Trekking Uhuru Peak in 8 days, 7 nights
Day 1
We pick you up from Kilimanjaro International Airport and bring you to Arusha to your hotel for Dinner and overnight.
Day 2
We drive you to Machame village in the early morning and introduce you to your guides, the cook and the porters. From Machame Gate we walk for two to three hours through a dense forest of fig and rubber trees, begonia flowers and other tropical vegetation. A stop for lunch is be made halfway to this evening's campsite. Soon the tropical forest will give way to tall grasses and giant heather and we'll be walking on a ridge - to our left the Semira stream, to our right the Weru Weru stream. Our way leads us to Machame Camp for dinner and overnight. We will have climbed up to 3000m by then.
Day 3
Wake-up call is at 6:00am. A steaming cup of tea or coffee is already prepared. If the weather is fine we get a fabulous view of Uhuru peak. This day's climb takes us up a steep track through a savannah of tall grasses, volcanic rock and heather. We'll encounter giant groundsels as we hike through a ghostly landscape of volcanic lava, caves and foamy streams. Lunch will be taken just below the Shira Plateau, a very beautiful area. From here, we will walk some hours to Shira Camp where we stay overnight. We will ahve climbed up to 3840m by then.
Day 4
The entire Shira Plateau greets us this morning. A steady walk takes us up to the pass at Lava Tower where we stop to have lunch. Crossing the Bastains stream we will proceed towards Barranco Camp. The way takes us along the Grand Barranco, an immense canyon. We will pass waterfalls fed by streams coming from Kibo, converging here to form Umbwe River. Our camp is set at almost the same altitude as the night before - we do that for acclimatisation, your body must adjust itself to the altitude. We will have climbed up to 3940m by then.
Day 5
After breakfast we are ready for a bit of a climb at Barranco Cliff. After the challenging part we will continue our way to Karanga Camp. We will have hot lunch there and in the afternoon we will walk around in Karanga Valley where giant scenecio and lobelia grow. It's well advised to take as much rest as possible in order to be ready for the way to the last camp. We will have climbed up to 4250m by then.
Day 6
We are heading to Barafu. It's a scenic climb on a moraine with a view of majestic Mawenzi peak to the right and overhead Kibo peak seemingly just out of reach. The alpine desert here is mostly a mineral environment with few lichens and mosses. We'll take lunch on the way and arrive at Barafu Camp in the afternoon. We will rest as much as possible as the next day is the longest, most challenging and exciting one. We will have climbed up to 4550m by then.
Summit Day 7
We rise as soon as midnight and after a light breakfast we get going. The climb is very difficult now. Making our way up a path flanked by the Ratzel and Rebman glaciers, we will climb for about six hours before reaching the edge of the crater between Stella point and Hans Meyer point. Another hour of climbing and day will break as we reach the summit. Congratulations! Uhuru Peak at 5895m or 19,340ft is the highest point in Africa. Let's enjoy the view at sunrise and then take to descend. The track around the edge of the crater is rocky and icy. The descent is no easier than the ascent. We will reach Barafu Camp latest by noon. Some rest and a hot lunch will be very welcome before descending to Mweka Camp for the night. We will have trekked a total of thirteen hours that day! We will be back at 3.095m by then.
Day 8
We walk back from Mweka camp to the base. The descent to the gate will take ab out five hours, we should arrive before noon. At the gate you will be rewarded with a certificate attesting your success at climbing Mount Kilimanjaro. It's time to say good bye and go back to Arusha. Other routes to Uhuru Peak: MACHAME ROUTE in 7days and 6 nights LEMOSHO ROUTE in 8 days and 7 nights MARANGU ROUTE in 7 days and 6 nights UMBWE ROUTE in 7 days and 6 nights

Other routes to Uhuru Peak:
MACHAME ROUTE in 7 days and 6 nights
LEMOSHO ROUTE in 8 days and 7 nights
MARANGU ROUTE in 7 days and 6 nights
UMBWE ROUTE in 7 days and 6 nights