7 Days Umbwe Route

Itinerary

Day 0: Pre-trek Briefing

If you have opted for the optional airport transfers, we will pick you up from Kilimanjaro Airport or Arusha airport and transfer you to your hotel in Moshi.

Pre-trek briefing at your Moshi hotel. You should be planning to arrive at least one day before the start of the trek. Today we will spend time having a pre-trek briefing. We will also review your equipment and rent any equipment which is needed.

Day 1: Hotel to Umbwe Cave Camp

Drive from Moshi to the Umbwe Gate (about 1 hour). Commence the climb through the rainforest with packed lunch en route.

Elevation: 1660m/5450ft to 2850m/9350ft
Distance: 11km/7mi
Hiking Time: 5-6 hours
Habitat: Montane Forest
Meals: Lunch and Dinner

Day 2: Umbwe Cave Camp to Barranco Camp

After breakfast, we leave the glades of the forest and follow an ascending path on the open moorland to Barranco Camp.

Elevation: 2850m/9350ft to 4000m/13,000ft
Distance: 6km/4mi
Walking Time: 4-5 hours
Habitat: Semi-desert
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Day 3: Stay at Barranco Camp

Extra Day for Acclimatization. Adding this day will ease your effort, and amplify your acclimatization.

Elevation: 4050m/13,250ft
Distance: 0km/0mi
Hiking Time: 0 hours
Habitat: Alpine Desert
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Day 4: Barranco Camp to Karanga Camp

After breakfast, we leave Barranco and continue on a steep ridge up the Barranco Wall to the Karanga Valley and the junction which connects with the Mweka Trail.

Elevation: 4000m/13,000ft to 4050m/13,250ft
Distance: 5km/3mi
Hiking Time: 34 hours
Habitat: Alpine Desert
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Day 5: Karanga Camp to Barafu Camp

We continue up to the Barafu Camp. You have completed the South Circuit, which offers views of the summit from many different angles. Here we make camp, rest, enjoy dinner, and prepare for the summit day.

Elevation: 4050m/13,250ft to 4700m/15,350ft
Distance: 4km/2mi
Hiking Time: 3-4 hours
Habitat: Alpine Desert
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Day 6: Barafu Camp to Summit to Mweka Camp

Very early in the morning (midnight to 2 am), we continue our way to the summit between the Rebmann and Ratzel glaciers. You head in a northwesterly direction and ascend through a heavy scree towards Stella Point on the crater rim. This is the most mentally and physically challenging portion of the trek. At Stella Point, you will stop for a short rest and will be rewarded with the most magnificent sunrise you are ever likely to see. Faster hikers may view the sunrise from the summit.

From Stella Point, you may encounter snow all the way on your 1-hour ascent to the summit. Once at Uhuru Peak, you have reached the highest point on Mount Kilimanjaro and the continent of Africa!

From the summit we begin our descent by continuing straight down to the Mweka Camp, stopping at Barafu for lunch. You may want gaiters and trekking poles for the loose gravel going down. We arrive at Mweka Camp and enjoy our last evening on the mountain.

Elevation: 4700m/15,350ft to 5895m/19,340ft
Down to 3090m/10,150ft
Distance: 5km/3mi up / 13km/8mi down
Hiking Time: 5-7 hours up / 5-6 hours down
Habitat: Stone scree and ice-capped summit
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Day 7: Mweka Camp to Mweka Gate to Moshi hotel

After breakfast, we continue the descent down to the Mweka Park Gate to receive your summit certificates. At lower elevations, it can be wet and muddy. Gaiters and trekking poles will help. Shorts and t-shirts will probably be plenty to wear (keep rain gear and warmer clothing handy).

From the gate, continue another hour to Mweka Village. A vehicle will meet you at Mweka gate to drive you back to your hotel in Moshi (about 30 minutes).

Elevation: 3090m/10,150ft to 1680m/5500ft
Distance: 10km/6mi
Hiking Time: 3-4 hours
Habitat: Forest
Meals: Breakfast

Inclusions

• All transfers to the mountain and back to your Moshi hotel
• Professional, experienced, mountain guides
• Guides, Porters, Cook salaries and park fees
• Quality, waterproof, four-season mountain sleeping tents (on twin sharing basis)
• Sleeping Mattress
• Emergency Oxygen Cylinder
• All meals while on the Mountain
• Quality Mess tents with tables and chairs
• Large portions of fresh, healthy, nutritious food
• Clean, purified drinking water
• Conservation fees (part of park fees)
• Camping or Hut fees (part of park fees)
• Rescue fees (part of park fees)
• VAT (18% charged by the Government)
• Kilimanjaro summit certificate

Exclusions

• Tanzania Visa
• International and domestic flights
• Hotel (available as an optional addon)
• Transfers (available as an optional addon)
• Personal trekking equipment such as sleepings bags, hiking boots, clothes, etc (available for renting)
• Tips and gratuities
• Travel Insurance
• Personal Expenses (e.g. laundry, telephone, beverages, etc.)
• Meals not listed in the itinerary
• Liquors, beers and bottled beverages
• Surcharge for online payment of advance and balance (5% on each payment)

Supplements

• Off-season supplement = USD 72
  Charged for solo trekkers to start a new departure in the month of March, April, May and November. This does not apply if you join an existing group. This does not apply if others trekkers also join your new group.

Discounts

Available discounts for Umbwe – 7 days

• • Children between 5 years and 15 years old
    Code: 5TO15 – USD 690 per person
  • Expatriates/Residents living in Tanzania
    Code: RESTAN – USD 245 per person
  • East African Citizens
    Code: EAC – USD 880 per person

Addons

Hotels

We offer the following hotel options

• • Lindrin Lodge (Single Room) – USD 55 per night
  • Lindrin Lodge (Double Room) – USD 70 per night
  • Lindrin Lodge (Triple Room) – USD 105 per night
  • Keys Hotel (Single Room) – USD 69 per night
  • Keys Hotel (Double Room) – USD 94 per night
  • Keys Hotel (Triple Room) – USD 122 per night
  • Parkview Inn (Single Room) – USD 81 per night
  • Parkview Inn (Double Room) – USD 91 per night
  • Parkview Inn (Triple Room) – USD 170 per night
  • Kilimanjaro Wonders (Single Room) – USD 140 per night
  • Kilimanjaro Wonders (Double Room) – USD 160 per night

Please note that if any hotel is booked out or is otherwise unavailable, we will book you in an alternate equivalent hotel.

If you are booking a hotel directly, please check with us before booking, to make sure we can meet you and pick you up from the hotel.

Gear

We offer the following add-ons to your gear

• • Private Toilet – USD 150
  • Private Tent – USD 5 per day
  • Thicker sleeping mattress – USD 10 per mattress
  • Thermarest – USD 15 per Thermarest

Our packages by default include a foam sleeping mattress of 2-inch thickness, if you want a thicker alternative you can opt a 4-inch foam mattress with above mentioned extra cost.

Transfers

We offer the following transfer options

• • Kilimanjaro Airport (JRO) to Moshi (one way) – USD 50 per vehicle
  • Moshi to Kilimanjaro Airport (JRO) (one way) – USD 50 per vehicle
  • Arusha to Moshi (one way) – USD 100 per vehicle
  • Moshi to Arusha (one way) – USD 100 per vehicle

Private Trek

Prices for a Private Trek

Please find below the prices for organizing a private trek. The prices are based on your group size.

• • Solo Trekker – USD 1856 per person
  • Group of 2 – USD 1713 per person
  • Group of 3 – USD 1658 per person
  • Group of 4 – USD 1655 per person
  • Group of 5 – USD 1642 per person
  • Group of 6 – USD 1639 per person
  • Group of 7 – USD 1636 per person
  • Group of 8 – USD 1635 per person
  • Group of 9 – USD 1626 per person
  • Group of 10 and above – USD 1624 per person