Kilimanjaro – Umbwe Route (7 Days)

You will be picked up at the Kilimanjaro International Airport and transferred to your arranged Hotel in Moshi town, you will meet your guide who will brief you on your upcoming trek and do an equipment check to make sure you have all the necessary mountain gear. Gear which is missing can be rented on this day. The hotel is bed & Breakfast

Hotel: Bed & Breakfast basis

The climb starts from Umbwe Gate (1,800 m.) The path follows a ridge between two deep valleys up through the dense montane forest. The camp is perched between huge trees and thick undergrowth. There is no water available at this campsite, so we must carry from the gate all the water needed for drinking, food preparation, and cleaning.

Umbwe Gate to Umbwe Cave (at 3,000 m); 6-8 hours of walking

The path gets steeper on this section, as you get out of the forest along the Umbwe ridge the route descends slightly to the Barranco camp situated in the valley. In this camp, you will meet with other trekkers from the Machame route and the Lemosho route. Therefore the population will be bigger.

Umbwe Cave to Barranco valley (3,950 m); 4-6 hours walking.

This day is the acclimatization day which you will walk to lava tower 4600m for acclimatization and return to Baranco camp for lunch dinner and overnight.

A steep climb up the eastern wall leads us just below the Heim Glacier, where we may have some spectacular views of Kilimanjaro. We then take a steep exit up the Great Barranco Wall, which divides us from the southeastern slopes of Kibo, the trail continues down into the alpine desert of the Karanga Valley, and finally, we have a steep climb up to Karanga Camp

Barranco Valley to Karanga camp (4,000 m): 4-5 hours walking.

A steep climb out of Karanga, and an easy path on compacted scree with wide views through this empty and dry landscape up to Barafu Camp. The two peaks Kibo and Mawenzi can be seen from Barafu Camp. After a hot lunch at the Camp, The remainder of the day is spent resting as we prepare for the final ascent before an early night summit walk.

Karanga Camp to Barafu Camp (4,600 m.): 3-4 hours walking.

Wake up before midnight in the cover of darkness. We begin a steep climb over loose volcanic scree that has some well-graded zig-zags and a slow but steady pace will take us to the rim of the main crater, Stella Point, at 5,735m. We will rest there for a few minutes to enjoy the sunrise over Mawenzi. Those who are still feeling good can continue slowly to make the two-hour round trip from here along the crater rim to the main peak (5,895 m), which is the highest point in Africa. After a few minutes to appreciate your accomplishment we descend to Barafu amazingly fast, and we stop at Barafu Camp for some refreshment, we continue to descend to reach Mweka Camp.

Barafu Camp to Summit to Mweka Camp (3100 m): 13-15 hours of walking.

A gentle walk takes us down through the rainforest to Mweka gate where successful climbers will receive their summit certificates. Then we will drive back to Moshi for Lunch and a big shower.

Millennium Camp to Mweka Gate: 4-5 hours of walking

The day is left free to wind down after the trek before your flight home. Depending on flight times you could go and explore Moshi town and grab some souvenirs before heading to the airport. Our vehicle will be ready to take you to the airport at your time.