7-Day Kilimanjaro Climb in Tanzania with Bookitlist

Day 1- Arrival

On arrival at Kilimanjaro International Airport, you’ll be greeted by our representative and transferred to your hotel in Moshi. Later, you’ll meet your guide for a full briefing and a final gear check to make sure you’re ready for the climb.

Day 2- Moshi to Mandara Hut

After breakfast and a final briefing, you’ll drive to the Kilimanjaro National Park gate to register before starting your trek. Today’s walk is a gentle introduction, winding through lush rainforest alive with birdcalls—keep an eye out for black-and-white colobus monkeys in the canopy. As the trail opens up, you may catch views toward Maundi Crater and, on clear days, across northern Tanzania toward Kenya.

You’ll reach Mandara Hut (around 2,700 m / 8,860 ft) in the afternoon, where you’ll settle in for the night.

Day 3- Mandara to Horombo Hut

After breakfast and a short briefing, you’ll continue your ascent, leaving the rainforest behind as the landscape opens into heath and moorland. The trail is lined with hardy alpine plants—look out for giant groundsels and lobelias—as you climb toward Horombo Camp.

Arriving in the afternoon, you’ll be rewarded with wide-open views of the dramatic Mawenzi spires and the broad Kibo cone ahead.

Day 4- Horombo Hut (acclimatisation)

Day 4 is dedicated to acclimatization. From Horombo Hut, you’ll take a short “walk high, sleep low” hike, giving your body time to adjust to the thinner air while enjoying sweeping views of the surrounding peaks and valleys along the way.

Day 5 - Horombo Hut to Kibo Hut

Leaving Horombo behind, you’ll climb onto the wide Saddle plateau, stretched between Mawenzi and Kibo. The last patches of vegetation fade as the trail turns into stark, rocky ground with a near lunar feel.

You’ll reach Kibo Hut in the early evening, where you’ll eat, hydrate, and rest—readying your gear and energy for the overnight summit attempt.

Day 6 - Kibo Hut to summit (Uhuru Peak) then back to Horombo Hut

Your summit push begins late at night—typically between midnight and 2:00 a.m.—to take advantage of the firmer trail and aim for sunrise near the top. It’s a long, steep climb on loose scree (and sometimes snow) up to Gilman’s Point (5,685 m / 18,652 ft) on the crater rim, where the views are unforgettable.

From there, you’ll follow the rim to Uhuru Peak (5,895 m / 19,341 ft), the highest point in Africa. After photos and a well-earned moment to take it all in, you’ll descend back to Kibo Hut for a short rest and breakfast, then continue down to Horombo for dinner and a well-deserved sleep.

Day 7 - Horombo Hut to Moshi

After breakfast, you’ll begin your final descent, dropping steadily from the moorland back to Mandara Hut, then continuing through the lush rainforest to the Marangu Park Gate to sign out. The trail is generally clear, but the lower sections can be wet and muddy—gaiters and trekking poles are helpful. As it warms up, shorts and a T-shirt often feel best, but keep rain gear and a warmer layer close by.

A vehicle will meet you at the gate for the drive back to your hotel in Moshi, where you can rest up for your journey home—or extend the adventure with a Tanzanian safari.