Northern Circuit 11 day tour
Northern Circuit
- 11 days
Overview
- Fully flexible dates
- 9 days of trekking
- Includes 2 nights’ hotel accommodation
- 8 nights on Kilimanjaro
Day to day itinerary
After checking in at the airport (JRO) you will meet your driver who will take you to the hotel in Moshi. For the rest of your day, you can do anything you want such as relaxing by the pool or you can explore more of Moshi. Your guide will meet with you in the evening and they will check all of your equipment as well as giving you a briefing about the climb.
Distance: 6 km
Hiking time: 3-4 hours
After having had breakfast in the hotel, we will take you to the Kilimanjaro National Park and to the Londorossi gate which is 2,250 metres above sea level. The journey will take about 2 hours. After completing the paperwork that is necessary for you to fill in so that you can climb, your ascent can begin. In the first section, you will walk through a rainforest where you may be able to see monkeys and animals in the vegetation. In the higher altitudes, you will be in the moorland which has less plant life. Approximately 3 hours later you will arrive at the first camp, Mti Mkubwa (also known as Big Tree Camp or Forest Camp), where you will spend your first night on Kilimanjaro sleeping in a tent.
Distance: 8 km
Hiking time: 5-6 hours
After an early breakfast, you will start climbing and shortly after the environment around you will change to a bushy, leafy forest. It should help you be able to see the majestic mountains in front of you more clearly. It will take about 3-4 hours and in the early afternoon you will arrive at Shira 1 Camp. From the camp, you can see a beautiful view of Kilimanjaro and the surrounding landscape. You can spend the rest of the day resting and relaxing. During the sunset, the rays of sunlight illuminate the mountains as well as the glacier on the volcano Kibo.
Distance: 10 km
Hiking time: 4-5 hours
After an early breakfast, you will set off on your journey. The landscape around you will be rocky with bushes and low grass and sometimes there will also be large lobelia trees. The elevation gain is quite small on this day, so the hike is less demanding. In the afternoon you will arrive at Shira 2 Camp. At the end of the journey and from the campsite there are nice views of Mount Meru and the Great Rift Valley. You can rest and relax for the rest of the day. During sunset, the sun’s rays illuminate the rocks and glacier on the Kibo volcano.
Distance: 10 km
Hiking time: 6-7 hours
On this day, you will first climb about 800 meters across the Shira Plateau to the Lava Tower, but then descend on the less used northern trail to a campsite at an altitude only slightly higher than the night before. This day will allow you to acclimatize well to the higher altitude before continuing the ascent. Vegetation decreases on the way up and the landscape changes to alpine semi-deserts. After a 5-7 hour walk you will arrive at Moir Hut.
Distance: 9 km
Hiking time: 6-7 hours
It will start in the Moir Valley, where there is a gentle incline. You’ll climb to the top of the Lent Hills before returning to the main trail. The trail crosses rock formations. Uphill and downhill sections alternate. After a 5-7 hour march you will arrive at Buffalo Camp.
This part of the trail offers great views of the plains that lie north of Kilimanjaro and stretch all the way to the Kenya-Tanzania border.
Distance: 8 km
Hiking time: 6-7 hours
As you head up Buffalo Ridge, the terrain becomes increasingly desert-like. This route is rarely used and you will enjoy the feeling of real mountain wilderness. You will pass through remote mountain valleys on the northern slope of Kilimanjaro until we reach the Third Cave.
Distance: 4 km
Hiking time: 4-5 hours
After a relatively easy path, you climb to the so-called “saddle” connecting Kibo Peak and Mawenzi Peak. At this height, almost nothing grows except for a bit of grass. The landscape changes to alpine semi-deserts and then to frost deserts. Finally, you will arrive at the School Hut, where you will have the afternoon and evening to rest before the night-time ascent to the summit.
Distance: 16 km
Hiking time: 14-16 hours
This is the day where you climb to Uhuru Peak – the highest peak of Mount Kilimanjaro. We will wake you up before midnight and shortly after you will start the final climb after a small snack. At this hour, the lava ash is frozen and climbing it is a bit easier. A night-time hike awaits you in freezing weather at a height where the lack of oxygen is already noticeable. Despite its difficulty, there is a good chance that you will reach the top with us. At dawn you reach Gilman’s Point at an altitude of 5,715 meters above sea level, from where the path is not so steep, but still strenuous due to the thinner air and requires a very slow pace. It gets noticeably warmer after dawn. After another 1 to 2 hours you will reach your destination – Uhuru Peak at 5,895 m above sea level. This is the highest point in Africa. Enjoy the moment and don’t forget to take a memorable summit photo with the iconic sign marking the summit of Kilimanjaro in the background before you return. Our guides will be happy to take your picture.
The first part of the descent is down the same path as earlier. The volcanic ash, which has probably melted by now may be slightly slippery. After returning to Barafu Camp you will be given a hot meal as well as 1-2 hours to rest and then you will continue your descent along the Mweka Trail to Mweka Camp which is 3,080m above sea level. At this height, there is more oxygen so that you can rest better after the long climb. After dinner, you can go to sleep.
Distance: 9 km
Hiking time: 3-4 hours
On this day, after breakfast, our porters and guides give you the final celebration ceremony and you can hand them your tip during this. After that, you will pack up and we will set off for the final descent to Mweka Gate. Here, further formalities will be taken care of with the park rangers and then you will drive to the Moshi Hotel to collect your belongings you will spend your last night there.
It is your final day. You’ll have breakfast in your hotel and then after checking out, we’ll transfer you to the airport.
Board: breakfast