8 Days Mt. Kilimanjaro Rongai Route

ITINERARY

Day 1: ARRIVAL

Day 1: ARRIVAL Arrive at Kilimanjaro International Airport. You will be met and transferred to the Babylon Lodge in Marangu for accommodation and dinner. If you arrive early, you will spend day for relaxation in the beautiful lodge as you enjoy the Kilimanjaro region and the high altitude if you are coming from low altitude places. You can even take a walk to the local town which is just 10 minutes walking just to stretch your legs. Optional day If you have an extra day to spare this will be spent with your guides who will brief you on the Kilimanjaro climb and also check on your equipment. This will also help you relax and acclimatize to the Kilimanjaro. During the briefing the guides will tell you what to expect in terms of vegetation, the path, the expected weather, safety and how to increase your chances of reaching the top. You will also have the opportunity to ask the guides any questions that you might be having regarding your climb. In the afternoon the guides will take you to visit the magnificent waterfalls where you will spend the cool afternoon relaxing by the falls as you meditate on the Kilimanjaro climb the next day. This walk will also be beneficial as it will relax your muscles after a long flight making your climb easier the next day. As you do this walk, you will also get to know your guides better so that by the time you start the climb they are not only your guides but your friends too! If you don’t have a day to spare then there is no problem, the briefing will be done on the day of arrival or the morning before the climb.

Day 2: Rongai Gate (1950m) – 1st Caves camp (2600m)

Hiking time: 5 hours | Distance: About 8 km’s | Habitat: Montane forest Register at the Marangu park gate with a transfer (approximately 2 ½ hours) to the Rongai trailhead. Meet your guide and porters before you begin your hike from the NaleMoru village. The small winding path crosses maize fields before entering pine forest, and then climbs gently through a forest. The trail is not at all steep, but is rather a gentle hike through beautiful country. The first night’s camp is at First Cave, at about 2,600 metres. There is a toilet and a wooden table with benches, but no hut. Water can be found just down the trail below First Cave.

Day 3:1st Cave (2600m) – Kikelewa Cave (3600m)

Hiking time: 6-7 hours | Habitat: Moorlands The trail continues up towards Kibo, passing Second Cave (3450m) en-route, and reaching Kikelwa Cave at about 3600 metres. The views start to open up and you begin to feel you’re on a really big mountain! Water is in the obvious stream below the cave, although you might have to wander downhill a way to find some. Overnight at 3rd Cave camp (Kikelewa Caves).

Day 4: Kikelewa Cave (3600) – Mawenzi Tarn camp (4330m)

Hiking time: 3-4 hours | Habitat: Moorlands A short but steep climb up grassy slopes offers superb views of this wilderness area. The vegetation zone ends shortly before you reach your next camp at Mawenzi Tarn spectacularly situated beneath the towering spires of Mawenzi. Spend the afternoon acclimatizing and exploring the area. If you are spending an extra day on the mountain, you will camp for two nights here. You can hike up and around Mawenzi for your acclimatization hike.

Day 5: Mawenzi Tarn camp (4330m) – Kibo hut (4700m)

Hiking time: 4 – 5 hours | Habitat: Alpine desert Continue ascending on the east side of Kibo crossing the saddle between Mawenzi and Kibo taking 4 to 5 hours to reach Kibo Hut. The remainder of the day is spent resting in preparation for the final ascent, which begins around midnight. Overnight at Kibo Camp.

Day 6: SUMMIT ATTEMPT, Kibo hut (4700m) – Uhuru Peak (5895m) – Horombo hut (3720m)

Hiking time: 8 hours to reach Uhuru, 6 hours to descend to Horombo | Distance: 6 km’s ascent – 21 km’s descent | Habitat: Stone scree and ice-capped summit You will rise around 2hours 30 minutes, and after some tea and biscuits you shuffle off into the night. This is where the going really gets tough. The first section of the trail consists of a rocky path to the Hans Meyer Cave (5150m), also a good resting spot. The path then zigzags up to Gillman’s point (5 681m), which is located on the crater rim. This section is very steep with a lot of stone scree, requiring a great physical and mental effort. Probably the most demanding section of the entire route. Do the Kili shuffle and move slowly. From Gillman’s Point you will normally encounter snow all the way up to Uhuru peak (5895m), the highest point in Africa. Total exhilaration and satisfaction – you made it. Weather conditions on the summit will determine how long you can spend, taking photographs, before the 3-hour descent back to Kibo hut. After a short rest you gather all your gear for the ascent and head down to Horombo hut (3 hours) where you will overnight. The return to Horombo hut will seem surprisingly fast compared to the ascent. The total time spent walking on this day is around 14 hours, so be prepared for a very tough day. Later in the evening, you will enjoy your last dinner on the mountain and well-earned sleep, filled with memories and stirring emotions.

Day 7

After breakfast, a steady descent takes us down through moorland to Mandara Hut (2700m / 8858 ft), the first stopping place at the Marangu route. Continue descending through lovely lush forest on a good path to the National Park gate at Marangu (1830 m / 6004 ft). At lower elevations, it can be wet and muddy. Gaiters and trekking poles will help. Shorts and t-shirts will probably be plenty to wear (keep rain gear and warmer clothing handy). A vehicle will meet you at Marangu village to drive you back to the Babylon Lodge in Marangu. At Babylon Lodge you will have hot water showers and thereafter it will be time to celebrate with your guides and porters. Kilimanjaro beer for those who drink and barbecue will be a good way to celebrate your success of being to the highest point in Africa! The guides will also sing for you and the jovial mood of the evening will make your trip worth remembering!

Day 8

After breakfast you will depart for the airport or other destinations in Tanzania. We will be glad to arrange for you a tour to see the wild life of Tanzania or to the beautiful spice island of Zanzibar through our partner company.

Package Includes:

 -Transport from Kilimanjaro International Airport (JRO). Please note the pick up that is in this package is per van that can carry up to 5 people.

- Accommodation at Babylon Lodge on Bed and breakfast basis per person sharing on double and triple occupancy.

- Single room supplement at an additional $ 50

- Transport from Babylon Lodge to the Kilimanjaro National Park gate on the day you will be climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro

-All the Kilimanjaro National Park fees

- The hut fees/camping fees. The huts are used for accommodation on the mountain if you are climbing via Marangu route and camping fees if you are climbing via Machame route

 -All the food that will be used on the mountain. We provide quality and sufficient food for all our clients. We serve three meals in a day. Good breakfast containing oats, sausages, bread, coffee, drinking chocolate, tea, milk, eggs etc.

- The lunch will be a packed lunch that will be eaten on the way. It will be a wonderful take away lunch freshly prepared in the morning and containing all the necessity for your lunch. In the evening you will have tea as you wait for dinner. You will then have a 3 course meal; soup, main dish and desert!! Our mountain chefs are very good and you will be delighted by the good food that is freshly prepared and properly served at the dinning. We take mountain hospitality to the next level!!

- Fees for our well trained, experienced, charming English-speaking guides who will not only make sure you enjoy your climb but also take care of your safety throughout the whole climb.

-Your safety is our priority, then enjoying every step of your climb and reaching Uhuru peak.

-The success rate of our climbs is more than 98% and our clients are always impressed by our services

- Honest and hardworking porters who will help you to carry your bags, food, tents and other items that are needed on the mountain. We understand the good work they do to ensure you get a successful climb. For those who want very high discount you should know that this amount will result to low wages to the porters and the guides hence not improving the living standards of the people of Kilimanjaro.

- By having a tour with us you will be happy to know you are helping families meet their daily needs and assisting fathers to put their children through school.

- All the cooking utensils and other equipment used on the mountain

- Accommodation on Bed and breakfast at Babylon Lodge when you come down from the Mountain

- Oxygen incase of an emergency

- Transport from Kilimanjaro National Park gate to Babylon Lodge when you climb down from Mt.

- Kilimanjaro. Our driver will be the Kilimanjaro National Park gate waiting for you.

-We will bring you cold coke too for those who are interested and cold Kilimanjaro Beer to celebrate your climb and mark the end of a successful climb.

Package Excludes:

-International flights -Visas -Airport tax (pay direct) -Driver guide or local escort gratuities -Drinks and dining rooms tips, porterage, personal travel and baggage insurance -Telephone bill, laundry and any items of a personal nature -Any optional or additional activities

SOME INFORMATION REGARDING TIPS 

-As a client tipping should not be given on the basis of reaching the summit but rather whether your guides and porters were professionals and they assisted you with the climb. -You are not obliged to give tips and if your guides and porters for one reason or another did not meet your expectations please inform the office on your arrival at Babylon Lodge. Someone from the office will be there for debriefing and to talk to you about your experience on Kilimanjaro. You can tell him/her of the things that you enjoyed and what you think could be improved. We take our customer feedback very seriously and we are always working hard to improve the quality of our services to meet the needs of our customers -The guides and porters should not press you for tips and if they do please inform the office immediately as this is not acceptable. -Budget from USD $ 200 per person for tipping but the amount is at the client’s discretion. You can give more or less depending on what you have and how happy you were with the service. -Please note that this is just a guideline and you can decide to adjust the tipping depending on the amount that you have. Tanzania shillings and dollars are acceptable for tipping. – You can also decide to tip in terms of Items like your camel bag or any climbing equipment or clothes that you might not need to take with you back home. This can be in addition to the cash tip and the guides and porters will really appreciate. Items of clothes and shoes are also seen as valuables by the guides and porters. -Please don’t give tips to the guides and porters while on the mountain. All tipping should be done at the end of the climb upon successful descend. We can help you to distribute the tips or you can do it by yourself at the end of the climb. Either way is good with us and we are always very happy if both the clients, guides and porters are happy upon a successful climb. If you have any other question regarding our Kilimanjaro climb please don’t hesitate to contact us. We are looking forward to trek with you and provided you with the best Kilimanjaro experience.

N.B: DEPARTURE/RETURN International Airport of Kilimanjaro DEPARTURE TIME Please arrive at least 2 hours before the flight.