The Snows of Kilimanjaro

Luxury Small Group Journeys: The finest small-group travel experience

• Download Trip PDF
• Send this Trip to a Friend
• Print This Trip

Itinerary

Day 1: Arrive Arusha, Tanzania

Following an overnight flight to Kilimanjaro International Airport in Arusha, transfer to your lodge.

Serena Mountain Village

Day 2: Arusha

In 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 D

Day 3: Arusha/Mount Kilimanjaro

After 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 D

Day 4: Mount Kilimanjaro

After 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 D

Day 5: Mount Kilimanjaro

During 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 D

Day 6: Mount Kilimanjaro

Hike 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 D

Day 7: Mount Kilimanjaro

Take 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 D

Day 8: Mount Kilimanjaro

Rise 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 D

Day 9: Mount Kilimanjaro/Arusha/Depart

Continue 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 L