Our staff will meet you at the airport to pick up you. Our staff will have the gift for you as the sign of welcoming you to Tanzania.

After arriving at the hotel, we welcome you with soft drinks such as juice. Our expert team will arrange a briefing for our Kilimanjaro trekking in preparation for our time on the mountain as the Lemosho route is considered one of the most scenic trail on the Kilimanjaro, granting panoramic vistas on almost all sides of the mountain.

Activities

• Transfers

Accommodation

Accommodation at Graceland Hotel

The Lemosho Route departs from the far West side of Mount Kilimanjaro. Getting to Londorossi Gate (2,100 meters) takes approximately 2 hours from Moshi and longer from Arusha. At the gate you will register with the Kilimanjaro National Park authorities before getting back into vehicles to be transported to the starting point which is a further 12km from Londorossi. During the wet season the track can be very inaccessible to vehicles and you may need to walk the last few miles to the starting point. Most tour operators provide lunch at this point before starting the short trek to MtiMkubwa Camp (2,820 meters). Spotting large wildlife like elephant and buffalo is possible on this stretch of the mountain and you will likely be accompanied by an armed guide in case one of the big five gets too close for comfort! Dinner will be served when you reach MtiMkubwa Camp.

Activities

• Dinner
• Hike

Accommodation

MtiMkubwa Camp

Up early 6am for 7am breakfast and trekking by 8am this will be the same routine most days on our trek. You will continue through this beautiful part of the rain forest, which is more interesting than any other part of Kilimanjaro’s rain forest. At 3,000m/ 10,000 feet you exit the dense rain forest and treated to some amazing views out across the western side of Kilimanjaro. After a nice hot lunch we head straight up to the rim of the Shira Plateau and drop down to Shira camp 1 3,500m/ 11,483 feet on the unique Shira Plateau. This will take 6 hours with plenty of breaks and 3 course Lunch along the way. 4.9 miles/ 7.9km. Elevation gain of 700m/ 2,296 feet

Activities

• Lunch
• Hike

Accommodation

Shira camp 1

Day four starts with a gradual hike through the final stretch of the rainforest zone and then gets steeper as you approach the low alpine moorland zone You will get up at 6am for 7am breakfast and start trekking at 8am. Today is an easier day. We move from Shira camp 1 camp to Shira camp 2 3,850m/ 12,631 feet, this is an easier hike and this day gives great acclimatization, you might be feeling the altitude from Shira camp 1 but with this extra night at Shira camp 2 this will help your acclimatization. This trek takes 4 hours. 4.3 miles/ 6.9km. Total elevation gain today will be 500m/ 1,640 feet. We hike across the Shira Plateau to camp. After lunch we do a short acclimatization hike up to 4,000m/ 13,123 feet.

Accommodation

Shira camp 2

Day five is a long and tough trek East off the Shira Plateau through the ‘Garden of the Senecios’, up to Lava Tower and the Shark’s Tooth rock formation at 4,600 meters and then back down via the Southern Circuit (see map above) to Barranco Camp (3,900 meters).

The route is approximately 11km / 7 miles in length and takes 5-7 hours to complete. Although you end the day at a very similar elevation to when you started from Shira Camp, it is arguably one of the most important days on your trek as it gives you a chance to climb high and sleep low which is important for proper acclimatization.

Activities

• Hike

Accommodation

Barranco Camp

Following breakfast, you will leave Baranco Camp (3900m). We will stop for lunch at Karanga Camp and then continue on along the Southern Circuit until it joins the Mweka Trail up to Barafu Camp (4,600 meters).The trail intersects with the Mweka Route, which is the trail used to descend on the final two days. As you continue hiking for an hour, you will reach Barafu Hut. This is the last water stop for the porters because there is no accessible water at Barafu Camp (4600m). The word “barafu” in Swahili means “ice” and this camp is located on a rocky, exposed ridge. Tents will be exposed to wind and rocks so it is important for hikers to familiarize themselves with the campsite before dark. An early dinner will be served so hikers can rest before attempting the summit the same night. Your guide will brief you in detail on how to prepare for summit night. Get to sleep by 19:00!

Activities

• Lunch
• Hike

Accommodation

Barafu Hut including breakfast and dinner

Day seven is summit night (and day)! You will be awoken around 23:30 with hot tea and biscuits. Hopefully you have managed to get a few hours’ sleep; don’t worry if you haven’t as most people struggle to sleep before summit night. Do however make sure that all your kit, including warm clothes, headlamp, insulated water reserves and snacks are ready for a sharp departure at 24:00. The trek up Kibo is steep and slow. The trick is to keep your momentum moving forward, one step at a time. It takes about 6- 8 hours to reach the top of the crater rim where you will see the sign for Stella Point (5,739 meters). This is not the summit of Kilimanjaro. You still have another 156 meters of altitude to walkaround the crater rim to Uhuru Peak (5,895 meters). We recommend resting briefly at Stella Point and potentially having some hot tea or hot chocolate. Dawn should be approaching. Take a moment to savour where you have got to and then dig deep for the energy to push for the summit. Over 60% of climbers stop at Stella Point but most can make it to the summit if they muster the metal strength to push through. Obviously if you are experiencing severe AMS symptoms you should descend immediately. After reaching the summit of Kilimanjaro, a 4.5km / 3 mile ascent, you still have an 11km / 7 mile descent to Mweka Camp (3,100 meters)! The descent can be very gruelling on your joints. It is recommend you use trekking poles and potentially wear gaiters to avoid fine glacial scree getting into your boots. Mweka is situated in the upper part of the rainforest zone. The richness of oxygen and moisture in the air will be a very welcome surprise.

Activities

• Hike

Accommodation

Mweka Camp including breakfast and dinner

Day eight is the final day of trekking on the Machame Route. By now you will be exhausted and probably only thinking about a hot shower. The trek is a pleasant one through the lower rain-forested slopes and down to Mweka Gate (1,640 meters). Although you cover 9km / 5.5 miles, the trek only takes 3-4 hours. Assuming you successfully reach Stella Point or Uhuru Peak you will be presented with hot lunch at the gate and then official certificates – a green certificate for the former and a gold certificate for the latter. It is customary to present your trekking team with their hard-earned tips at this point. You will welcomed with the buffet at the gate with drinks and then be driven back to your hotel in Arusha Where celebrations can begin.

Activities

• Hike
• Dinner

Accommodation

Accommodation at Graceland Hotel .

After the great breakfast from our hotel, we will have your transfer ready to take you to town for some shopping on the way to airport. This will depends on the flight time as we advice to arrival at airport 2 hours before departure. We will drive to airport for your onward flight. Breakfast at your Hotel. After an amazing trip and hike, we welcome you back to Tanzania tp try another amazing adventure with us.

Activities

• Transfer

Accommodation

Hotel in Arusha including breakfast