Leave from your hotel after breakfast and drive to Machame gate to meet your guides and porters. After registration and Lunch you are ready to start the climb using a well maintained trail through Montane Forest. On the way you’ll walk through denser rainforest plantations where you will also have a very good chance of seeing Black and White Colobus monkeys with their attractive fluffy tails, as well as many different species of brightly-colored birds.

After breakfast you will start your hike on slightly steeper gradient along a rocky ridge to Shira Plateau through the moorland vegetation zone. Along the ridge to Shira camp you will enjoy the view of various geological features. 

Then after few hours you will get Shira which is located on the Shira Plateau, providing views of Kilimanjaro and Mt. Meru.

Today the route takes you into semi-desert/alpine desert with rocky landscapes and surrounding Lava Tower of 300ft high with rocky scree at its base. At Lava Tower camp you will have your hot lunch before descending to Barranco Camp. This day is an important day for acclimatization as you travel up to 4,250m / 15,000ft before spending the night at Barranco. You will ascend through the moorlands to the alpine zone where the only plant life is the heartiest of grasses and lichens.

On this day after breakfast you will climb the Barranco wall (not a technical climb) and then follow the Kibo South Circuit. Then you should arrive at your camp located just after the Karanga Valley set atop a ridge by lunchtime for lunch before you carry on your hike to Barafu camp. After lunch we begin trekking to Barafu camp, the trail is a steadily uphill. Barafu is a Swahili word which means “ice”. The Camp is set on an exposed ridge and is the staging point for our push to the summit which offers stunning views of Mt. Kilimanjaro’s summit from various angles, then at the camp you will get plenty of time to rest before the final summit attempt.

A long and hard day! Leaving your camp site between midnight and 1:00am, the climb from Barafu to Stella Point is fairly steep. The trail head northwest through the heavy stone scree following multiple switchbacks between Ratzel and Rebmann glaciers until you reach Stella Point. You will reach Uhuru Peak, the summit of Kilimanjaro at 19,340 feet, around 8 a.m. At this early hour, before the clouds close in, we have spectacular and stunning views of Africa in all directions taking pictures and cheers for few minutes. The hiking time is 7 to 8 hours. 

You then head back down, via the Mweka route. The section from Uhuru down to Barafu (4 hours) is scree (as on the way up). Then at Barafu camp you will have 1-2hours rest then you will be awaken for lunch and hot water. Then after lunch you head down through the various vegetation zones, on a continual downhill, into Mweka camp which is located on the edge of the rainforest area (3-4 hours from Barafu Camp). It is a long descent and trekking poles are highly recommended. Congratulations, you made it to the Roof of Africa!

After a fantastic breakfast, you will begin the easiest part of your adventure on Mt. Kilimanjaro via a scenic path through the forest to Mweka Gate, our last hike will be 3 to 4 hours. The hike is steep in some places and may be slippery if wet so again we recommend that you use trekking poles. Successful hikers who made it to Stella Point and Uhuru Peak will be awarded their certificates at the Mweka gate which is signed by head guide. At the gate you will say goodbye to your mountain crew and enjoy a picnic lunch. The trip leaders will take you back to your hotel for a much welcome hot shower and a celebration.

For those returning home you will be transferred to the Kilimanjaro International Airport to catch your flight. Those continuing on safari or to Zanzibar you will be picked up at your hotel for the continuation of your Tanzania Unforgettable tour.