6 days Kilimanjaro Hike Via Rongai Route.

Day 1: Rongai Gate (1950m) – 1st Caves Camp (2600m).

After an early breakfast at your hotel, you will be picked up from Panama Garden Resort (900m) and driven to the Marangu Gate (1980m). At the gate, the porters will organize and pack the belongings for the hike while you and your guide register with the Tanzania National Park (TANAPA).

You will then be transferred by vehicle to the Rongai trailhead, which is 2.5 hours away from the Marangu Gate. The trail begins in the tall cornfields and then leads into the pine forest. This trail has a gradual ascent and allows hikers to enjoy their surroundings. About halfway up the trail, you will have a lunch break and you will reach the 1st Caves Camp (2600m) in the late afternoon or early evening.

The porters and chef, who move very fast up the mountain, will reach camp before you and set up your tents, boil drinking water, and prepare snacks for your arrival. After washing up, a hot dinner will be served. For overnight, mountain temperatures may drop to freezing so be prepared!

Day 2: 1st Caves Camp (2600m) – Kikelewa Cave (3600m)

On this day will go too far parts of the Serengeti north, south, east, west depending on wildlife movements, so after an early breakfast will go on an early game drive, we will later have lunch and continue the game drive to the evening then return to the campsite for dinner & overnight stay
note; animals can be spotted on campsites.

Day 3:

Kikelewa Cave (3600) – Mawenzi Tarn Camp (4330m).

After an early breakfast will go on an early game drive seeing a lot of animals till the afternoon where will head to camp for lunch and pack doing a game drive while we exit the Serengeti heading to Simba campsite (2hrs drive) near the rim of Ngorongoro crater.
note; animals can be spotted on campsites.

Day 4:

Mawenzi Tarn Camp (4330m) – Kibo Hut (4700m).

After an early breakfast will descend the crater (6:15 am) on a journey to find the black rhino, rhinos are the hardest to spot in the beautiful crater as most animals will be easier to spot from this park due to it being a floor crater
After lunch will do a game drive and ascend the crater to camp and pack for the trip back to Arusha for dinner and overnight or drive you to the airport.

Day 5:

Summit Attempt – Kibo Hut (4700m) – Uhuru Peak (5895m) – Horombo Hut (3720m)

Today’s walk will take a few hours because the route is steep and requires a slow walk so to avoid tiredness. You will completely walk across an alpine desert with strong and cold winds blowing from the ever closer Kibo peak and its ice. You will have an early dinner at 1700hrs then rest until midnight when we, commence your push for the summit. Elevation: 3900m to 4620m. Distance: 8km. Hiking Time: 3-4 hours Habitat: Alpine Desert.

Day 6:

 Horombo Hut (3720m) – Marangu Gate (1980m).

Wake at midnight to a simple and light breakfast and then prepare for your summit ascent. The goal is to climb before dawn so that you can reach Uhuru Peak shortly before or after sunrise. Leave to the peak at 12; 00 AM, switch back up steep scree or possibly snow, and reach Stella Point on the crater rim at 5,861 m/18,640 ft between 4 and 5 AM.

At this point, you will be having views of the fabled crater and its icecaps facing you. Then after 1 hour of hiking along the Kibo crater rim near the celebrated snow take you to Kilimanjaro’s true summit, Uhuru Peak, where you will spend some time taking photos and celebrating.

After celebrating and making memories, you will descend back to the Barafu Huts campsite, for lunch, rest, collect your belongings, and continue down through the moorland and heath zone to the Mweka Huts campsite. Dinner and overnight at Mweka hut campsite.