Muscles burn as you ascend Mount Kilimanjaro, Africa's highest, skirting highland montane and dense rubber tree forests, haunting volcanic lava landscapes and breathtaking canyons along the way.
NOTE: This program contains strenuous activity; a good level of fitness is essential. Please ask A&K for details.
Climbing Kilimanjaro with Abercrombie & Kent
A&K's Mount Kilimanjaro expeditions are planned
to the last detail by mountaineering experts, who take
into consideration every factor that contributes to a
successful climb.
Quality control: All elements of your climb are overseen by A&K - the only tour operator with a dedicated in-country climbing operation. Ongoing training programs keep the team updated on the latest information to ensure a safe and successful climb.
Safety: A&K carries oxygen bottles, portable altitude chambers, pulse oximeters, first aid kits and multiples of communications equipment on every single climb. In addition, guides assess climbers' heart rates and check oxygen saturation daily.
Guides: All of our guides are trained in wilderness first aid, mountain craft, natural history and ecological awareness.
Equipment: Our climbs are equipped with the finest climbing and camping apparatus (including private igloo-shaped tents), safety equipment and communications network on the mountain. Acclimatization: While most trekkers spend a total of five days on the mountain, A&K schedules seven to allow more time for premium altitude acclimatization, giving us a successful summit rate of 97%.
To learn about more challenging routes, such as Lemosho and Umbwe, visit akextremeadventures.com.
Luxury Small Group Journeys 2013
Brochure
Single supplement is waived on the Oct 12 and Dec 19 departures for a savings of $950.
Climb in complete peace of mind with Abercrombie & Kent, the only international tour operator with its own dedicated, strictly managed Mount Kilimanjaro operation
A&K climbs allow time for acclimatization, giving our expeditions a successful summit rate of 97 percent
All A&K guides are trained in wilderness first aid, mountain craft, natural history and ecological awareness
We use the finest climbing and camping apparatus available to ensure safety and comfort throughout your journey
Private, igloo-shaped tents allow A&K guests to bypass the rustic mountain huts where most climbers spend their nights
Porters transport your luggage and equipment; you carry only a day pack
Following an overnight flight to Kilimanjaro International Airport in Arusha, transfer to your lodge.
Serena Mountain VillageIn anticipation of the climb ahead, acclimatize as you walk through Arusha National Park. Situated between the peaks of Mount Kilimanjaro and Meru, this beautiful park houses a wide range of habitats, from the string of crater lakes where you can watch water birds to the highland montane forest and imposing summit of Mount Meru. The forest itself contains a wealth of wildlife, including beautiful bushbucks — sometimes glimpsed in the glades between the ancient cedar trees — and black-and-white colobus monkeys. This evening, meet fellow climbers during a welcome dinner.
Serena Mountain Village | Meals: B L DAfter breakfast, you are driven from Arusha to the Machame village on the slopes of Mount Kilimanjaro to begin your climb. Hike for about six hours through dense rubber tree and giant fig forests to your camp, set up near huts once used for shelter on the mountain. As you make your way up through the forested terrain, look for signs of elephants. Your first camp is set at an altitude of 10,000 feet.
Machame Camp | Meals: B L DAfter rising early to a hot cup of coffee or tea, leave camp and absorb the commanding view of Uhuru Peak. Trek out of the forest up to the Hagenia zone through a savanna of tall grasses and ghostly landscapes of volcanic lava; arrive, after a six-hour hike, at the Shira Plateau and your camp. At 12,500 feet, it boasts sweeping views across the Masai Steppe to distant Mount Meru and the Shira Needles.
Shira Camp | Meals: B L DDuring a six-hour hike, skirt the Shira Plateau toward the Kibo Massif and upward to the pass at Lava Tower (15,000 feet). Descend toward Barranco Camp through the immense Grand Barranco canyon that is punctuated by small waterfalls and fed by streams from the Umbwe River. Camp lies at an elevation of 13,000 feet.
Barranco Camp | Meals: B L DHike for about four hours along the Barranco Cliff with no increase in elevation, allowing you time to rest and adjust to the increasingly higher altitudes. In the afternoon, you may hike in the Karanga Valley, where giant senecio and lobelia grow.
Karanga Camp | Meals: B L DTake another short, four- to five-hour trek and a day of acclimatization as you near the mountain’s peak, stopping at Barafu Camp (15,200 feet) on a moraine with views of majestic Mawenzi Peak to the right and Kibo Peak overhead. The surrounding alpine desert terrain is largely mineral, with some lichens and moss. Turn in early this evening, as tomorrow’s is a longer, more arduous climb.
Barafu Camp | Meals: B L DRise very early and begin the final ascent to Stella Point, at 18,630 feet on the rim of Kibo Crater. Make your way up a winding path flanked by the Ratzel and Rebmann glaciers. As the sun rises, continue around the rim to Uhuru Peak (19,341 feet), where the air is rarefied. Should all go as planned, you will stand at the highest point in Africa in about seven hours’ time. After savoring your achievement, begin the descent to your last campsite, at an elevation of 10,200 feet. Trek for about 13 hours today.
Mweka Camp | Meals: B L DContinue your descent to the base of the mountain, where your Abercrombie & Kent driver greets and transports you back to Arusha. During a farewell lunch, swap stories with fellow travellers. Dayrooms are provided until your departure flight.
Serena Mountain Village (dayroom) | Meals: B LPrices are in USD, per person, based on double occupancy.
| Jun. 17, 2013 - Jun. 25, 2013 | $5,460 | -- | Call for Availability |
| Jul. 16, 2013 - Jul. 24, 2013 | $5,460 | -- | Call for Availability |
| Aug. 14, 2013 - Aug. 22, 2013 | $5,460 | -- | Call for Availability |
| Aug. 21, 2013 - Aug. 29, 2013 | $5,460 | -- | Available |
| Sep. 13, 2013 - Sep. 21, 2013 | $5,460 | -- | Limited Availability |
| Sep. 28, 2013 - Oct. 06, 2013 | $5,460 | -- | Available |
| Oct. 12, 2013 - Oct. 20, 2013 | $5,460 | -- | Call for Availability |
| Oct. 28, 2013 - Nov. 05, 2013 | $5,460 | -- | Available |
| Dec. 19, 2013 - Dec. 27, 2013 | $6,495 | -- | Limited Availability |