7 Days Umbwe Route

Full Itinearary

Day 1: Arrival Day - Moshi

You can Enjoy mountain views from your comfortable lodgings in this small town, which is nestled at the foot of Kilimanjaro. Tomorrow is the start of your trip along the Umbwe Route; enjoy the remainder of the afternoon and evening at your leisure and get ready for your next adventure.

Day 2- Umbwe Gate – Umbwe Camp/,Cave: 9.6km/6mi | 6-8hrs | Moorland

Elevation: 1651m/5417ft to 2944m/9659ft
Altitude gained: 1293m
We’ll load our belongings into the car as the sun begins to rise over Moshi and drive for roughly an hour to the Machame Game to the Kilimanjaro National Park. We’ll take a short drive to the Umbwe Gate after registering, where we’ll start our adventure by hiking through a lovely montane forest.

The Umbwe Route’s stretch for today is around 11 kilometres (7 miles) long, and we should do it in six to seven hours. The trail quickly becomes particularly steep, which you’ll quickly learn is a constant aspect of the Umbwe Route. But perseverance always pays off, and soon we’ll be taking advantage of some well-earned downtime in Umbwe Camp, our first stop on the mountain.

Day 3- Umbwe Cave – Barranco Camp: 4.75km/3mi | 4-6hrs | Moorland

Elevation: 2944m/9659ft to 3986m/13,077ft

Altitude gained: 1042m

The panorama of the mountain changes noticeably on our second full day on the Umbwe Route hiking programme. Soon after leaving Umbwe Camp, we’ll leave behind the montane forest of Kilimanjaro and enter a vast wilderness of moors and heaths. For about four or five hours, we’ll thread our way through this surreal setting, hiking through the peculiar dendrosenecio plants that emerge from the heather like twisted cacti. We’re going to Barranco Camp today, where you’ll get your first look at the intimidating Barranco Wall. We’ll be taking on that infamous landmark first thing in the morning, so get lots of rest tonight!

Day 4 - Barranco Camp – Karanga Camp: 5.2km/3mi | 3-4hrs | Alpine Desert

Elevation: 3986m/13,077ft to 4034m/13,235ft

Altitude gained: 48m

You’ve already seen it; the next step is to overcome it. The Barranco Wall is an essential part of the majority of climbers’ routes up Mount Kilimanjaro, including the Umbwe Route we took. This 900-foot rock structure is notorious for its difficult ascension angle, but we’ll take it slow and easy and climb cautiously to make sure we successfully reach the summit of the wall in around two hours. Following a path that alternately rises and falls as it climbs mild hills and dips into lovely smaller valleys, we will continue on from here into the Karanga Valley. As we get closer to Karanga Camp, where we’ll stop for the day and pitch up our tents, we’ll have stunning views of Kilimanjaro’s summit and ice fields.

Day 5 -Karanga Camp – Barafu Camp: 3.3km /2 Mi | 3-4hrs | Alpine Desert

Elevation: 4034m/13,235ft to 4662m/15,295ft

Altitude gained: 628m

Despite being only a little portion of the Umbwe Route today, it is crucial to our attempt to climb Kilimanjaro. Our bodies will have the extra time they need to acclimatise to the higher altitude as we travel for about three or four hours before joining the Mweka Route. We’ll be hiking over 4,000 metres at this point in our journey, where the rarefied air starts to make the physical effort of rising even more strenuous. We need to make sure that our bodies are prepared for the last ascent since this is the last day of hiking we will complete before reaching the summit of Kilimanjaro. Our complete completion of Kilimanjaro’s Southern Circuit also occurs today. We’ll erect tents in the mountains.

Day 6 - Barafu Camp – Summit: 4.86km /3mi Up | 5-7hrs | – Mweka Camp: 11.5km /7.1mi Down | 5-6hrs | Glaciers, Snow Capped Summit

Elevation: 4662m/15,295ft to 5895m/19,341ft

Altitude gain: 1233m

Descent to 3106m/10,190ft

Altitude lost: 2789m

This is the point at which the entire Umbwe Route has been building. After a quick cup of tea and waking up at midnight, we’ll start our walk towards Stella Point by climbing across otherworldly glaciers in the early morning darkness. Watching the flaming ball of the sun burst across the East African highlands while standing at this natural outlook is undoubtedly a memory to cherish always. But it won’t be the highlight of your day; after taking in the panorama, we’ll continue hiking for an additional hour in order to reach the summit of Kilimanjaro. We’ll stand here, at a height of 5,895 metres, well above the clouds, basking in the glory of our triumphs, at Uhuru Peak, the highest point on the African continent.

Day 7 - Mweka Camp – Mweka Gate – Arusha: 9.1km/5.7mi |3-4hrs | Rainforest

Elevation: 3106m/10,190ft to 1633m/5358ft

Altitude lost: 1473m

This morning, we can afford to sleep in and reminisce about our successes from yesterday. We’ll pack our luggage and take the tortuous journey back into the montane forests of Kilimanjaro after breakfast. This is completely fresh ground for us to explore because the Umbwe Route never loops back on itself. At Mweka Gate, after a three to four-hour walk, we will have exited the Kilimanjaro National Park.

We’ll take a ride back to Arusha from this point on. We’ve booked you into a charming accommodation at the well-known Arusha Planet Lodge, where you can savour a delectable supper, cool off in the hotel pool, or even get a luxurious massage to soothe your sore muscles. No matter how you choose to unwind, be aware that you’ve