Penultimate Kilimanjaro
13 days / Year Round
Pricing: Pricing is based on group size and seasonality, please check with us to secure the best pricing.
Highlights:
• Climb the highest free-standing mountain in the world with an 8-day ascent to the summit of Kilimanjaro and a chance to stand at the top of the world and watch the sun rise over the distant horizon.
• Walk and talk with the local Maasai people and learn about their lifestyle and their unique way of interacting with the wildlife.
• Explore the area with a series of guided game drives that afford a uniquely intimate view of the animals and countryside at the foot of the mountain.
Start Map
DAY 1: ARUSHA
Your guide will meet you at the airport and escort you to the hotel, where you can check in, relax, and get a full briefing on the climbs.
DAY 2: WEST KILIMANJARO
After breakfast, we’ll drive to Kilimanjaro and enjoy lunch at the camp. In the afternoon, we’ll take a game drive.
DAY 3: WEST KILIMANJARO
We’ll wake up early enough to watch the stunning sight of the sun rising over Kilimanjaro. You can spend the day meeting the local Maasi and walking with them through the wilderness, discovering the local animals on a game drive, and eating all your meals al fresco. You will have your guides with you to explain the history and nature of this astounding ecosystem.
DAY 4: KILIMANJARO - FOREST
From our camp, we will set out in vehicles to the starting point of our Kilimanjaro climb, the Lemosho Trail. Here, you meet the rest of your crew and set off at a leisurely pace into the Afromontane forest. We’ll eat lunch on the trail and reach camp in mid afternoon.
DAY 5: KILIMANJARO - SHIRA 1
From the forested slopes of Lemosho, you will ascend through Podocarpus and juniper forests before you break out into the heath zone and the Shira Plateau. We’ll eat lunch on the trail and reach camp in mid afternoon.
DAY 6: KILIMANJARO - SHIRA 2
We’ll take a short hike in the morning to reach our next camp by lunch. We will spend the afternoon getting acclimated by taking short walks with our guides.
DAY 7: KILIMANJARO - LAVA TOWER
The route to Lava Tower will take you out of the heath zone in to the alpine desert zone. Here, little can survive the extreme temperature ranges and conditions. After lunch in camp, weather permitting, you will have the option to scramble to the top of the nearby Lava Tower.
DAY 8: KILIMANJARO - KARANGA
Having had two days to acclimate, you’ll make the long climb to Karanga Camp. When you arrive in the late afternoon, you’ll be treated to one of the most breathtaking sunsets in the world as the slanting light reflects off the glacial valleys and ice fields that tower 1,000 meters above you.
DAY 9: KILIMANJARO - BARAFU
We’ll spend a half day Barafu Camp so we can relax before the bid for the summit, eating lunch at the camp. Strong winds tear through the camp, which is set in a desolate alpine desert. You’ll enjoy splendid views of the Mawenzi Peak in the evening while we eat an early dinner.
DAY 10: KILIMANJARO - CRATER
Unlike other routes with a night time ascent, our path will allow you a daytime ascent to Kibo Crater. You will reach the rim of Kibo before descending into the caldera to Crater Camp. You’ll spend the afternoon relaxing and taking short walks with one of your guides.
DAY 11: KILIMANJARO - MWEKA
After a night in the crater, we will take a short climb to savor watching the sunrise from the summit of Kilimanjaro – a truly spectacular sight. After your summit bid, you’ll descend for a final night on the mountain at Mweka Camp, passing back through the heath zone.
DAY 12: OUT – ARUSHA
After breakfast, you will continue your descent back through Afromontane forest. You will bid farewell to your crew at about midday before heading back to your hotel for a well deserved shower! We'll drive you back to the airport in time for your flight home.
• Our guides receive extensive training about topics such as botany and so are able to make our guests aware of interesting flora and fauna.
• We also encourage our guides to avoid careless off road driving or hiking and we ask that our guests respect the same.
• We provide fair wages, a dedication to training, and a career path for all employees, casual or full time. Most of our trekking and biking programs have a minimal impact, but we know that flights and safaris create a bigger carbon footprint. That’s why we’ve decided to partner with Carbon Tanzania to off-set our carbon emissions in East Africa. By donating, we help to reforest indigenous plant species in various ecosystems based on biodiversity need.