Climb Mount Kilimanjaro

On arrival in Kilimanjaro International Airport you will be met and transferred to the hotel where you will met up with your Big Journey Company Tour Director and fellow team members.

In preparation for the climb ahead, we take a day today to acclimatise. You may wish to visit nearby Arusha National Park, take an easy canoe ride around the crater of Lake Duluti or simply enjoy the hotel and spa facilities (all payable locally). Today is dedicated to ensuring your final preparations are in place and you're ready to set off tomorrow!
This evening we will sit down to a welcome dinner with fellow guests.

Your driver will collect you from the hotel by 8am and transfer you 111 km (approx 2 hrs) to Londorossi Gate where we complete registration formalities. Climbers should have their passport numbers for their registry entries. Following registration we continue a further 12km by vehicle to the route’s start point. This final drive can take anywhere between 45 minutes and 1 hour 30, depending on road conditions.

From Lemosho Start Point (2424m) to Forest Camp (2821m) the distance is 5.4km, over 400m of elevation gain. You are advised to stop regularly today and to move quietly in the hope of sighting wildlife near to the trail. Sightings of small antelope are virtually unique to the Lemosho route.

Today we trek from Forest Camp (2821m) to Shira 1 Camp (3508m) on the western edge of Shira Plateau. It is normal to experience mild headaches on this day which should be alleviated with paracetamol. Those choosing to take Diamox should begin their course this morning with half a tablet (125mg) in the morning and the other half with supper in the evening. The distance to Shira 1 is 7.7km.
For those who are really fit and looking for an optional afternoon acclimatisation ascent you can trek up to Shira Ridge 3959m (Kilimanjaro’s 3rd volcanic summit) for arguably the best views of Kibo when the weather is clear (Excursion distance = 7.6km).

Everyone will sleep low at Shira 1 Camp

We'll trek from Shira 1 Camp (3508m) to Moir Hut (4166m) today, across Shira Plateau, before rising along the flank of a re-entrant. Height gain 658m. Distance = 9.4km.
We'll embark on a sunset acclimatisation into the Lent Group of outcrops above Moir Hut before dinner. Ordinarily we aim to reach 4305m on the ridge, however, if you are feeling strong and experiencing no symptoms of headache or nausea, please express your wish to your guide to proceed higher. Altitude gained on this acclimatisation excursion is critical to making comfortable and safe progress over the next two days, and is one of the peculiar advantages of this route. Typical excursion distance = 1.9km.

Trek from Moir Hut (4166m) to Pofu Camp (3998m). A very gradual day, with views to the North-West. Distance = 10.3km.

We continue trekking in a clockwise direction around the northern flanks of Kilimanjaro from Pofu Camp (3998m) to
3rd Caves Camp (3971m). Distance = 6.7km. In the afternoon you can have some time at leisure or have the option of taking in an excursion to the Saddle, at the discretion of the guide.

After gently traversing the northern slopes of Kilimanjaro yesterday, today we trek upwards from 3rd Caves Camp (3971m) to School Hut (4722m) - a shorter distance than the previous 2 days, but a very respectable 751m of height gain. Note however, that on your evening acclimatisation excursion on Day 3, you came within some 400 metres of School Hut’s altitude, so your body will be very well prepared to install you into position to assault the summit tonight. Distance = 4.9km.

Aim to get to sleep as soon as possible as you will be woken at around 2300-0000 to begin your assault. Don’t worry about waking yourself for meals - your staff will wake you for these. You probably won’t feel like eating but please endeavour to do so as you’ll need the energy reserves. Relaxing your breathing and calming your mind are important as you prepare your body and mind for the summit attach. The previous 4 days have prepared you extremely well for tonight’s challenge, so there is nothing to worry about it. Being relaxed and having packed your gear ahead of time, not needing to be in a rush or worry about whether you may be forgetting anything, will aid your appetite - essential to fuel this long day’s activities.
When you have done your final kit checks and have all your gear ready it's time to get some sleep before you are woken for the assault on the summit.

Avoiding the energy-sapping loose scree slopes above Kibo Hut, we ascend from School Hut (4722m) via Hans Meyer Cave (5243m) and Gilman’s Point (5708m), to Uhuru Peak (5895m). For the quietest summit assault on Kilimanjaro we recommend the summit bid to begin at 0400 - 0500, however for a greater likelihood of clear summit views or for a dawn summit, we leave camp at around 2330 – 0100. Ultimately your guide will determine the start time according to their perception of the group’s pace.

Tonight is very difficult - particularly the final 550m - and you’ll need to commit to fight for the summit. You will inevitably feel like giving up and going to sleep. This is normal and can be overcome with perseverance. When resting please ensure you only stand or sit and do not lie down or close your eyes. Please trust your guide; they are very adept at judging whether your condition will allow safe progress or whether you have succumbed to a potentially dangerous condition and to proceed will not be safe.
Nausea and headaches and vomitting are normal and while very uncomfortable, these are not symptoms that are indicative of being at risk, per se. When you reach Gilman’s Point you will sit and rest. At this point the body and mind often think you have finished your uphill fight and will be trying to coerce you into giving up and turning around. While you may genuinely believe that you have already exhausted your reserves in reaching this point, this is actually very unlikely to be so. Remember that you are only 187 vertical metres short of the summit (via Stella Point), the journey from here is much less steep, and you have plenty of time for further pauses.
If you do feel the need to give up at Gilman’s Point please proceed towards the summit for just two minutes before making your final decision. In most cases this act of re-establishing momentum is enough to persuade the mind and body to cooperate with your intentions and you will ordinarily find hidden reserves for a final push, reserves that you were not aware you still had.

The summit

On the summit your guide will advise how much time you can spend there in consideration of your condition, your timings, and the weather. The brain does not function very intelligently at this altitude so please remember to take many photographs in all directions or you will probably regret not having done so at a later stage. Also, please consider in advance asking a companion to be ready to shoot a video of you, and likewise you of them, at the summit, to record your impressions of getting to the highest point of Africa and for achieving what for many will have
been the most difficult feat of endurance in their lives - but what a story to be able to tell everyone for the rest of your lives!

The descent - Uhuru Peak to Millennium Camp (3820m) or Mweka Camp (3090m)

From the summit you will turn around and descend to Stella Point. When you reach Stella Point your guide may opt to switch left onto the loose scree, a departure from the ridge up which climbers assaulting from Barafu ascend. On arrival at Barafu you would usually have time to rest an hour or so before continuing the descent after some refreshments.
From Barafu you will usually descend to Mweka Camp (3090m) for overnight. If your guide judges that a shorter day will benefit you and preserve sore knees and ankles, he may decide to stop short at Millennium Camp (3820m) instead.

Distances on summit day:
School Hut to Summit via Gillman’s Point: 5.4km
Summit to Barafu: 4.5km
Barafu to Mweka Camp: 6.3km
Total = 16.2km

This morning we descend from Mweka Camp/Millennium Camp to Mweka Gate (1641m) where we sign the summit register and climbers will be rewarded with certificates attesting their success at climbing Mount Kilimanjaro. After signing we descend a further 15 minutes on foot to Mweka Village to meet our transport and then heading back to Arusha. You should return back to Arusha between 2 and 5pm, depending on the descent pace. Distance from Mweka Camp to Mweka Gate is 8.5km.

Mweka Gate is where you will say farewell to your mountain crew. Typically tips for mountain crew tend to average 10-15% of the climb costs, with all climber's contributions usually added together and presented to the chief guide to divide fairly amongst the crew.

Congratulations on reaching for the top of the highest freestanding mountain in the world! Typical total trek distance = 78.6km or 48.8 miles.

After the luxury of a shower and the joy of putting on clean clothes, tonight's dinner will be at the lodge for one final get together with your group.

After breakfast you'll likely have some time at leisure to reflect on your Kilimanjaro adventure before you are transferred to Kilimajaro Airport for your onward flights. You may not be ready to say farewell to Tanzania just yet and there are a variety of safari options that we can tailormake to suit your requirements and the time of year that you are visiting. Please ask at the time of booking your trek and we can tailor a post trek itinerary to suit you.