Today we meet at Kilimanjaro International Airport and make our way to Arusha and our hotel. 

A chance to relax and get some rest after long flights to get to Tanazania. 

Today we go through our equipment checks and a detailed briefing of climbing Mt Kilimanjaro. What to expect. What to bring. 

We will head on a single day safari or a visit of a Maasai Tribe. This part of the itinerary is flexible depending on what’s happening in the country and within the local tribes at the time. 

This is a chance to get our first real taste of Africa.

After checking in with the local authority and checking our permits we will head to our start point and commence trekking through the lower mountainous region which is very green and jungle like. 

You will spot various monkeys and wildlife down this low. 

We make our way up to Forest Camp where we have our first night camping on the lower region of Mt Kilimanjaro. 

Today we break out of the heavy vegetation and onto the edge of the Shira Volcano with our first full views of Mt Kilimanjaro. 

We break into the sparse region of the mountain where there’s little protection from the sun and the elements. Now we’re truly experiencing the climb as we head above 3,000m ASL. 

We camp at Shira One Camp in view of the highest mountain in Africa. 

Today we cross the Shira Plateau making a beeline directly towards Mt Kilimanjaro. 

Sticking to the famous African quote of poly poly (slowly slowly), we head up over 4,000m ASL and drop back to 3,800m ASL for our camp at Shira Two. 

The altitude is getting serious now as we head up to 4,600m ASL. 

This is a long barron stretch of a very slow move to ensure we’re adapting to the altitude. Regular stops and regular check ins to ensure everyone’s traveling ok. 

Today we drop down to Barranco and then up the Barranco Wall and the famous Kissing Rock. As we make the top of the Barracno Wall we will be met with the most amazing views down the valley. 

We then move down in altitude to give ourselves a good acclimitisation period and a small break from the higher altitudes. Rest and recover as we start to ready ourselves for the summit push in the coming days. 

Today we follow the Barafu Hut to Barafu which is the Base Camp of Mt Kilimanjaro. This is a very short day and we expect to make camp before lunch. 

This is summit night though so it’s deceiving. We will have lunch, prep our gear for the summit push and then have a rest. Wake around 5pm and have dinner before heading back to our tents for a final rest. 

We will wake around 10pm and dress ready for the summit push.

We set off around midnight and make our way slowly up the mountain on our summit push. 

The distance from the Base Camp to the summit is approx 5km but takes around 7 hours. This gives an indication to the effects of altitude above 5,000m ASL. 

We move slowly and purposefully. We take our breaks regularly. Check in on each other. All going well we stand on the roof of Africa – the summit of Mt Kilimanjaro before making our way back down the mountain for lunch and a rest. 

Then push further down to the lower regions and the pleasure of plenty of oxygen at Mweka Camp.

Today we finish the last 10km of our trek. All downhill. A triumphant finish and a glass of Champagne to celebrate our achievements and the adventure in general. 

Then it’s on the bus and back to Arusha and our hotel for a well earned shower and clean up. A celebration dinner before flying home tomorrow.  

Time to part ways and fly home or continue your journey onto a safari or further travel around Africa