Drive from the Hotel to Londorossi Park Gate for registration. Our porters prepare and pack the supplies and luggage before we start our ascent along the forest trail to Mti Mkubwa (big tree) campsite at 2,895 m. We will stay here overnight.

Our journey continues eastwards across Shira Plateau and Shira Cathedral. We will cross moorland meadow to reach Shira 2 Camp for dinner and overnight camping. By now we will be able to see, in an easterly direction, the Western Breach with its stunning glaciers. The night here is colder than the previous night & the temperature could possibly go below freezing.

We leave the forest behind now, the trail gets steeper as it enters the moorland zone. A gentle grade walk takes you across the high altitude Shira Caldera to Shira Cave with fabulous views of Arrow glacier. Our route continues on a rocky and rugged eastward path as we ascend to the base of the Lava Tower at 4,600 m for lunch and acclimatization. This will be our toughest day so far and you may, for the first time, feel the altitude. After lunch we will descend again by almost 650 m to the Barranco camp. The high altitude of 4,600 m at Lava Tower and then descending to sleep will aid acclimatization. Our descent to Barranco camp takes about 2 hours and offers great opportunities to take some beautiful photographs of the Western Breach and Breach Wall. The camp is situated in a valley below the Breach and Great Barranco Wall, which should provide you with a memorable sunset while you wait for your dinner.

Today starts with a short, but fun, scramble, to the top of the Great Barranco Wall. We then traverse over scree to the Karanga Valley (3,930 m) beneath the icefalls of the Heim, Kersten and Decken Glaciers.  We will stay overnight at Karanga campsite.

We leave Karanga campsite behind to meet the junction connecting with the Mweka descent Trail. From here we continue up to the Barafu Hut. You have now completed the Southern Circuit, which offers views of the summit from many different angles. At camp, we can rest, enjoy dinner, and prepare for the summit day. The two peaks of Mawenzi and Kibo are to be clearly seen from this position.

You will be woken at 23:30 with some quick tea and biscuits. We start our trek to the summit between the Rebman and Ratzel glaciers. We will head in a north-westerly direction and ascend through heavy scree towards Stella Point on the crater rim. This is the most mentally and physically challenging part of the trek. At Stella Point (5,732 m), we will stop for a short rest and will be rewarded with the most magnificent sunrise you are ever likely to see (weather permitting). At Uhuru Peak (5,895 m), we will have reached the highest point on Mount Kilimanjaro and the continent of Africa. It can be very cold at night at these elevations, but it will be quite warm by the end of the hiking day. From the summit, we descend down to the Mweka Hut camp site, via Barafu for lunch. Trekking poles will be needed for the loose gravel going down to Mweka Camp (3,100 m). Later in the evening, we will enjoy our last dinner on the mountain and a well-earned sleep.

We depart after breakfast descending 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 be suitable (keep rain gear and warmer clothing handy). A vehicle will meet you to drive you back to the Hotel.