This route uses small tents for accommodation on the mountain.Day 1: Transfer to Machame: Introductory briefing upon our arrival in Arusha, before transferring Lodge for the evening.Day 2: Machame Camp: At 7:30 a.m.
transfer to the Machame Park Gate. After registering with the park authority, begin to climb through the lush forest. Continue on to some heath land before reaching our overnight camp at Machame Camp (10,000 feet, 6-7 hours of walking).Day 3 Shira Camp: This section ascent will continue across beautiful heath land and alpine moorland with magnificent views of Kilimanjaro Peak.
Overnight at Shira Camp (12,500 feet, 6-7 hours of walking).Day 4 Barranco Camp: Draw nearer the peak as we pass the Lava Tower. The trek becomes a bit more strenuous as the trail becomes steeper on the approach to our overnight stop at Barranco Camp (13,800 feet, 5-6 hours of walking).
Day 5: Karanga Valley Camp: The day begins with a descent into the Gorge, before climbing its eastern wall with views of Kilimanjaro's ice fields, an equatorial anomaly. We will continue trekking until we reach our camp in Karanga Valley (13,900 feet, 4-5 hours of walking).Day 6: Barafu Camp : Trek up through the Karanga Valley, following the lava ridge to the Barafu camp (15,500 feet, 6-7 hours of walking), for overnight.Day 7: Mweka Camp : Just after midnight, begin the attempt on the summit attempt, passing between the Rebmann and Tarzel glaciers to the rim at Stella Point. As dawn nears, summit at Uhuru Peak, the highest point in Africa at 19,340 feet.
Uhuru will be the culmination of - and the reward for 6 to 7 hours of strenuous hiking. Descend back to Barafu Camp, resting for a while before continuing our descent to Mweka Camp (9,840 feet, 3-4 hours of walking on the descent).Day 8: Park Gate & transfer to Arusha Make the final descent to the park gate, a walk of about 3 or 4 hours.
After farewells to the guide and porters, we'll drive to Arusha.Day 9: We recommend a Serengeti Safari or to relax on Zanzibar after climbing Kilimanjaro.
.The site http://www.tanzania-info.co.uk has useful information and links to Kilimanjaro and http://www.betheladventure.co.uk has Kilimanjaro and safari information.
Use responsible tourism to make a difference.
By: Ian Williamson
