Rongai 7 Days
Day 1: Day 1: Rongai 1st Caves Camp (9,285 ft./ 2,830 m)
Depart Moshi after breakfast at your hotel to Marangu Gate for registration. After registration, proceed with a drive to the Rongai gate for about 5hrs. Today’s walk is at a leisurely pace through fields and then into the rainforest. Dinner and overnight at Rongai 1st Caves Camp.
Day 2: Rongai 2 Caves Camp (11,300 ft./ 3,450 m)
About 4-5 hours climb through the heather will bring you to the second caves. If the weather is clear, Mawenzi will be in plain view; a stunning sight. Enjoy stopping to see the interesting heather-zone flowers and plants which grow alongside the trail. Dinner and overnight at Rongai 2 Caves Camp.
Day 3: Kikelewa Caves Camp (11,800 ft./ 3600 m)
Today is a short trek designed to help you acclimatize. A smaller track leads off the main trail through the moorland and towards Mawenzi’s steeply rising slopes (Mawenzi peak). The trekking time is about 3 – 5 hours, arriving at camp for a hot lunch, and a chance to acclimatize while exploring the surrounding landscape of bizarre plants and rock formations, and caves. Dinner and overnight at Kikelelwa caves camp.
Day 4: Mawenzi Tarn Camp (14,160 ft./ 4,315 m)
Trek from the moorland and eventually into the stark highland desert towards Mawenzi, on trails not frequented by many tourists. From the Tarn Campsite, you will enjoy a magnificent view across the saddle towards Kibo, your final target. Total trekking time is 5-7 hours. Dinner and overnight at Mawenzi Tarn Camp.
Day 5: Kibo Hut (15,585 ft./ 4,750 m)
The trekking time today is 5 – 7 hours, though a relatively easy hike across the wide saddle between Mawenzi and Kibo. The trek takes you across the massive saddle. The crossing is impressive and the landscape is spectacularly stark. Prepare all your gear for the night ahead, and arrive in early to rest.
Day 6: Horombo Camp (up to 19,340 ft./ 5,895m then down to 10,200 ft./ 3,110 m)
You are awoken at midnight, and depart the camp at about 1 am. From your camp to the rim of the crater Gilman’s Point (18,750 ft./ 5,712 m) to Uhuru Peak, the trekking time is about 7 – 8 hours. Upon your 1 am departure, the temperatures will be between -0 to -10° C, and then from 4 am to 6 am (just before sunrise), you can expect temperatures from -10° to -20° C. The slope is steep, with switchbacks, over loose rock and scree with some boulders as you near Gilman’s Point. You will stop
at Hans Meyer cave on the way, the famous place where Kilimanjaro’s first western climber was described in his journals. Once you arrive at Gilman’s Point (after about 5- 6 hours) at the edge of the crater, the trail to the summit is less demanding and is reached after a further 1½-2 hours along the snowy crater rim (depending on the season). After 3 hours of descending to Kibo Hut, there is a pause for rest & food, then another 3 to 4 hours to reach Horombo Hut.
Day 7: Marangu Gate to Moshi Hotel
Descend straight to the gate (5-6 hours), where you will collect your certificate then meet your driver and transfer to your hotel in Moshi for a long hot shower.