10-Days Hiking Kilimanjaro Safari

Your mountain guide will brief you and check your gear in the morning. In addition to camping gear, bring trekking boots and poles, gloves/mittens, a water bladder/bottle, neck gaiter/scarf, beanie/hat, and headlamp. You should also carry a medium-sized daypack with 25–35 liters. Sunscreen, sunglasses, food, water, valuables (passport, money, etc.), and extra windproof/waterproof clothing should be in it.

The six-day journey up Kilimanjaro's tallest volcanic cone, Kibo, will take you through five temperature zones. This mountain's weather varies. The summit's glaciers and snow are severely cold, but the lower slopes' forests are pleasant and humid. Anticipate heat, wind, and rain on this multi-day hike.

Kilimanjaro's routes aren't steep, but altitude sickness is a problem. Around 13,000 feet (4,000 m) must be gained in a few days to reach the top. So don't overdo it. To help you adapt, your guide will be present.

Relax after your prep. Consider a bike or coffee tour. Choose the latter if you like coffee. Then again, Africa's third-largest coffee grower, Tanzania exports this bean. This is a perfect chance to test this country's robusta and arabica roasts.

Following breakfast, drive inside Kilimanjaro National Park with your guide. As it passes picturesque mountain villages, this 45-minute drive is scenic. You can roam the park while waiting for your permits. Feel free to converse with other hiking groups waiting to start.

With permits, you'll be ready to hike. At 5,720 feet, Machame Gate is the starting point (1,740 m). The most popular of Kilimanjaro's seven hiking routes takes six days to complete. The vistas and ecology are great.

Nonetheless, the first day of trekking is easy. While you climb twisting trails, admire the rainforest splendor. As you go, your guide will explain exotic plants and animals. Mongooses, black-and-white colobus monkeys, and aardvarks are common. The trail is muddy and treacherous at lower elevations. Machame Camp, at 9,950 feet, is the hike's finish (3,050 m). Here you'll camp.

You will continue your ascent after a restful night's sleep and a substantial breakfast. Today, you'll ascend out of the forest and into a different ecosystem. As the temperature drops, the chill will become more intense. Shira Plateau, located about 8 miles (13 km) to the west of Kibo at an elevation of around 12,500 feet, offers breathtaking vistas from the rim (3,810 m). The Shira 2 Camp is where you'll spend the night.

Leave Shira 2 after breakfast and follow the trail higher into the Kilimanjaro Alpine Desert. The name of this biome comes from the fact that it is typically arid, stony, and devoid of vegetation. A path leading up from Lava Tower Camp (15,091 ft/4,600 m), where you'll have lunch, will lead you to your destination. The camp's namesake is a 290-foot monolith of eroded volcanic rock (90 m).

After departing from Lava Tower, you'll quickly come to a fork in the road that goes to the Arrow Glacier at an elevation of 15,944 feet (4,860 meters). After that, you can head down to Barranco Camp (at an elevation of 13,066 feet, or 3,983 meters) for the night.

The first step of today's journey is to traverse the valley floor of the expansive Barranco Valley, after which you will climb the Barranco Wall. You'll need to climb over a cliff that's 843 feet (257 m) high and protrudes from Kilimanjaro's edge. There is minimal need for sophisticated rock-climbing skills, although a fair amount of agility and strength is required.

The next stop on the trail is the Karanga Valley, reached via the South Circuit. You will be spending the night at Karanga Camp (13,250 feet/4,050 m), where you will have food and rest.

You will begin your ascent to Barafu Camp after breakfast. The Southern Circuit culminates at this point, which is located at an elevation of 15,330 feet (4,673 meters). Take into account the daily variations in altitude.

From here, you can see both Kibo and Mawenzi in all their majestic glory. You should get to know the area around camp before nightfall because it is perched on a ridge that provides little cover. Get as much sleep as you can, because you'll need to start the final push to the peak at around midnight.

Get up incredibly early, sometime between the hours of midnight and two in the morning. This last leg of the journey is the most taxing on your body and mind. A steep scree ascent leads you to Stella Point on the crater's edge. Located between the Rebmann and Ratzel glaciers, this is one of Kilimanjaro's three peaks at an altitude of 18,885 feet (5,756 meters). You'll stop here to soak in the trip's most breathtaking morning vistas.

From Stella Point, it's a further hour's ascent in steady snow to Uhuru Peak. It's a long way up, but after you reach Uhuru Peak, at 19,340 feet (5,895 meters), you'll be able to rest easy knowing you've conquered Kilimanjaro's highest peak. Don't forget your camera since you're about to visit Africa's highest viewpoint.

After taking in the breathtaking vistas, you'll start your trek down to Mweka Camp. This is the quickest way off the mountain, but you'll need gaiters and trekking poles to navigate the rocky, ashy ground. On the way back down, you'll stop in Barafu Camp for some food and rest. Mweka Camp (elevation: 10,039 ft / 3,060 m) is where you will spend your final night on the mountain, where you can get some much-needed shut-eye.

On the final day of the climb, after breakfast, you'll descend to Mweka Gate. At this time, you will have completed the round around Kilimanjaro National Park. Upon arrival, there will be some hoopla, and you'll be presented with a completion certificate to mark the occasion. After that, you'll get a ride back to Moshi and spend the night there.

Okay, so you made it to the top of the mountain and now you have some amazing experiences to look back on. It is time to say our goodbyes to Africa. The next morning after breakfast, your driver will take you to Arusha and the airport from where you may fly back home. Have a good trip!