Day 1:

Arrive at the Kilimanjaro International Airport or alternative airport. You will be met at the airport and transferred to the Hotel in Moshi for your overnight, Dinner, and Breakfast.

Day 2:

Your day starts early in the morning with a briefing from your guide after breakfast. Drive for 45 minutes to Machame village. Depending on the conditions of the road, it is possible to drive from the village to the Machame gate but if is not, the muddy 3 km walk will take about 1 hour to complete.  After registering at the gate office you can start your ascent and enter the rainforest. You will be provided with the lunch pack, bottled drink water at the gate brought from the hotel in Moshi. There is the possibility of rain in the forest which will transform the trail into a very soggy, muddy, and slippery experience.  In the evening the porters will prepare dinner before having a rest in your tent overnight. Night temperature might be already dropped to freezing point at Machame campsite.

Day 3:

Wake up early at Machame camp and after breakfast, you will climb an hour to the top of the forest and then for 2 hours at a gentler gradient through the moorland zone. After a short lunch and rest, you continue up a rocky ridge onto the Shira plateau. By now you will be able to see an easterly direction, the Western Breach with its stunning glaciers.  You are now due west of Kibo and after a short hike, you will reach the Shira campsite at 3 840m. The porters will prepare dinner, boil drinking and washing water, before serving dinner. The night at this exposed camp will even be colder than the previous night, with temperatures dropping to well below freezing.

Day 4:

The route now turns east into a semi-desert and rocky landscape surrounding Lava Tower, where you reach an altitude of 4630m after about a 5 hours walk. Lunch is served in a designated area before ascending the rocky scree path to Lava Tower (4630m). Definitely the toughest day so far.  It is normally at this point, where for the first time, some climbers will start to feel symptoms of breathlessness, irritability, and headaches. After lunch, you descent again by almost 680m to the Barranco camping area and after reaching the high altitude of 4600m at Lava Tower, the true acclimatization benefit of this day becomes clear.  This descent to Barranco camp takes about 2 hours and offers great opportunities to take some beautiful photographs of the Western Breach and Breach Wall. The camp is situated in a valley below the Breach and Great Barranco Wall, which should provide you with a memorable sunset while you wait for the preparation of your dinner and overnight at Barranco Campsite.

Day 5:

Totally exposed to the ever-present gales the tents are pitched on a narrow, stony, and dangerous ridge. Make sure that you familiarize yourself with the terrain before dark to avoid any accidents. The summit is now a further 1345m up and you will make the final ascent the same night. Prepare your equipment, ski stick, and thermal clothing for your summit attempt. This should include the replacement of your headlamp and camera batteries and make sure you have a spare set available as well.  To prevent freezing it will be wise to carry your water in a thermal flask. You will have your rest at around 1900hrs and try to get some precious rest and sleep for not more than 5 hours.

Day 6: SUMMIT/DESCENT ATTEMPT

You will wake up early and after some tea and biscuits you shuffle off into the night. Heading in a northwesterly direction and ascend through heavy scree towards Stella Point on the crater rim. This 6-hour walk to Stella point is for many climbers, mentally and physically the most challenging on the route.  At Stella Point (5685m) you will stop for a short rest and will be rewarded with the most magnificent sunrise you are ever likely to see (weather permitting). From Stella Point, you will encounter snow all the way on your 2-hour ascent to Uhuru Peak. The time you will spend on the summit will depend on the weather conditions. Do not stop here for too long, as it will be extremely difficult to start again due to cold and fatigue.  Enjoy your accomplishment and a day to remember for the rest of your life. The walk back to Barafu from the summit takes about 3 hours. Here you will have a well earned but short rest and collect the rest of your gear, before heading down to Mweka Camp (3100m) for Dinner and Overnight. After breakfast, from the Mweka Gate, you will continue down into the Mweka village, normally a muddy and long hour walk. In the Mweka village, you now drive back to Moshi for a long overdue hot shower, Overnight in the hotel.