Mount Kilimanjaro

Three possible routes

Via Machame (light green route). Overnight stays are in tents.

Via Marangu (red route). By this route, there is an acclimatization day at an altitude of 3,720 meters. This is the most accessible and direct route to the top. You will appreciate the beds with mattresses and pillows available in the huts where you will spend each night during the ascent!

By Lemosho (dark green route). The overnight stays are in tents. The number of visitors on this route is probably the lowest of the three proposed routes.

Preparation
The ascent is similar to a demanding mountain hike in the Alps at high altitude. Participants must be in good physical condition in order to tackle the 4 to 6 hours of daily walking. Minimum age is 14. Luggage and supplies are carried by porters.
The program seeks to match your athletic abilities as closely as possible. We are happy to discuss this with you.

Safety
The professionals who accompany you have received first aid training. They have a basic pharmacy allowing them to provide any first aid on site. They are also equipped with satellite phones to report a more serious health problem and take immediate action.

Environment
Climbing Kilimanjaro has become a fashionable adventure. We can only understand and encourage this desire to discover one of the most beautiful mountains in the world. However, this enthusiasm has an unfortunate consequence on the environment: there is a lot of waste along the route which accumulates over time. Il Maasai Hero Tours & Safaris has on the one hand a very strict corporate policy of preserving the environment with regard to its own waste, and, on the other hand, it encourages its walking clients to contribute to the cleanliness of the place by collecting as much waste as possible throughout the walk.

MACHAME Route
1st day: Kilimanjaro Airport – Moshi (1300 m)
2nd: Moshi – Machame Camp (2990 m)
3rd: Machame – Shira Camp (3840 m)
4th: Shira – Barranco Camp (3900 m)
5th: Barranco – Barafu Camp (4600 m)
6th: Barafu – Uhuru Peak – Mweka Camp (5895 m)
7th: Mweka – Moshi (1300 m)
8th: Moshi – Kilimanjaro Airport

1^th day: Kilimanjaro Airport – Moshi
Arrival at Kilimanjaro airport, customs and baggage claim. Welcome by your driver / English speaking guide. Overnight at Aishi Machame hotel.

2^nd day: Moshi – Machame Gate (1800m) – Machame Hut (3010m)
1200m vertical drop. 11km. 6 hour walk.
Breakfast and briefing about the ascent of Kilimanjaro, then a 45-minute minibus ride to the entrance to Kilimanjaro National Park, where the final check-in formalities will be completed. We will then begin our ascent in a tropical forest. On our arrival at Machame camp, we will enjoy a hot meal prepared by the cooks. Then we will retire to our tents for the night. The temperature could be negative at this first stage.

3^rd day: Machame Hut (3010m) – Shira Hut (3840m)
830m vertical drop. 5km. 4 to 5 hour walk
In the first part of the day you will reach the limit of the tropical forest. You will then descend through a more arid area, to reach your lunch spot. After the meal, you will follow the Shira plateau on a rocky ridge, which will offer you an exceptional view of the glaciers. You will then reach Shira’s hut.

4^th day: Shira Hut (3840m) – Lava Tower (4630m) – Barranco Hut (3960m)
790m positive elevation, 670m negative elevation. 11km. 7 to 8 hour walk
This is certainly the most trying day of the climb. It will allow you to contemplate rocky and semi-desert landscapes as you approach the Lava Tower. This step is essential for the body to adapt to the altitude and allow you to reach the top of Kili in good condition. It is possible that at this moment that you will start to experience certain symptoms due to the altitude, such as headache, shortness of breath, or irritability. After lunch, you will descend 670m to the Barranco camp, which you will reach at sunset. The lights on the great walls of Breach Wall and the West Glaciers will be exceptional.

5^th day: Barranco Hut (3960m) – Karanga Hut (4035m)
450m positive elevation, 375m negative elevation. 5km. 5 hour walk
After breakfast, you will leave Barranco Hut to cross the vertiginous wall of Barranco. You will then take a path barely two meters wide, causing a bit of anxiety for walkers prone to vertigo. The rest of the climb will be easier. You will climb up and down to end the day at Karanga camp.

6^th day: Karanga Hut (4035m) – Barafu Hut (4640m)
605m vertical drop. 5km. 5 hour walk
Morning walk to Barafu where the vegetation gives way to a lunar and volcanic setting. In the afternoon, rest to recover as much as possible and prepare for the final ascent.

7^th day: Barafu Hut (4640m) – Uhuru Peak (5895m) – Mweka Hut (3090m)
1255m positive elevation, 2805m negative elevation. 17km. 15 hour walk
You will get up around midnight to begin your final ascent to the top. You will savor one of the most beautiful sunrises in the world at Stella Point! Then you will leave for two hours walk in a strictly snowy world, to the top. This six hour hike is mentally and physically one of the most difficult. The time spent at the top will depend on the weather conditions, but you will savor your achievement and still take as many photos as you want. You will descend to Mweka camp at the end of the day to spend the night.

8^th day: Mweka Hut (3090m) – Mweka Gate (1650m) – Moshi
1440m negative elevation. 10km. 4 to 5 hour walk
After breakfast, you will walk through Mweka village and return to vehicles, which will transfer you to the hotel. A good shower and a hearty lunch will be welcome. You will then receive a diploma attesting to your achievement. Depending on your schedule, you will depart for KIA Airport, stay one more night at the hotel to reach the airport the next day, or continue your Tanzanian journey with a safari or to Zanzibar.

MARANGU
1st day: Kilimanjaro Airport–Moshi (1300 m)
2nd: Moshi–Mandara Refuge (2750 m)
3rd  Mandara–Horombo Refuge (3718 m)
4th: Horombo Refuge acclimatization day
5th: Horombo–Kibo Refuge (4703 m)
6th: Kibo–Uhuru Peak–Refuge Horombo (5895 m)
7th: Horombo–Moshi (1300 m)
8th: Moshi–Kilimanjaro Airport

1^th day: Kilimanjaro Airport – Moshi
Arrival at Kilimanjaro airport, customs and baggage claim. Welcome by your driver / English speaking guide. Overnight at Aishi Machame hotel.

2^nd day: Moshi – Marangu Gate (1970m) – Mandara Hut (2727m)
730m vertical drop. 11km. 4 to 5 hour walk.
Breakfast and briefing on the ascent of Kilimanjaro, then a 45-minute minibus ride to the entrance to Kilimanjaro National Park, where final check-in formalities will be completed. You will then begin your ascent in a tropical forest populated by eucalyptus, many varieties of sumptuous birds and Colobus monkeys. You will arrive at Mandara Refuge after lunch. This will allow those who wish to go to Maundi Crater to savor an exceptional view of Lake Jipe and the Usambara Mountains.

3^rd day: Mandara Hut (2727m) – Horombo Hut (3720m)
993m vertical drop. 10km. 5 to 6 hour walk
You will hike on a well-marked path that crosses dense and unusual vegetation, made up of small shrubs and giant groundsel, herbaceous plants with yellow flowers. Magnificent view of the Mawenzi.

4^th day: acclimatization day at Horombo Hut
750m vertical drop. Acclimatization.
This day allows you to acclimatize to the altitude and increase your chances of reaching the summit in good condition. To do this, you will cross different vegetation, passing from a high desert to lush vegetation where groundsel and giant lobelia are everywhere. At the end of the day, you will descend to the camp at 3720 meters after having climbed to 4500m.

5^th day: Horombo Hut (3720m) – Kibo Hut (4705m)
985m vertical drop. 10 km. 6 to 7 hour walk.
You pass by the last water point and quickly find that the vegetation disappears to make way for a desert. Walking slows down, so that your body can acclimatize and so that you can admire the landscape. After crossing the saddle (a large saddle-shaped expanse, a long flat section between Mawenzi and Kibo), you will make the last effort before reaching the camp.

6^th day: Kibo Hut (4705m) – Sommet Uhuru Peak – Horombo
1190m positive elevation, 2175 negative elevation. 16 km. 15 hour walk.
Departure very early in the night. The slope is steep and regular. After 5-7 hours walk, you will arrive at Gillman’s Point (5685m) at sunrise. You will then continue for about an hour and a half along the snow-capped ridge of the volcano, to reach the real summit. Depending on the weather, you will be able to savor your success for a longer or shorter time and then descend to Horombo Hut in 2 to 3 hours. Well-deserved dinner and night at the camp.

7^th day: Horombo Hut (3720m) – Moshi (1300m)
2420m negative elevation. 18 km. 5 to 6 hour walk.
You will leave the camp after lunch. You will then reach the Marangu gate where the vehicles will be waiting to bring you back to the hotel. We will then give you your certificate confirming your achievement.

8^th day: Moshi – Arusha
We will arrange your transfer to KIA Airport according to your return flight schedules, or we will be happy to organize your onward safari or a trip to Zanzibar.