Umbwe Route

You'll be picked up at Kilimanjaro International Airport and transferred to your hotel in Arusha. I'll meet you there to brief you on the days ahead and check your gear, anything missing can be rented on the spot.

Elevation

1,600m → 2,900m

Distance

11km / 6.8mi

Hiking Time

6 hours

Habitat

Rainforest

We'll register at Umbwe Park Gate before setting off. The trail here is narrow and direct, winding steadily upward through rainforest and along the Umbwe River, with none of the gentler traversing you'd find on other routes. Camp for the night is at Umbwe Cave, at just under 2,900 meters.

Elevation

2,900m → 3,950m

Distance

6km / 3.7mi

Hiking Time

4-5 hours

Habitat

Rainforest

The forest thins out and ends not long after we leave camp, opening views of the sheer Western Breach as it appears and disappears through the afternoon mist rolling up the Great Barranco. We camp at Barranco Camp tonight.

Elevation

3,950m → 3,995m

Distance

5km / 3mi

Hiking Time

4-5 hours

Habitat

Alpine desert

We start by descending into a ravine at the base of the Great Barranco Wall, then climb the wall itself: a steep but non-technical scramble of almost 900 feet. From the top, the trail crosses a series of hills and valleys before dropping into Karanga Valley and climbing again to Karanga Camp. It's a shorter day, built deliberately for acclimatization.

Elevation

3,995m → 4,600m

Distance

4km / 2mi

Hiking Time

4-5 hours

Habitat

Alpine desert

We leave Karanga and join the junction with the Mweka Trail, then continue up a rocky section to Barafu Camp. Reaching Barafu means you've completed the Southern Circuit, with views of the summit from several angles, and of Mawenzi and Kibo's twin peaks. We make camp early, rest, and eat dinner ahead of summit night.

Elevation

4,600m → 5,895m → 3,100m

Distance

7km up / 23km down

Hiking Time

~8 hrs up, 7-8 hrs down

Habitat

Scree & summit ice

You'll be woken at 11:30pm for tea and biscuits before setting off between the Rebmann and Ratzel Glaciers, heading north-west up heavy scree toward Stella Point on the crater rim, the most physically and mentally demanding stretch of the climb. At Stella Point (5,732m) we pause briefly, ideally in time for sunrise, before the final push to Uhuru Peak, the highest point in Africa. It's bitterly cold at the top and surprisingly warm by the time you're back down. From the summit we descend all the way to Mweka Camp, stopping at Barafu for lunch; trekking poles help on the loose gravel underfoot.

Elevation

3,100m → 1,800m

Distance

10km / 6.2mi

Hiking Time

3-4 hours

Habitat

Rainforest

After breakfast we descend to Mweka Park Gate, where you'll receive your summit certificate. The lower slopes can be wet and muddy, so gaiters and trekking poles are worth having ready, though shorts and a t-shirt are usually fine once you're low enough; just keep rain gear within reach.

After a final night's rest, your transfer will take you to Kilimanjaro International Airport for your flight home. If you'd like to extend into a safari or a few days in Zanzibar, let me know in advance and I'll help arrange it.