9-day trip: climbing Kilimanjaro via the steep 6-day Umbwe Route

When you arrive at Kilimanjaro International Airport our Tanzania Specialist guide is there waiting for you. He then drops you off at your hotel, where you can relax from your flight.
Preparation for your climb: You meet your guide before the start of your climb, where he briefs you and offers advice on what to wear, what to pack, and other important tips to make your climb as comfortable as possible.

Today, your driver picks you up at the hotel and takes you to the Umbwe Gate to complete the registration formalities. The Kilimanjaro climb begins through dense rainforest, where you can hear and spot various animals. As you approach the Umbwe River, the route becomes steeper, offering views of Kibo Peak in the distance and the deep valleys surrounding you. The climb ends after 5-7 hours at Umbwe Cave Camp.

Leave the rainforest and enter the heather with rocks and valleys around you. The ascent becomes steeper at the Umbwe Route Ridge and flattens out again near the Barranco Valley. After a 4 to 5-hour hike, you have dinner and overnight at the Barranco Camp in the valley below the Barranco wall.

This morning, you hike to the Barranco Wall where you have a spectacular view of the Kibo volcano to the left and Mount Meru to the right. Then a more difficult route to Karanga Camp begins, with many ascents and descents. Once at the camp, you have lunch and a couple of hours to rest. You can then go on a 300-meter acclimatization hike towards Barafu Camp before descending back to Karanga Camp for the night.

On the fourth day on the mountain, you walk to Barafu Camp, the starting point for your summit push to Uhuru Peak. Arrive at the camp around noon, enjoy lunch, and take some time to rest. Later, go on another acclimatization walk to Kosovo Summit Camp (4,870 m) before returning to Barafu Camp. Warm up with a hot dinner and relax for the rest of the day before starting the climb to the top of Kili at midnight.

Around midnight, you begin your final push to Uhuru Peak. Ascend along good trails while your guide keeps an eye on you to monitor your physical and mental state facing the altitude. Once you reach the top, enjoy a beautiful sunrise from the roof of Africa! After celebrating at the top, descend to the nearby glacier before returning through Barafu Camp and continuing the descent to Millennium Camp after a two-hour break.

Millenium Camp is located in a tropical rainforest. Here you feel a sense of relief from the reduced altitude and satisfaction from reaching the summit the day before. After breakfast, you walk to the national park's exit and your driver takes you back to the hotel, where you can recover from the rigors of the climb.

Sadly, this is the end of your holiday and the time to go home has arrived. Enjoy your last hours in Tanzania before our driver comes to pick you up and takes you to Kilimanjaro International Airport for your flight home. Still longing for more? It's also possible to add a few days of safari or a beach holiday to your Kilimanjaro adventure!