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| Day
1: Kilimanjaro |
On arrival in
Moshi, you will be met and transferred
to your hotel for the night. The evening
is taken up with meeting the balance
of your guide team and making your
final preparations before retiring
for the night. |
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| Day
2: Londorossi Gate to Mti Mkumbwa |
| After
an early breakfast, you board the waiting
4X4s for a long transfer to Londorossi
Gate and the start of your trek on the
western slopes of the mountain. A little
patience is required here as the obligatory
paperwork and arranging of the porters
exposes you to notorious “Africa
Time”, before you are joined by
a game ranger to set off into the wilderness.
Your trek today takes along the seldom
used Chambers Route – the wilderness
here is so untouched that it occasionally
crowds the path requiring the use of
machetes to allow you passage! |
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| Day
3: Mti Mkumbwa to Shira 1 |
| A long
day of trekking, you make an early start,
ascending through the remaining rain
forest to gain an extra 600m and arrive
at the Moorland Zone. You take lunch
in a beautiful valley just outside of
the Shira Crater before crossing into
the Shira Caldera, a high altitude desert
plateau that is rarely visited. Your
trek to camp in the afternoon is dominated
by the first views of Kibo, the lesser
summit on Kilimanjaro. |
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| Day
4: Shira 1 to Fischer Camp |
| A gentle day to assist
with your acclimatization, your trek
continues East, crossing the Shira Plateau
to take in the geological features of
Shira Cathedral and Shira Needle before
slowly ascending to Fischer Camp. The
Western Breach, your route to the summit
with its stunning glaciers, looms into
view as you approach Fischer Camp. |
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| Day
5: Fischer Camp to Baranco Camp via
Lava Tower |
| A tough
acclimatization day. Following breakfast
you leave the moorlands behind for your
first introduction to the Alpine Zone
- a barren moonscape of semi desert
where only the hardiest of grasses and
a few lichens survive. Trekking on rocky
trails, the way ahead looks daunting
as you draw closer to the Western Breach
on route to a molten rock formation
known as the Lava Tower, to achieve
your high point for the day at 4630m.
As the first effects of high altitude
start to materialize, you gradually
descend 680m through Giant Lobelia and
Senecia plants to the spectacular Baranco
Valley, and your camp nestled dramatically
beneath the Great Baranco Wall with
the summit of Kibo rearing up above
you. |
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| Day
6: Baranco Camp to Arrow Glacier |
| Today
you retrace your steps back up the Baranco
Valley to regain your high point at
the Lava Tower and push past to your
camp site at the base of the Western
Breach in preparation for your summit
attempt the next day. |
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| Day
7: Summit Day – Uhuru Peak |
| Rising
at around midnight, there is enough
time for a light snack before heading
off to tackle the forbidding slopes
of the Western Breach. This is mentally
and physically the most challenging
part of the journey – a 6 hour
trek up loose and rocky trails under
torchlight, with the effects of the
altitude weighing heavily upon you,
until finally reaching Stella Point
in time for sunrise. From here, it is
a further 2 hour ascent to the highest
point at Uhuru Peak – an exhilarating
achievement that will be with you for
the rest of your life! Your time at
the summit is kept to within safety
limits as the effects of the altitude,
cold and fatigue threaten the comfort
and safety of your descent. Another
3 hours will see you back at a comparatively
safe altitude of 4550m for a short rest
before you continue down the easy path
to your last camp on the mountain in
the fringes of the forest where a welcome
hot beverage and warm wash water await
you. |
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| Day
8: Mweka Camp to Mweka Trail Head |
| Feeling
surprisingly fit and strong as you descend
the mountain, you trek back through
the rain forest to arrive at the trail
head to arrive in time for your last
lunch on the mountain. Time to bid farewell
to your porters and guide team as your
waiting vehicle takes you back to the
comforts of your hotel in Moshi and
a dinner hosted in celebration of your
achievement. |
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| Day
9: End of Tour |
| An early breakfast
is followed by a transfer to Kilimanjaro
International Airport in time for your
flight to your next destination. |
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