The Northern Circuit Route is the newest and the longest route on the mountain.
Prices from
$1950
7 Days
Challenging
5,895m
Also known as the “whiskey route” due to its reputation as being more difficult than the oldest route Marangu. This route has some amazing scenic views along the way. On the 3rd day, the route will intersect with Lemosho and Umbwe routes. This route is the most used out of all of the routes, making it the busiest and most crowded route on the mountain. The views here can be worth the crowds trekking from the rainforest, through the unique giant heathers, and finishing in the arctic zone covered with snow and glaciers.
This route can be done in 6 or 7 days, but we always recommend the longer 7 days due to your ability to acclimatize better.
7 days on mountain (total 9)
1 person | 2400 |
2 persons | 2200 |
4 persons | 2050 |
6 persons | 1950 |
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.
We will drive from Moshi to Machame Gate, a short drive. Here your guides will finalize registration, and all the bags the porters will be carrying will be weighed. You will then begin your trek through the rainforest, here is a good chance to see the black and white colobus monkeys. Today you will have a picnic lunch while on the trek, at arrival at Machame Camp a warm dinner will welcome you. We camp at Machame camp for the night.
Elevation: approx 1,800m- 3,000m Distance: approx 9kms
Hiking Time: 6-7 hrs
Today you will leave the rainforest behind and trek into the heather and moorland regions. Here you can see views of Kibo. As you walk through the Shira plateau where the trail becomes easier as it flattens out, have lunch then continue to Shira camp where you will have dinner and spend the night.
Elevation: approx. 3,000m- 3,840m Distance: 6kms
Hiking Time: 4-6hrs
Today after breakfast we start the trek towards the lava tower with a unique lava plug that is 300m tall. The route just before getting to lava tower connects with the Lemosho route, which is
where you notice more crowds appear as the two trails intersect. Today's route will have a lot of ascents and descents on the trail.
You will come across the fascinating lava tower and will stop to have lunch here. This will allow you time to acclimatize better before descending to a lower elevation to Barranco Camp for the night. You will camp in between massive valley walls and Kibo, able to view the glaciers on the sides of Kibo.
Elevation: approx 3,840m - 4,640 m (lava tower) to 3,950m Distance: 11kms
Hiking Time: 6-7 hrs
The day will begin early with the trek up the famous Barranco Wall, where for a short time you will need to use your hands and feet to maneuver the wall. This makes for an interesting experience. After the wall, this is a great place to stop for some photos of Kibo before continuing towards Karanga Camp. This part of the trek has numerous ascents and descents along the way. After reaching the camp you can participate in a small acclimatization hike towards Barafu Camp if you are up for it.
Elevation: approx. 3,950 m to 4,040 m Distance: 5kms
Hiking Time: 4-5 hrs
Today you will trek to Barafu camp, which is the final camp and resting spot before a night summit to Uhuru Peak. Once at Barafu camp you can choose to hike towards Kosova Camp for acclimatization before descending back down to Barafu Camp for dinner and early night sleep. This will help your body acclimatize better for summit night. Tonight you will sleep right after dinner, as your summit attempt will start at midnight.
Elevation: approx. 4,040 m to 4,640 m Distance: 6kms
Hiking Time: 4-5 hrs
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.
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 Barafu Camp for lunch. and a quick rest. After this, you will pack up your belongings and then continue your descent down to Mweka Camp. This camp 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. 4640m - 5895 m (Uhuru peak) - 3,100m Distance: 18 kms
Hiking Time: 14 hrs
Today is your final day on the mountain, as you leave camp and head towards Mweka Gate. 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. 3,100m - 1,700m Distance: 9kms
Hiking Time: 3-4 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.










Contact us for all your Tanzania adventures, and our team about any questions regarding planning your Tanzanian trip. We are happy to discuss and tailor any adventure to your needs.