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6 days 5 nights
Daily Tour
Unlimited
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The Only Northern Approach to Africa’s Highest Peak
The Rongai Route is the only trail that approaches Mount Kilimanjaro from the remote northern side, near the border of Kenya. This unique positioning offers a totally different perspective of the mountain—one that is drier, quieter, and far less travelled than the popular southern routes. Ideal for trekkers seeking solitude and a more wilderness-filled adventure, Rongai provides a peaceful ascent through untouched forests, open moorland, and dramatic alpine landscapes.
This route takes you close to Mawenzi, the second-highest peak in Tanzania, offering spectacular views of its jagged volcanic spires. As you climb higher, the panoramic scenery reveals sweeping views of Kilimanjaro’s rainforest below, with vast open skies and minimal crowds.
The Rongai Route is known for its gentle gradient, making it one of the easier trails on Kilimanjaro. Its gradual acclimatization profile allows climbers to ascend steadily and safely toward the summit. Reaching Uhuru Peak (5,895 m) via Rongai is both achievable and rewarding, with impressive success rates of 84% on 6-day climbs and up to 94% on 7-day climbs, especially for trekkers with some previous high-altitude experience.
A guide and a mountain support crew will arrive at the hotel in the morning in order to meet you and hold a quick briefing, after which you will travel by vehicle to Kilimanjaro National Park's northern entrance: Nalemuru Gate (2,020 m). After the quick formality of acquiring climbing permits and registering with the search and rescue service, the group will start trekking up to Simba Camp (2,625 m). Your trek this day will be moderate and take you through coniferous forest up Kilimanjaro's northern slope. Remember not to hurry and always keep a comfortable pace. By the time you reach the camp, our professional mountain crew will prepare everything necessary, put tents and cook dinner for you
This will be your first day at this altitude, so it is strongly recommended you heed the following instructions from this point on:
Abstain from consuming alcohol and caffeine
Drink over 4 liters of bottled water daily (little by little, frequently)
Take a Diamox pill to help alleviate symptoms of altitude sickness. Most mountain climbers take Diamox in the morning,
before they start their ascent, in order to reduce discomfort associated with altitude sickness. We recommend you consult your doctor prior to the trip in case of potential allergies
Elevation: 2000m/6560ft to 2650m/8700ft
Distance: 6km/4mi
Hiking Time: 5-6 hours
Difficulty: Low
Habitat: Rainforest
Early in the morning after breakfast, the group will depart from Simba Camp to start trekking towards your second high altitude camp: Kikilewa Camp (3,630 m) where you can see Kibo Volcano at its finest (barring cloudy weather). This trekking is more physically demanding than the previous one, so once you are in the camp, full rest is recommended.
Elevation: 2625m to 3630m
Distance: 10km
Hiking Time: 3-4 hours
Difficulty: Medium
Habitat: Moorland
Early wakeup, breakfast and the start of trekking to Mawenzi Tarn Camp, which is situated at the foot of Mawenzi Volcano, Kilimanjaro's second summit. When you reach the camp, you will have lunch and a two-hour rest, after which there will be an acclimatization hike towards Mawenzi Volcano with a 200-meter gain in altitude, followed by a hike back down to Mawenzi Tarn Camp, where you will have dinner in the evening.
Note: The acclimatization hike is an easy trek with a slight gain in altitude done in order to speed up the acclimatization process. You should take the acclimatization hikes very seriously. They help increase your chances of successfully summiting Kilimanjaro and save you from the consequences of altitude sickness.
Acclimatization hike:
Change in Elevation: Mawenzi Tarn Camp (4,310 m) — Destination point en route to Mawenzi Volcano (4,510 m)
Hiking distance: 2 km
Hiking time: 1–2 hours
Elevation: 3630m to 4310m
Distance: 6km
Hiking Time: 4-5 hours
Difficulty: Medium
Habitat: Alpine desert
This day will be spent trekking towards School Hut Camp (4,715 m). The landscape will change significantly to give way to a rocky semidesert. The actual trekking is not very difficult; just remember to stick with an appropriate pace to keep up your strength for the trekking to Kilimanjaro's summit. When you reach the camp, we recommend you sleep well, avoid strenuous activity, and drink as much as you can, because that very night you will be ascending Uhuru Peak (5,895 m).
Elevation: 4310m to 4715m
Distance: 9km
Hiking Time: 5-6 hours
Difficulty: Medium
Habitat: Alpine desert
Night departure from School Hut Camp (4,715 m) and the start of your trekking to Kilimanjaro's summit: Uhuru peak (5,895 m). The trekking will be moderate from a physical standpoint, but the altitude presents a much more serious problem. For the entire length of the trekking their own guide, who will be monitoring your stamina and mental resolve, will accompany each pair of climbers. After your successful ascent to Uhuru Peak, you can descend to the nearest glacier if desired. Then you will return to Kibo Camp and after a two-hour rest continue your descent to School Hut Camp (3,720 m).
Note: Don't forget that 90% of all accidents occur during the descent, including all broken arms and legs. Please pay attention to your feet, as there is a high risk of damaging your toenails.
Elevation: (4715m to 5895m) (5895m to 3720m)
Distance: 21km
Hiking Time: 12-14 hours
Difficulty: High
Habitat: Arctic
You will be offered a warm breakfast in the morning, after which we will head for the Kilimanjaro National Park's exit: Marangu Gate (1,860 m). After your descent the whole group will gather to congratulate you, and then you will have the chance to share your opinions on the trip in the guestbook. Lastly, we will present you with your commemorative certificates and provide you a transfer back to the hotel.
Elevation: 3720m to 1860m
Distance: 18km
Hiking Time: 5-6 hours
Difficulty: Medium
Habitat: Rainforest
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