KILIMANJARO EXPEDITION - PTC Community

We are Mt Kilimanjaro specialists with over 97% summit success across all routes. Our expeditions are widely regarded for having the best guide-to-client ratios, luxury camp facilities, and high-quality meals. We also provide individual support from pre-booking, through your training and preparation and finally up to the summit and safely back down again.

If you are looking for a company to take you to the roof of Africa and help you tick off this challenging but achievable bucket list adventure, then look no further. Join Summit Expeditions on our next Mt Kilimanjaro trek and discover for yourself why we are the number one expedition company on the mountain.

UPCOMING EXPEDITIONS
Jun 23 - Jul 1, 2023
Available
EXPEDITION PACKAGES
Adult Package
Price for 1 adult (16+ years old)
USD 3,790
Deposit: $750
Child Package
Price for 1 accompanied child (10-15 years old)
USD 3,245
Deposit: $750

EXPEDITION Profile

Duration
9 Days
Grade
CHALLENGING
EXPERIENCE
ALL LEVELS
Max Altitude
5,895 m
group size
4-12
Arrival
KILIMANJARO
AIRPORT
Departure
KILIMANJARO
AIRPORT
accomodation
LUXURY TENTS
meals
all inclusive
season
YEAR ROUND

Overview

Located in the north of Tanzania straddling the country’s border with Kenya, Mt Kilimanjaro is the remnants of three volcanic craters; Shira to the west (now eroded) Mawenzi on the east & Kibo – the tallest of the three – in the centre.

Kilimanjaro is the tallest stand-alone peak in the world and famously is a part of both the Seven Summits and Volcanic Seven Summits Challenges.

Its summit, known as Uhuru Peak, means freedom in Swahili and stands at 5,895m. Although people do not know where the name ‘Kilimanjaro’ originated from, most people believe it is a mix of the Swahili word Kilima, meaning mountain, and the KiChagga word Njaro loosely translated as whiteness. Hence the name Kilimanjaro means White Mountain.

Itinerary

Today we make our way to Tanzania! 

After meeting at Kilimanjaro International Airport (KIA/JRO), we drive through the beautiful grass plains of Arusha for about an hour until we reach the hotel.

We will spend the remainder of the day preparing for our trek with an extensive kit check & group-climbing brief, before enjoying a traditional Tanzanian dinner and a good night’s rest.

After breakfast at the hotel, we will meet our whole support team including our guides, cooks & porters who will spend then next week with us on the mountain. 

We will drive from the hotel to the Londorossi Park entrance at 2,385m and onto the Lemosho Glades. Here we commence our expedition with a 3-4 hour hike, ascending steeply through the forest, until we reach a forest clearing, known as ‘Big Tree’ or Mti Mkubwa Camp.

Sleeping: In luxury tents at Mti Mkubwa Camp (2,700m)

Trekking time: 3-4 hours

Max altitude: 2,700m

Today is a big trekking day as we leave the rainforest and head towards the Shira Plateau, a volcanic spill-off from it’s last explosion about 100,000 years ago.

The terrain here is open with smaller, more fragile plants. We emerge onto the moorland above the forest after about an hour, then we detour northwards around the Shira ridge, through beautiful and rugged moorland with views of the plains below the mountain.

We stop at Shira 1 Camp for lunch and a rest before we continue across the plateau towards the Kibo crater. After 2-3 hours, the edge of the plateau is reached and the path ascends gradually for about 40 minutes to Shira 2 Camp at 3,700m, where we will stay overnight.

Sleeping: In luxury tents at Shira 2 Camp (3,700m)

Trekking time: 8-9 hours

Max altitude: 3,700m

Today we walk to Barranco Camp at 3,950m, whilst using the trek up to Lava Tower (4,500m) to acclimatise on the way.

From camp, the path continues through high altitude desert directly up the ridge towards Kibo. After about 4 hours, we will reach Lava Tower where we have lunch.

After the lunch, we descend for around 2 hours into the Barranco Valley and Baranco Camp, where we will stay overnight.

This is known as an acclimatisation day, since we ascend to 4,500m at lunchtime, but then descend to a camp which is only slightly higher than where we were in the morning.

Sleeping: In luxury tents at Barranco Camp 3,985m

Trekking time :7 hours

Max altitude: 4,500m

The path climbs out of the Barranco Valley via the Barranco wall. This is a steep 1 to 2 hour scramble ascending about 300 metres. The path then follows the gently undulating Kibo South Circuit. 

After about 3 hours we reach the Karanga Camp where we have lunch and the rest of the day to relax.

Overnight: In luxury tents at Karanga Camp (4,000)

Trekking time: 4-5 hours

Max Altitude: 4,100m

Today is another relatively short but challenging day, as we ascend from Karanga Camp up to Kosovo Camp (4,850m).

This is the final day to practice our summit night strategy, remembering to move ‘Pole Pole’ (slowly, slowly) and take short breaks.

After 3 hours we will reach Barafu Camp and then it’s a further 200m ascent up to Kosovo Camp, where we hope to arrive around lunch time.

We will have the rest of the afternoon to relax before we have an early dinner and briefing for the summit night.

Overnight: In luxury tents at Kosovo Camp (4,850m)

Trekking time: 4-5 hours

Max Altitude: 4,850m

We will set off from Kosovo Camp between 11pm and 1am, depending on the speed of the group. We will be woken one hour before the start time and after some light food & hot drinks and a final briefing and, we set off. 

We will discuss in detail what to expect during the summit night ascent during our pre-travel briefings and during the trek. The most important factor to note is that it will be difficult but it is very achievable, and requires no technical skills – it’s essentially just a steep walk!

It takes an average of 6 hours to reach Stella Point on the crater rim at 5,750m. From here, the path goes around the crater rim for a further hour to the summit at Uhuru Peak, 5,896m.

Depending on the state of each person at the summit, we might stay anywhere from 5 to 20 minutes, which is enough time for plenty of photos, videos, hugs and tears. Getting to the summit is an incredible experience and one that should celebrated and remembered.

Once we have finished at the summit we will descend back to Kosovo Camp, which can take 2-3 hours. After a rest and a meal, the descent continues to Millennium Camp will take another 3 hours.

Overnight: In luxury tents at Millennium Camp (3,900m)

Trekking time: 14-16 hours

Max altitude: 5,895m

The path descends for around 3 hours through the forest to Mweka gate.  Vehicles will be waiting to transport our group & crew back to our hotel .

That night, we will have a celebratory dinner and a good night’s sleep in a proper bed.

Today we say goodbye to Kilimanjaro and depart home.

Transfers will be arranged from the hotel back to Kilimanjaro International Airport (KIA/JRO), where we will say goodbye. . . at least until the next expedition!

What's Included

Reviews

Farah Mehdi
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Summit Expeditions is great. I climbed Kilimanjaro with them in October 2022 and they were organized and efficient in both preparing for the trip and on the trip itself. Our team leader, Sean, was knowledgeable and did a great job with keeping everyone motivated. I would definitely go on one of their trips again. Also, I strongly recommend the luxury tent option they have for Kilimanjaro - totally worth it.
Chloe Evans
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Summit Expeditions and Sean made our trip to summiting Kilimanjaro easy and enjoyable! We had the best support team on the mountain, we were safe, well cared for, well fed and in the trusting hands of knowledgeable guides and leaders. I cannot recommend summit expeditions enough for any of your mountain adventures! Thank you for a life-changing trip, full of good memories, fun and very high success rates!
Tala Shtayyeh
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I recently climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro with Summit Expeditions. I cannot recommend Summit Expeditions enough. Their professionalism and care ensured that the whole team was able to summit safely. A special thank you to Sean, as he was super patient and motivating with me the whole way up! Thank you!!
Jess Broad
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Would highly recommend booking a mountain trip with Summit Expeditions! I went with a group of teachers to Kilimanjaro last month with this company and everything from start to finish was fantastic. We had meetings beforehand to prepare us on what to pack and the outline of the trip. Sean, Caroline and Keith all shared their experiences and offered advice before the trip. Caroline was our guide from Summit Expeditions on our trip to Kili and was beyond friendly, helpful and supportive. The team they work with in Tanzania are the best. The food is unreal too. The week ended with us all reaching the summit! Thank you for everything!
Keven C.
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Sean and the support staff were amazing. They were extremely patient and supportive and it's thanks to them that my group had a 100% success rate to summit. I highly recommend Summit Expedition who are extremely professional and who prioritize the health and safety of the entire team. We already planning our next summit with them😀
Daniel Watson
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Summit Exped went the extra mile from start to finish to ensure a safe, well prepared and amazing experience while summiting mt. Kilimanjaro. The ground team they have assembled in Tanzania is second to none. They are dedicated to the team and to the teams success while ensuring everybody is safe, warm and well fed. Highly recommended! I'll be seeking my next adventure through them for sure.
Zoe Irvine
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I climbed Kilimanjaro with Summit Ex and had the most amazing experience. Sean is proffessional and a constant support. The team where all more than fantastic, and our food/tents/planning was all completely flawless. I would highly recommend- impeccable service from start to finish.
Scott G
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I recently went to Kilimanjaro with Summit Expeditions and I couldn't recommend them highly enough. A very organised trip and even though the hike was tough, the team were very supportive throughout (seeing as this is my first mountain)
Andrea Janjua
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I highly recommend Summit Expeditions to achieve your mountaineering dreams. Sean and his team were amazing, taking care of us every step of the way with great tips, clear guidance and catering to all our needs sometimes in very tough conditions. If you are looking for a company that will give you premium support on your mountain journey, look no further, you found them. Giving a 5+ star.
Keith O'Malley-Farrell
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We had an amazingly successful trip to the top of Kilimanjaro. Right from the beginning Caroline and Sean were amazingly helpful from pre trip advice, to packing tips and kit days. Once we arrived in Kilimanjaro they filled us with so much confidence and made everything really easy. Their professionalism and strategy to get a group of 26 of us to the summit was incredible and I don't think anybody else could have done so well with the variety of fitness levels that were in our group. I can't recommend Summit Expeditions enough.
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