Rongai Route

You'll leave Moshi and drive 45 minutes to the Marangu park gate to register. From there, it's another 68km, roughly 2 ½ hours on bumpy roads, to Naro Moru in north-east Kilimanjaro and the Rongai start point (1996m). You'll meet your guide and porters before setting off on foot from Nale Moru village. The little winding path crosses maize fields, enters pine forest, then climbs gently through the forest. It's not steep at all, just a gentle hike through beautiful countryside. Your first night's camp is Simba Camp (2 626m), which has a public toilet and a wooden table with benches, but no hut.

We'll hike from Simba camp up towards Kibo, reaching 3 482m for lunch at First Caves, a distance of 5.8km. After lunch, we keep trekking until we reach Kikelewa Camp, at about 3679 metres. The views really start to open up here, and you'll begin to feel like you're on a seriously big mountain! You can find water in an obvious stream below the cave, although you might need to wander a little way downhill to find a pool or two. Dinner and overnight at Kikelewa camp.

A short but steep climb up grassy slopes, with superb views over this wild area. The vegetation runs out just before you reach your next camp at Mawenzi Tarn, which sits spectacularly beneath the towering spires of Mawenzi. You'll spend the afternoon acclimatising and exploring.

After breakfast, we head west, climbing along the east side of Kibo and crossing the saddle between Mawenzi and Kibo. It takes 4 to 5 hours to reach Kibo Hut. You'll spend the rest of the day resting up for the final climb, which starts around midnight. Overnight at Kibo hut.

You'll get up at around 23h20, and after some tea and biscuits, you'll set off into the night. This is where it gets really tough. The first section is a rocky path to the Hans Meyer Cave (5150m), which is also a good place to rest. Then the path zigzags up to Gillman's Point (5 681m) on the crater rim. This part is very steep, with lots of loose scree, and it takes a huge physical and mental effort. It's probably the hardest section of the whole route, so do the “Kili shuffle” and move slowly. From Gillman's Point, you'll usually find snow all the way up to Uhuru Peak (5895m), the highest point in Africa. You've made it, and what a feeling! How long you can stay at the top taking photos depends on the weather, before the 3-hour descent back to Kibo hut. After a short rest there, you'll collect the gear you left behind for the climb and head down to Horombo hut (3 hours) for the night. The walk back to Horombo will feel surprisingly quick compared with the way up. In total, you'll spend around 14 hours walking today, so be ready for a very tough day. In the evening, you'll enjoy your last dinner on the mountain (soft drinks and beer are on sale at the camp office) and a well-earned sleep, full of memories and big emotions.

After breakfast, you'll carry on down (6 hours), past Mandara hut, to the Marangu gate. A tip from us: don't pay your porters any tips until you and all your gear have reached the gate safely. Our tipping guide has more on this. At Marangu gate, you'll sign your name and details in a register, and this is also where successful climbers get their summit certificates. If you reached Gillman's Point (5685m), you'll get a green certificate, and if you made it to Uhuru Peak (5895m), you'll get a gold one. Then it's the drive back to Moshi for a long-overdue hot shower, dinner, a proper bed and celebrations!