Kilimanjaro Western Approach Trek

Depart the U.S. on independent flights to Arusha, Tanzania (Kilimanjaro International Airport-KIA). Airfare is not included in trip price.

Arrive into Kilimanjaro Airport where you will be met and transferred to your lodge in Arusha.

Accommodations: Rivertrees Country Inn

Rest at your lodge today as you prepare for the start of your trek. The lodge offers multiple optional activities, including village walks, coffee farm tours, and river walks. (Additional fees may apply).

Have a trek briefing this evening, during which you will receive your rental gear (if applicable). Please try on and inspect each item to make sure that it's comfortable and that you understand all the features. This will be your last chance before the trek to modify, exchange or add gear.

Accommodations: Rivertrees Country Inn 

Meals Included: (B, L, D)

Wake up to a chorus of birds this morning. After a thorough briefing and gear check, it’s off to the wide-open plains that lead to Kilimanjaro. Passing coffee farms and mountainside villages, you will drive to the dense rainforest where you will meet your guides and porters, complete registration formalities, and begin your trek. 

Under the tangled canopy of moss coated vines, search for black and white Colobus monkey, blue monkey, and a vibrant array of exotic birds. Settle in at the camp, which is nestled in verdant forest.

Accommodations: Forest Camp (8,694 feet)

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

As you make your way out of the forest this morning, the high trees will give way to a savannah of tall grasses thick with heather and vegetation draped in bearded lichen. Continue into the moorlands, which are covered in bizarre flora and volcanic rock. Enjoy spectacular views of the plains below and perhaps, if the clouds part, even a glimpse of the snow-streaked Uhuru Peak above. Arrive at your camp in the moorlands.

Accommodations: Shira Camp 1 (11,844 feet)

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Today you will continue to wind your way through the moorlands and bordering heather zones. You will notice the vegetation begin to thin out as you reach the alpine desert, which is marked by a vast plateau and strange volcanic plugs. One of the larger formations is a lava tower named the Shark's Tooth.

Accommodations: Moir Camp (13,780 feet)

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

You'll drop down from the alpine desert into the moorlands today, giving you time to acclimatize in the lower altitudes. Explore the valleys and undulating, starkly beautiful landscapes. The terrain of volcanic rock and boulders is dotted with strange plantlife, such as groundsels, giant lobelias, and everlasting flowers. You will also trek up the towering Barranco Wall over a narrow switchback that will require some scrambling, but ultimately pays off with extraordinary views of glaciers above the clouds.With such surroundings, it's easy to stay motivated and inspired.

Accommodations: Barranco Camp (12,795 feet)

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Back up!

Accommodations: Karanga Camp (13,107 feet)

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Proceed steadily upward over expansive ridgelines in the high alpine desert where the air thins and cools. Enjoy the extraordinary views as you pass massive volcanic formations scattered throughout the fields of scree. Only white-necked ravens and a handful of other birds venture this high, where vegetation is scarce. Camp in this lunar landscape where you may see the hanging glaciers that drape Kilimanjaro's summit cone.

Accommodations: Barafu Camp (15,331 feet)

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Continue through the stark alpine desert this morning and venture into Kilimanjaro's final climate zone. You'll trek over a varied terrain of switchbacks, rock fields, loose scree, and snow-packed trails. Reach Uhuru Peak this afternoon, take in the sweeping views of glaciers, crater, and Mawenzi, before returning to your campsite.

Accommodations: Barafu Camp (15,331 feet)

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

After a celebratory breakfast, depart the barren landscapes of the Alpine Desert zone as you begin your descent to your camp nestled in the thick heather.

Accommodations: Mweka Camp (10,171 feet)

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Complete your descent through the rainforest to Mweka Gate at 5,381 feet. Celebrate the completion of your mountain adventure with a farewell lunch at the park gate. This is a great opportunity to thank your crew and say your goodbyes to those who made your trek a success! Land Rovers will be waiting to take you back into town. Enjoy a day room in Arusha, resting up and readying yourself for your departure.

Accommodations: Day Room in Arusha

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch