Mount Kilimanjaro Treks

Mount Kilimanjaro is famous as the highest peak in Africa, and perhaps what makes its snow-capped summit all the more impressive is that it stands alone towering almost 5000m above the surrounding plains. A trek up Kili is an exhilarating, beautiful and challenging experience and your reward, of watching the sunrise from the top of Africa’s highest mountain, is breathtaking.

BAOBAB offers you the chance to climb to the peak of Kili following the lesser-used Machame route. This route takes 6 days and offers a gradual ascent, a wide range of scenic areas and gives plenty of time to acclimatise. This Kilimanjaro trek is available at group departure dates or on a tailor-made basis. Please find further details below. The better-known Marangu Route is also available. (please contact BAOBAB for further details).

All BAOBAB’s prices are excluding the international flight, which provides you with more flexibility, especially when you are based outside the UK. BAOBAB will arrange all aspects of your holiday once you are in Tanzania, including transfers to Mount Kilimanjaro & your accommodation in Arusha.

Environmental & Health Concerns

Although mountain treks generate necessary jobs and income for local people, Tourism Concern receives regular reports of Kilimanjaro porters being exploited, working for unfair low wages, carrying too heavy loads without proper equipment or being withheld from their basic rights. BAOBAB operates an ‘equal rights and proper working conditions for porters’ policy.

In order to successfully climb Mt. Kilimanjaro you need to be in good health and fitness. Yet, you may still suffer from altitude sickness - inability of the body to adjust to a rapid increase in altitude – showing symptoms such as loss of appetite, headache, nausea, vomiting, exhaustion, weakness, and rapid-pulse at rest. Furthermore, at high altitudes only a small amount of UV sunlight is filtered out, which can result in severe sunburn - always wear high factor sunblocks and sunglasses. For further advice check www.traveldoctor.co.uk.

One of many features that make Mount Kilimanjaro famous, are the glaciers at its summit, which began to form about 11,700 years ago. In 1912, Science reported that these glaciers measured 4.8 square miles - however by the year 2000 they had already shrunk to a meagre 1 square mile. Now the glaciers are melting so quickly that they may be gone altogether by 2020, according to recent research. However, further research is needed to determine to what extent global warming and/or natural climate variability are responsible for the demise of Kilimanjaro’s glaciers.

Itinerary

Day 1
Arrival in Arusha and checking into the Outpost (HB), a small family run hotel with ensuite cosy garden bungalows. The Outpost is famous for their evening buffet. Here, you will have time to recover from your flight and sort yourselves out for the Kilimanjaro expedition, i.e. separating what gear to carry and what to leave in the hotel.

Day 2
Transfer from Arusha to Mount Kilimanjaro National Park to start the Kili ascent via the Machame route. The start of this route is through rainforest on a winding trail and will take 5 to 7 hours up to the Machame hut at approx 3,100m, where you will spend the night camping (FB).

Day 3
After breakfast you’ll leave the glades of the rainforest and continue trekking up to approx 3,800m. You’ll cross a small valley, steep rocky ridges covered with heather and at 3,658m you will turn into the river gorge. This part of the trek takes again around 5 to 7 hours. Overnight stay at the Shira hut campsite (FB).

Day 4
From the Shira plateau, the next part of the Kili climb takes you to the lava tower, called the Shark’s Tooth. From this distinct point along the route, you’ll slowly make your way to the Arrow glacier. After 5 to 7 hours you’ll reach the Baranco hut campsite at 3,950m. Overnight stay camping (FB).

Day 5
Leaving the Baranco hut in the morning, passing the Baranco Wall via steep ridges and through the Karanga Valley, you’ll reach the Barafu hut after 8-9 hours. Barafu at 4,600m height offers fantastic views of the Kibo and Mawenzi peaks. Overnight stay camping (FB).

Day 6
Just after midnight you’ll walk to Stella Point (5,745m) on the way to the summit (Uhuru Peak) at 5,896m. This last stretch of the Kili trek will take around 8 hours and should get you to the summit for the most breathtaking sunrise. After this major achievement of reaching the snow-capped peak of the Kilimanjaro, you’ll prepare to descend to the Mweka hut at 3,100m. This part of the descent takes about 5 hours, overnight stay camping (FB).