4,700m Hiking time: 6-8 hrs
Hiking distance: 10km

Today is your summit night, with a very early start to the day. The trek will start at about midnight as you walk towards the summit, making this your most difficult day on the mountain, Between the significant elevation gain to the summit and the significant descent after the summit. Although this route is considered to be the easiest of the three crater ascent paths, it is still extremely difficult, don't underestimate the trek.

The high altitude makes this a very challenging summit night. This will be your most difficult day, but your guides will be there to assist you along the way. The lack of oxygen the closer you get will be challenging to deal with and you will need to focus on your breathing. When walking along the crater rim towards Uhuru Peak you will be able to see the glaciers that cover Kibo up close. After reaching the summit, the amount of time spent here will depend on the weather and your health status at the current time.

You will then descend back down to Kibo Hut for lunch and a rest. After this, you will pack up your belongings and then continue your descent down to Horombo Hut. This hut is the final stop of the day, where you will then relax for the night and have a delicious dinner as you will be exhausted from the long day.

It is important that while you descend from the summit to go slowly and make sure you are watching your footing as you will get tired. The descent is commonplace for injuries to occur from falling and losing your footing if moving too fast.

Elevation: approx. 4,700m - 5,895m (Uhuru Peak) - 3,720m Hiking time: 11-12 hrs
Hiking distance: 16 kms

Today is your last day on the mountain. After breakfast, you will descend to Marangu gate. The same gate you started the trek on. You will walk through the beautiful forest before arriving at the gate. At the gate, if you were successful in submitting to Uhuru Peak you will receive your summit certificate. Your driver will be waiting for you here and will drive you back to your accommodations for the night.

Elevation: approx. 3,720m- 1800m Hiking time: 5-6 hrs
Hiking distance: 19 kms

Today we will have a driver take you to the airport for your departure flight. If you choose to continue on another tour after your climb we will take care of that for you to ensure it will be a seamless transition to your next tour.