8 day Kilimanjaro Climb via Umbwe Route

You will be picked up at the Kilimanjaro International Airport (JRO) by an Taza Safaris representative and transferred to your hotel in Moshi town. Your guide will brief you on your upcoming trek and do an equipment check to make sure you have all the necessary mountain gear. Gear which is missing can be rented on this day.

We will register at Umbwe Park Gate before starting our trek. The small winding path leads us up through rainforest and along the Umbwe river. The first night’s camp is at Umbwe Cave Camp, at about 2,900m altitude.
Elevation (m): 1600m to 2900m,
Distance: 11km,
Time: 6 hours,
Habitat: Montane Forest.

We leave camp and shortly afterwards the forests end. We can see the sheer vwall of the Western Breach appearing and disappearing as the afternoon mists roll up the Grecat Barranco. We will camp at Barranco camp tonight.
Elevation (m): 2940m to 3976m,
Distance: 6km,
Time: 4-5 hours,
Habitat: Montane Forest.

Today starts with a short, but fun, scramble, to the top of the Great Barranco Wall. We then traverse over scree to the Karanga Valley (3930m) beneath the icefalls of the Heim, Kersten and Decken Glaciers. We will stay overnight at Karanga campsite.
Elevation (m): 3950m to 3930m,
Distance: 7 km,
Hiking Time: 4 hours,
Habitat: Alpine Desert.

We leave Karanga campsite behind to meet the junction connecting with the Mweka descent Trail. From here we continue up to the Barafu Hut. You have now completed the Southern Circuit, which offers views of the summit fronm many different angles. At camp, we can rest, enjoy dinner, and prepare for the summit day. The two peaks of Mawenzi and Kibo are to be clearly seen from this position.
Elevation (m): 3930m to 4600m,
Distance: 6kms,
Hiking Time: 3 hours,
Habitat: Alpine Desert.

You will be woken at 23:30 with some quick tea and some snacks. VWe start our trek to the summit. We will head ina north-westerly direction and ascend through heavy scree towards Stella Point on the crater rim. This is the most mentaly and physically challenging part of the trek. At Stella Point (5732m), we will stop for a short rest and will be rewarded with the most magnificent sunrise you are ever likely to see (weather permitting).

At Uhuru Peak (5895m), we will have reached the highest point on Mount Kilimanjaro and the continent of Africa. It can be very cold at night at these elevations, but it will be quite warm by the end of the hiking day. From the summit, we descend down to the Millennium camp site, via Barafu for lunch. Trekking poles will be needed for the loose gravel going down to Millennium Camp (3790m) Later in the evening, we will enjoy our last dinner on the mountain and a well-earned sleep.
Elevation (m): 4600m to 5895m (and down to 3790m),
Distance: 7km ascent/ 19km descent,
Time:6- 8 hours ascent/ 7-8 hours descent,
Habitat: Stone scree and ice-capped summit

A gentle trek takes us down through the rain forest to Mweka Gate, where we complete park formalities and receive certificates, which you can hang up with pride! We are then met by our vehicles and return to the hotel in Moshi, where you can treat yourself to a welcome shower (and a cold beer or two!) before our big celebration.
Distance: 12.1km/7.5mi
Duration: 6 – 7 hours
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner Included.

The day is left free to wind down after the trek before your flight home. Depending on flight times you could go and explore Moshi town and grab some souvenirs before heading to the airport.
We also welcome you spare an hour of your day to plant a tree, as part of our environmental conservation efforts in the Kilimanjaro region. Safari and Zanzibar add-ons are available if you wish to continue exploring Tanzania