Arrival at Kilimanjaro International Airport (JRO), where you will meet an Altezza Travel representative, and transfer to the hotel under the rate. The hotel will provide all the essentials for a comfortable stay: cozy rooms, hot water, polite staff, a swimming pool, and Internet access. In the evening there will be a briefing with our managers, who will also make sure you are ready to begin the climb.
Private tour packages include shared airport transfers for your group. Extra charges will apply for additional individual transfers. To avoid extra costs, sync your group's arrival and departure times.
PLEASE NOTE:Check-in starts at 2:00 PM.
A guide and a mountain support crew will arrive at the hotel. Then you will travel by vehicle (roughly 3–4 hours) to Kilimanjaro National Park's western entrance: Londorossi Gate. After the quick formality of acquiring climbing permits and registering with the search and rescue service, the group continues upwards towards their drop-off point by off-road vehicles (reaching 3,500 meters or 11482 feet). Here you can see stunning views of the Shira Plateau for the first time.
The route from your drop-off point to your first high-altitude camp, Shira 2, features a moderate gain in altitude and is not too physically challenging. Due to this, you will be able to properly begin the process of acclimatization. By the time you reach the camp, our professional mountain crew will have already prepared everything necessary, put up the tents, and begun preparing dinner.
PLEASE NOTE:This will be your first day at this altitude, so it is strongly recommended you heed the following instructions from this point on:
At night you may experience discomfort associated with acclimatization to the high altitude: because of a reduction in your breathing pattern at night, your body gets less oxygen than during the day. Taking altitude into account, you may therefore start feeling sick and experience a headache. Pay attention to your own body and tell your guide if you start feeling any symptoms of altitude sickness.
After breakfast, you will leave Shira 2 Camp and start your hike to the key point of the route: Lava Tower. This section of the route has a lot of ascents and descents that end in a camp at over 4,600 meters (15091 feet). Portions of the trek may be difficult, and it is common to experience some discomfort, but in order to successfully acclimate to the altitude you have to spend at least 1–2 hours here, so this is where you will enjoy your lunch.
Then, you will descend to Barranco Camp. Here you can see the famous Barranco Wall, impressive in both its massive size and steepness! The next day you will be climbing it, but don't worry: it features a very simple hiking trail and is not intimidating at all.
This day you will wake up early and enjoy a filling breakfast before starting to climb Barranco Wall. We recommend you leave the camp as early as possible to avoid crowds of the other groups, which can slow you down. Hiking up the gorge wall is not difficult and only takes around an hour. After the climb, you can have a rest and take photos in front of the Kibo volcano.
Then you will start a more difficult hike to Karanga Camp, which features numerous ascents and descents during the route, but don't worry: our guides are experts at choosing an optimal pace for the group. After reaching the camp you will be offered warm lunch. After a couple of hours you will have to complete an acclimatization hike in the direction of Barafu Camp with a 300-meter (984-foot) gain in altitude and then descend back down to the camp.
PLEASE NOTE:The acclimatization hike is an easy trek with a slight gain in altitude done in order to speed up the acclimatization process. You should take the acclimatization hikes very seriously. They help increase your chances of successfully summiting Kilimanjaro and save you from the consequences of altitude sickness.
In the morning, after a warm breakfast you begin your hike to Barafu Summit Camp, the starting point for the night summit to Uhuru Peak. Our team will set up a camp for you ahead of time, including tents and sleeping bags, so you can relax as soon as you arrive. After regaining strength, you may complete an acclimatization hike towards the intermediate Kosovo Summit Camp and then back to Barafu Camp, where you will be served a hot dinner. It is better to spend the remainder of the day resting and sleeping before the night summit.
You will depart from Barafu Camp at night and start the final summit to Uhuru Peak of Kilimanjaro (5,895m/19340f). Technically speaking, the climb is relatively simple; however, at this high altitude, even regular physical activity can feel strenuous. Therefore, every two climbers will be paired with a personal guide for the entire ascent to monitor their physical and mental well-being more closely. After your successful ascent to Uhuru Peak, you can descend to the nearest glacier, if desired. Then you will return to Barafu Camp and after a 2-hour rest continue your descent to Millennium Camp.
PLEASE NOTE:Don't forget that 90% of all accidents occur during the descent, including broken arms and legs. Please pay attention to your feet, as there is a high risk of damaging your toenails.
Distance:15 km
Trekking time:8-12 hours
Millennium Camp is situated in a tropical rainforest. When you wake up, you will feel relief from the reduction of the height and the satisfaction of reaching the summit. After a warm breakfast, you will head for the park's exit: Mweka Gate. After your descent the whole group will gather to congratulate you, followed by offering you a chance to share your opinions on the climb in the guestbook. Lastly, we will present you with your commemorative certificates in our office and provide you with a transfer back to the hotel.
Distance: 12 km
Trekking time:4-5 hours
Rest in the hotel and transfer to the airport.
PLEASE NOTE:Hotel check-out is at 11:00 AM. In case you need a late check-out because of an evening flight, there is the option to extend your hotel stay for an extra fee.