Kilimanjaro Rongai Route — 6 Days Self-Launched Trek

Get an early shared shuttle or dalla-dalla from Moshi to the Rongai Gate on the Kenyan border (about 3 hours, ~£25 for a seat in a shared 4x4 with your crew). Register and pay park fees at the gate, then walk gently up through maize fields, pine forest and heather. Keep an eye out for colobus monkeys and the occasional elephant or buffalo — this northern side is much quieter than Marangu. It's a short 4–5 hour day designed purely to get you high and acclimatising early.

🚌Shared 4x4 shuttle from Moshi to Rongai Gate (~£25), then on foot

🛏Tent at Simba Camp (provided by your arranged trek crew)

• →Gate registration and permit check
• →Trek through farmland and pine forest
• →Wildlife spotting — colobus monkeys, birds

A solid 6–7 hour day climbing steadily through heathland to the First Caves for lunch — a natural lava-tube overhang that makes a memorable lunch stop. In the afternoon the vegetation thins out completely as you cross open moorland to Kikelewa Camp, tucked under the jagged spires of Mawenzi. Drink as much water as you can (3–4 litres) and go slow — today is where altitude starts to bite if you rush it.

🚌On foot (~9 km)

🛏Tent at Kikelewa Camp

• →Lunch stop at First Caves
• →Moorland trek to Kikelewa Camp
• →Acclimatisation walking

A short but steep day — only about 4 hours, climbing grassy slopes and rock steps onto the saddle beneath Mawenzi, Kilimanjaro's second-highest peak. The campsite at Mawenzi Tarn is one of the most spectacular on the mountain: a green glacial tarn ringed by dark volcanic towers. Spend the afternoon on an acclimatisation walk up one of the ridges above camp, then eat early and sleep.

🚌On foot (~6 km, steep)

🛏Tent at Mawenzi Tarn

• →Steep climb up grassy slopes
• →Acclimatisation ridge walk above camp
• →Sunset over Mawenzi's spires

The long, exposed walk across the alpine desert saddle between Mawenzi and Kibo — 5–6 hours on a lunar, waterless landscape at 4,500 m+. You'll arrive at Kibo Hut in early afternoon, right at the foot of the summit scree. Eat a big early dinner (5 pm) and try to sleep before the midnight start. Keep your summit layers and headtorch packed and ready by the door.

🚌On foot (~9 km across the saddle)

🛏Tent or hut dorm at Kibo Hut

• →Trek across the Mawenzi–Kibo saddle
• →Arrival and rest at Kibo Hut
• →Summit brief with guide

The big one. Up at around 11 pm for tea and biscuits, then a slow zigzag on scree in the dark — 5–6 hours to Gilman's Point (5,681 m) on the crater rim, then another 1.5–2 hours around the crater edge to Uhuru Peak, Africa's highest point at 5,895 m. Take photos, celebrate briefly, then get down — the descent to Kibo Hut is a fast scree scree-run (2 hours), followed by a 3–4 hour walk down to Horombo Hut. This is the toughest day of the trek; keep moving on the descent and don't skip water.

🚌On foot (~16 km up and down, 12–14 hours)

🛏Tent or hut dorm at Horombo Hut

• →Midnight summit push
• →Hans Meyer Cave (5,150 m)
• →Gilman's Point (5,681 m)
• →Uhuru Peak (5,895 m)
• →Long descent to Horombo Hut

A relaxed 5–6 hour descent through the rainforest, passing Mandara Hut and keeping an eye out for blue monkeys. Sign out and collect your summit certificate at Marangu Gate (bring cash for tips for your guide, cook and porters — budget roughly £80–120 per trekker for a 6-person crew). Catch a shared shuttle or dalla-dalla back down to Moshi or Arusha, then a cheap guesthouse, a hot shower and a very large meal.

🚌On foot (~20 km descent), then shared shuttle Marangu to Moshi (~£10)

🛏Budget guesthouse in Moshi (~£15)

• →Descent past Mandara Hut
• →Certificate collection at Marangu Gate
• →Tip distribution to your crew