You’ll be met at Kilimanjaro airport by our representative who will guide you to one our vehicles for transfer to your hotel where you’ll receive a briefing on the following day’s climb. You’ll spend the night at Kilimanjaro Wonders Hotel.

After breakfast, you’ll leave the hotel and travel to Machame gate where you’ll register before you start your climb. From the park entrance gate (Machame), you will trek for about two to three hours through a dense forest of fig and rubber trees, begonia flowers, and other tropical vegetation. You’ll stop for a hot lunch halfway to the campsite. As you continue your ascent, you’ll notice that the tropical forest gives way to tall grasses and giant heather. You’ll walk along a ridge – to the left of which is the Semira stream and to the right the Weru Weru. Depending on your pace, you’ll arrive at Machame Camp between 17:00 and 18:00. This initial stage of the climb is tranquil and relatively easy. Take your time getting to the camp as there is little to do once you are there. Guides tend to recommend a slow ascent, even at this point, for gradual acclimatisation. Don’t try to keep up with your porters, who will usually bound ahead. Instead, admire the beauty of the rainforest. If you’re interested in botany, you should carry a small reference book.

On this and subsequent mornings, your wake-up call is at around 06:00 accompanied by hot tea or coffee and typically a fabulous view of Uhuru peak. Today's trek takes you up a steep track through a savannah of tall grasses, volcanic rock and bearded heather. You’ll encounter giant groundsels as you hike through a ghostly landscape of volcanic lava, caves, and foamy streams. Lunch will be taken just below the Shira Plateau, about three to four hours from Shira Camp. The hike to the next campsite takes about six hours and you should arrive between 14:00 and 15:00. Most climbers tend to pace themselves, walking slowly and resting about every half hour. Many tend to feel lethargic and have headaches by the time they reach camp. Guides advise those with symptoms of altitude sickness to drink tea and sleep as much as they can. You’ll have dinner and overnight at Shira Camp.

After breakfast you’ll start crossing the Bastains stream and commence the descent to Barranco Camp along the immense Grand Barranco canyon. Along the way, you’ll see numerous waterfalls, which are fed by streams coming from the mountain and converge here to form the Umbwe River. Your camp is set at almost the same altitude as the night before. Today's trek lasts for about six hours and arrival at camp is between 16:30 and 17:30. You’ll have dinner and overnight at Barranco Camp.

The scenic climb to Barafu is mostly on a moraine with a view of Mawenzi Peak towering majestically to the right and overhead Kibo Peak is seemingly just out of reach. The alpine desert terrain you’ll encounter at this point is mostly a mineral environment with few lichens and mosses. You’ll have lunch at the half-way point. All climbers are advised to go to bed early this night, as the next day is the longest one. You’ll have dinner and overnight at Barafu Camp.

You’ll be woken up at midnight and, after a light breakfast, you’ll start climbing at about 03:00. At this stage, the climb becomes much more difficult and many climbers suffer from altitude sickness. You should carry as little as possible on this portion of the climb. Temperatures range from -4° to 5°F. Making your way up a path that is flanked by the Ratzel and Rebman glaciers, you’ll climb for about six hours before reaching the edge of the crater, between Stella and Hans Meyer points. Another hour of climbing will take you to the summit. Uhuru stands at 19,340 feet and is the highest point on the continent of Africa. The track around the edge of the crater is rocky and icy, so concentrate on your feet and follow your guide closely for this portion of the journey. The descent is now easier than the ascent. You will reach Barafu Camp after about three hours at around 11.30. You’ll arrive at camp at about 17:00 after trekking for a total of 13 hours. You’ll have dinner and overnight at Mweka Camp.

After breakfast, you’ll continue down to Mweka gate where you sign your name and details into a register. If you were successful, you’ll receive a summit certificate. Climbers who reached Stella Point are issued with a green certificate and those who reached Uhuru Peak receive gold certificates. You’ll be met by a driver-guide who will take you to Kilimanjaro Wonders Hotel.

After breakfast, you’ll be taken to the airport for your flight home.

An extra day is offered at Karanga to acclimatise to the higher altitude. Here you’ll spend the day hiking to Karanga Camp, which is on the same altitude as Barranco Camp. You will encounter a bit of a climb at Barranco Cliff and spend the rest of the trek climbing up and down the slopes of the mountain most of the way to camp. The climbing is not considered difficult and you should arrive in time for lunch at about 13:00 having trekked for about four hours. In the afternoon you’ll have the opportunity to hike in the Karanga Valley where giant senecios and lobelia grow; however, it’s advised to rest as much as you possibly can to prepare you for the climb ahead. You’ll have dinner and overnight at Karanga Camp.