Westway safaris ltd

Rongai Route, 6 Days

What is the best route up Mount Kilimanjaro?

Mount Kilimanjaro Itinerary

This is one of the most popular routes for trekkers to reach the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro and offers spectacular views as the trail circles around the mountain. The route is normally completed in 6 days but extra days can be added for acclimatisation at the Shira plateau or Barafu.

Day 1: Arrival at Kilimanjaro Airport
Pick up from airport and transfer to accommodation in Arusha for an overnight stay.

Day 2: First Caves Camp (2600m)
Hiking: 5h
In the morning, we will head to Marangu Park gate to register before commencing our hike on the Rongai trail through rainforests towards the first camp of the journey.

Day 3: Kikelewa Cave (3600m)
Hiking time: 7h
We continue our journey across moorlands towards Kibo, passing Second Cave (3450m) en-route before reaching Kikelwa Cave. The views start to open up and offer a great view of the water streams below inside the cave.

Day 4: Mawenzi Tarn Camp (4330m)
Hiking time: 4h
On Day 4, we will walk towards the jagged pinnacles of Mawenzi and camp at Mawenzi Tarn Camp. It is a short but steep climb and offers stunning views of the wilderness area. The vegetation zone ends shortly before we reach our next camp at Mawenzi.

Day 5: Kibo Hut (4700m)
Hiking time: 5h
We will cross a dessert area known as The Saddle, situated between Mawenzi and Kibo towards Kibo Hut and make our final preparations and rest before commencing our hike towards the Summit.

Day 6: Uhuru Peak (5895m)
Hiking time: 14h
We commence our climb to the Summit at around midnight. Most of the journey follows a path of steep scree towards Gilman’s Point on the Crater Rim and is considered the most difficult part of the journey. We will then descend to camp for lunch and a short rest before continuing on to Horombo Hut.

Day 7: Marangu Gate (1980m)
Hiking time: 6h
On our final day, we will leave Horombo Hut, heading towards the Marangu Gate and head back towards Arusha.